BELLINGHAM, Wash.—Using mini sprees to end both the second and third quarters, Western Washington University defeated Western Oregon University, 66-46, in GNAC women's basketball action inside Carver Gym on Thursday night.

The two teams traded leads on a dozen occasions in the first half with neither squad creating more than a three-point separation until Western Oregon (8-11, 4-9 GNAC) managed the feat following Olivia Denton and Kennedy Corrigan jumpers late in the second quarter for a 27-21 advantage.

Erasing the deficit before the break, Western Washington (9-12, 5-8 GNAC) used a 7-0 spurt over the final 2:27 to end the half with a 28-27 advantage.

The Wolves remained within a single possession midway through the third thanks to Shelby Snook free throws to make it a 37-34 contest, but were held to just six field goals in the second half as WWU double-upped the Wolves in second-half scoring.

"We played solid for one half and that's just not enough to get it done.  Western Washington came out on fire in the third quarter and we didn't commit to doing the little things to get defensive stops," WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter said.

WWU notched 19 points in each of the final two quarters. WOU, meanwhile, mustered just 19 points over the final 20 minutes, including nine in the third for a season-low total. WOU's previous low was a 52-point output at home against Seattle Pacific on Dec. 2.

WWU's Hannah Stipanovich led all scorers with 17 points and tied for the game-high with seven rebounds. Sydney Azorr led WOU with 12 points and was followed by Savannah Heugly with 10 points. Ali Nelke grabbed seven rebounds and added five points for the Wolves.

"We allowed middle drives, our help defense was chasing and we ball watched most of the second half. On top of not defending, we just could not buy a basket," Howard-Carpenter said.

WOU will continue its road trip on Saturday when it faces Simon Fraser University. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. in Burnaby, B.C.