SAN BERNARDINO – Facing a team ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation and No. 1 in the NCAA Div. II West Region this season can be a challenge for any opponent, but playing without its top scorer proved to be too much of a challenge Monday.
The Yotes, playing their first-ever women's basketball game against Western Washington University, came up well short, absorbing a 77-59 loss to the Vikings in Coussoulis Arena.
That
Destiny Jackson, CSUSB's leading scorer and ranked No. 2 in the CCAA in that category as well as No. 2 in steals, was not available hurt. Jackson is averaging 17.5 points a game and led the team in steals with 22 and second in assists with 20.
Senior
Jaida Jackson assumed the court leadership against the Vikings, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Olivia Lee came off the bench and equaled Jackson's output with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Isabel Arango contributed eight points, all in the first half. Along with a pair of rebounds.
The Yotes season record drops to 4-5 as they break for the Christmas holiday and resume CCAA conference play at home on Dec. 31 against rival Cal Poly Pomona.
Western Washington improved to 9-2 on the season with its fourth win of the season over CCAA foes. The Vikings beat Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State L.A., and Cal State East Bay earlier and lost to Cal State San Marcos.
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference member, coming off a 24-4 season in 2022-23 and a West Regional quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Azusa Pacific, lost six players – three to graduation and three to transfer.
They entered the game ranked No. 13 in the WCBA (coaches) national poll and No. 9 in the D2SIDA national poll and No. 1 in the D2SIDA regional poll.
With a tall lineup of 6-foot-3-inch junior Brooke Walling, a transfer from Fresno State, 6-foot-1 junior guard Olivia Wikstrom, 5-10 junior guard Riley Dykstra, and 5-10 senior guard Stephanie Peterson, shot 49 percent for the game (26 of 53 field goals), with eight blocked shots, eight steals to go with a game-high 39 rebounds.
Wikstrom led the Vikings with 17 points, going 5-for-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line, and made all four free throws to go with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Walling, the Vikings leading scorer at 18.1 ppg and leading rebounder at 10.2 rpg, this season, scored 10 points with 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocked shots, giving her 32 blocks on the season in 11 games.
Peterson and 5-foot-5 inch guard Oberg both scored 10 points for the visitors.
The Yotes led the Vikings 16-12 with two minutes left in the first period but that lead was swallowed up by a 12-2 run by the Vikings to begin the second period to lead 25-18 on a three-pointer by Dykstra with 4:51 remaining before halftime.
Wikstrom and Oberg hit back-to-back three-pointers followed by another three by Wikstrom and a pair of Walling free throws for a 38-25 halftime lead.
The Vikings expanded their lead to 16 points, 55-39 after three quarters and expanded their lead to 24 points at 67-43 on a three pointer by reserve guard Maddy Grandbois with 6:23 left in the game.
The Yotes were close to their season field goal percentage for the season (37.6) with Monday's 36 percent total, hitting 23 of 63 attempts, but took only five three-pointers and made two and were just 11 of 23 from the free throw line (47.8 percent), well below their season average of 56 percent.
Mia Dufresne, a 6-1 forward center, had a tough night with only two points (0 for 6 FG), to go with three rebounds, and a blocked shot.
Auren Isaacson hit only one of five field goal tries but collected four rebounds.
Deja Blue had six points and six rebounds.
Samantha Henley scored seven points for the Yotes.
NEXT UP: CSUSB hosts Cal Poly Pomona in a CCAA conference game on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. followed by the men's game at 3 p.m.
