Women's Basketball | 2/15/2014 8:42:00 PM

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team pulled away from Western Oregon University Saturday, 63-55.

The Vikings (15-8, 11-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) won their fourth straight game at this key stretch of the season. With four games remaining in the regular season, WWU sits in a tie for second place in the conference standings.

Western Washington, which won its 12th straight matchup with Western Oregon, led for the entire game, but watched its 22-point second half lead slim to single digits in the final minutes. The Vikings were led by Sarah Hill's 13 points and nine rebounds. She also tossed five assists and made three blocks. Tia Briggs and Sydney Donaldson added 12 and 11 points. Jenni White threw a game-high six assists and made three steals.

The Vikings turned 21 Western Oregon turnovers into 25 points. WWU committed 12 turnovers. Western Washington's bench outscored its counterpart, 20-1. Both teams scored 34 points in the paint. The Wolves outrebounded WWU, 33-31. Western Oregon also had a 45 percent to 44 percent advantage in shooting from the field. It was only the second time in seven occasions this season that WOU has lost after finishing with a better field goal percentage.

Melissa Fowler led four double-digit scorers for the Wolves with a season-high 16 points. The senior made eight of her 12 shots from the field. Dana Goularte and Chantel Divilbiss both scored 12 points, and Kelsey Henry had 10. Henry grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as well. Elise Miller had four assists, and Divilbiss made three steals.

Western Oregon (6-16, 3-13 GNAC) trailed 29-20 at halftime after shooting 34 percent from the field in the first half. WWU made 38 percent in the opening half.

"I'm really proud of how we fought tonight," WOU Head Coach Holli Howard-Carpenter said. "We stayed together and really tried to play one possession at a time. There were a lot of positives to take away and hopefully will give us so momentum going into our final four games. Melissa (Fowler) did a great job on both ends of the floor tonight and Kelsey made some key plays for us."

The Wolves welcome Montana State Billings (20-5, 12-2) Thursday. The Yellowjackets currently sit atop the conference standings, and won the first meeting this season, 79-57, in Billings. MSUB enters the matchup on a 10-game win streak. It will be Play4Kay Night in Monmouth Thursday, and fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. The first 50 students at the game will receive a free pink shirt. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Western Oregon vs Western Washington
02/15/14 7:00 pm at Carver Gym - Bellingham, WA
At Carver Gym - Bellingham, WA
WESTERN WASHINGTON 63, WESTERN OREGON 55
WESTERN OREGON (6-16, 3-11 GNAC)
Fowler,Melissa 8-12 0-2 16; Divilbiss,Chantel 5-9 1-1 12; Goularte,Dana 3-13
6-7 12; Henry,Kelsey 4-7 2-2 10; Miller,Elise 2-4 0-0 4; Titus,Angie 0-0 1-2
1; Nicklason,Leah 0-3 0-0 0; Reade,Amber 0-0 0-0 0; Steiger,Jackie 0-0 0-0
0; Goddard,Katie 0-0 0-0 0; Mottershaw,Jordan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-48 10-14
55.
WESTERN WASHINGTON (15-8, 11-4 GNAC)
Hill,Sarah 6-11 1-3 13; Briggs,Tia 5-8 2-2 12; Donaldson,Sydney 5-9 0-0 11;
Colard,Katie 3-10 2-4 9; White,Jenni 2-7 1-3 6; Gandy,Kiana 2-3 2-2 6;
Peacocke,Taylor 2-6 0-0 4; Albert,Rachel 1-2 0-0 2; Pounds,Marcel 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 26-59 8-14 63.
Western Oregon................   20   35  -   55
Western Washington............   29   34  -   63
3-point goals--Western Oregon 1-5 (Divilbiss,Chantel 1-2; Goularte,Dana 0-2;
Miller,Elise 0-1), Western Washington 3-17 (White,Jenni 1-4;
Donaldson,Sydney 1-2; Colard,Katie 1-6; Peacocke,Taylor 0-2; Pounds,Marcel
0-3). Fouled out--Western Oregon-None, Western Washington-None.
Rebounds--Western Oregon 33 (Henry,Kelsey 7), Western Washington 31
(Hill,Sarah 9). Assists--Western Oregon 10 (Miller,Elise 4), Western
Washington 18 (White,Jenni 6). Total fouls--Western Oregon 18, Western
Washington 15. Technical fouls--Western Oregon-None, Western
Washington-None. A-355