BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University junior guard Lexie Bland did a little bit of everything in the Vikings 60-43 victory over Seattle Pacific on Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
Bland scored 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting, grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds, had 4 assists and recorded 4 steals to lead WWU to its fourth win in the last five games. The Vikings are now 14-10 overall and remain in 5th place in the GNAC standings at 9-7.
“Lexie was all over the place tonight and really got us going on both offense and defense,” said head coach Carmen Dolfo. “I thought our guards played well, not just tonight, but in both wins this week. Overall I thought our defensive effort was really good the last two games.”
Bland (Ellensburg, WA) was one of three Vikings reaching double-figures in scoring, with junior center Anna Schwecke (Evergreen, CO/Clear Creek/Colorado-Colorado Springs) leading the way with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Sophomore guard Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) added 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
WWU was limited to 38.3% shooting in the game (18-for-47), but its defensive performance limited SPU to an even lower 30.8% (16-for-52). The Vikings lead the GNAC this season with opposing teams shooting just 38.2%.
Seattle Pacific (7-16, 6-10 GNAC) was led by 10 points from sophomore guard Kaprice Boston.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The Vikings nearly doubled the Falcons in rebounding, 42-23, including an 11-4 advantage in offensive rebounds…WWU was 18-for-20 at the free throw line (90.0%) and 6-for-18 (33.3%) from 3-point range.
PULLING AWAY IN THE SECOND HALF
The Vikings out-scored the Falcons 15-6 in the third quarter, with a 10-2 run to end the quarter giving the Vikings a 42-28 lead. WWU held the Falcons scoreless over a 6:17 stretch to build the lead to as high as 16 points at 42-26. Anna Schwecke and Lexie Bland each had 4 points to lead the Vikings in the third quarter. WWU finished off the victory with an 18-point 4th quarter, scoring its last 8 points at the free throw line for the 17-point victory.
SECOND QUARTER
The Vikings opened the quarter on a 7-0 run, fueled by back-to-back 3-pointers by Lexie Bland. WWU held the SPU without points for the first five minutes of the quarter, but the Falcons went on 7-0 run to trim the lead to three points at 25-22. Anna Schwecke hit a last-second layup to bring the game to the halftime score of 27-22. Bland led Western with 6 points in the quarter, followed by 4 each from Schwecke and Emma Duff. WWU was 6-for-12 shooting in the quarter (50.0%), while holding SPU to 23.1% (3-for-13).
THE FIRST QUARTER
Seattle Pacific went on a late 7-2 run to pull even with the Vikings, after WWU had a pair of 7-point leads. Both teams started slow from the field with the two teams combining for five points in the first four minutes of the game. WWU pulled away going on a 8-2 run to build a 11-4 lead, but SPU climbed back into the game.
UP NEXT
The Vikings are back on the road next week with games at Central Washington on Thursday (Feb. 21, 7 pm) and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday (Feb. 23, 7 pm MT). WWU has four regular-season games remaining, with three on the road. The final home game, honoring senior Bobbie Westendorf, will be on Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. Simon Fraser.
SERIES HISTORY
WWU earned the season split with the Falcons, after falling 61-59 in a tight game on Jan. 17 in Seattle…the Vikings lead the all-time series 62-33, with Saturday’s win snapping a three-game losing streak vs. SPU…WWU is 10-6 vs. SPU dating back to the 2012 season.
