The promising season that awaits the Vikings softball team is right around the corner. Their season begins Feb. 5, and goes through to Feb. 7, with five scheduled games in the Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas.
Western Washington junior guard Taylor Peacocke led the Vikings with 21 points and eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in her career to help the Vikings win 70-39 over Western Oregon at the Whatcom Pavilion. About halfway through the second quarter Peacocke hit a midrange jumper to make her the 24th player in school history to score 1,000 or more career points. Peacocke also finished with five steals and three assists, while shooting 6-8 from the field and 7-7 from the free throw line. Senior center Kayla Bernsen added 14 points and 10 rebounds to giver her fifth double-double of the season. She also recorded six blocks, a career high. With the win over Western Oregon, the Vikings are now 13-6 and 9-2 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The game got off to a slow start, but the Vikings were able to find a comfortable lead with four minutes left in the first half when they were able to take an 11-point lead, 16-5. The Vikings never let up and led at the beginning of the second half 36-21. They eventually took a commanding 27-point lead going into the fourth quarter and never looked back. Western was able to shoot 59 percent from the field, while holding Western Oregon to 24 percent from the field. The Vikings will host Concordia University on Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Whatcom Pavilion at 7 p.m.
It’s finally time for winter intramurals at Western, and there’s a wider variety of ways to get competitive than ever.
The Western Washington Vikings slipped past the Central Washington Wildcats 89-84 on Jan. 23 at the Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Washington behind a career night from senior point guard Ricardo Maxwell. In a rivalry game that was shown on ROOT Sports, Maxwell matched a career-high with 31 points. He scored 21 of those points in the first half but was held to just six points in the first 19 minutes of the first half before scoring two crucial baskets in the final minute of the second half. Maxwell’s first basket secured the lead for the Vikings at 85-84 after the Wildcats took an 84-83 lead after climbing back from a 21-point deficit in the second half. Maxwell’s second basket padded the lead to 87-84 and the Vikings left Ellensburg with a victory. Before the Vikings took the large lead into halftime they were down 14-4 at the 15-minute mark. They finished the half on a 45-23 run to take a 49-37 lead into the half. The change of momentum was led by Maxwell, but junior forward Jeffrey Parker also contributed 17 points, while freshman forward Trey Dreschel and senior guard Kyle Impero both scored 12 points. The Vikings finished 23-28 (82 percent) from the free throw line while the Wildcats only were able to convert 14-26 (54 percent) of their free throws. The Vikings were also able to shoot 60 percent from the field in the first half, and 50 percent for the entire game. The Vikings are now 12-7 overall and 6-4 in the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference. Their next game will be against Simon Fraser University on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
I know most of you are still grieving. Trust me, I get it.
The best offense is a good defense. At least that’s what the leaders of the Western women’s basketball team will tell you.
Solutions by The State News
