[Box Score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Despite arguably their best defensive performance of the season, the Western Oregon women's basketball team fell short against visiting No. 7 Western Washington, losing 59-50 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Monday, Feb. 7.

The Wolves (8-12, 6-6 GNAC) held the nationally-ranked Vikings to just 32.7 percent shooting on the night, WWU's worst shooting performance of the season. Western Washington (20-1, 13-0 GNAC) came into the game shooting 44.1 percent. WOU also forced the Vikings into 18 turnovers while limiting them to 9 assists, also a season low. WWU's assist-turnover ratio for the night was 0.5, a big difference from the 1.0 ratio they had entering the game.

WOU senior guard Sara Zahler (Newberg, Ore./Newberg) had a well-rounded game, registering 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one blocked shot. Freshman forward Melissa Fowler (Canby, Ore./Canby) scored 11 points while going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.

The Wolves took an early lead on a Peterson triple but a pair of free throws by Western Washington tied the game at 11-11 with 6:57 left in the first half. WOU would go on a 9-0 run to take a 20-11 lead at the 3:31 mark before going into halftime up 25-21 thanks to an 8-3 WWU run to close the half.

All told, the Vikings went on a 19-5 run that spanned the last 2:42 of the first half and the first 3:45 of the second to go up 32-28 with 16:45 remaining. Western would cut its deficit to two at 34-32 but would get no closer as WWU led by eight points three different times before a pair of foul shots gave them their largest lead of the game at 59-50.

"I felt we went toe-to-toe with the best team in the GNAC tonight," WOU head coach Greg Bruce said. "The girls played extremely hard and they never stopped fighting. It's that kind of effort that will win you games in this league. Unfortunately, Western Washington is very talented and their senior-laden squad knows how to win."

The Wolves also struggled from the field, connecting on 28.6 percent of their shots. Western did make seven three-pointers, good for 38.9 percent.

WWU senior forward Lauren Hefflin led all scorers with 20 points. Senior guard Amanda Dunbar added 15.

WOU faces a quick turnaround, travelling to Alaska for GNAC counters against Alaska Fairbanks and No. 15 Alaska Anchorage. Game times for both contests are set for 6:15 pm PST.