NAMPA, Idaho – It had been six long years since the Northwest Nazarene University women's basketball team had defeated Western Washington.

The Vikings' dominance is no more.

Thanks to relentless defensive pressure from the entire team, a big second-half run and a big all-around performance from Lexi Tubbs, the Nighthawks rolled to an 82-62 victory Thursday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

"It's amazing," Tubbs said of beating Western. "Us seniors had a little moment after the game – it's an awesome feeling."

NNU had lost 12 in a row to the Vikings with its last win coming on Jan. 21, 2012. The Nighthawks (11-3 overall, 7-2 GNAC) had lost close games and blowouts in that time frame to Western but had never been able to get over the hump.

"Any time you beat Western Washington, which is if not the class of the conference at least one of the top two teams for forever – that feels good," NNU coach Steve Steele said.

The Nighthawks used a 15-3 run from midway in the third quarter to early in the fourth to blow open the game.

Tubbs had a pair of layups, Danielle Jardine had a steal and a layup, sister Raquel Jardine made a pair of short jumpers and Carly Parker capped it with a three-point play to give the Nighthawks a 60-42 lead with 8:35 to go.

Danielle Jardine outhustled a Western player, grabbing the ball near midcourt and making a layup while getting knocked to the ground. The bench exploded and it seemed to give the Nighthawks the spark they needed.

"It is a hustle play," she said. "I didn't want the Western player to out hustle our team, so I laid my body out for my teammates.

"It's always fun getting a steal and making a basket. Your teammates are always there to pick you up and give you that energy. We all just got pumped and got so many steals after that. It was amazing for our team."

NNU finished with 12 steals and forced 25 turnovers on the night. Avery Albrecht and Carly Parker gave huge minutes off the bench defensively, helping wear out the Western Washington (7-10, 3-6) guards.

"They were losing energy just trying to get open in the press," Tubbs said of the Vikings. "Our press is bringing our offense. It is so much better when we share the ball, when momentum is going and when we get shots off of steals."

NNU came out on fire, taking a 26-8 lead in the first quarter. But the Nighthawks scored just four points in the second quarter and the game remained close until the big run in the third.

"We had a lot of kids that made good defensive plays," Steele said. "Kids up on the front of the press helped create turnovers because they were working so hard."

Tubbs scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting. She also pulled down six rebounds and had two steals. Danielle Jardine finished with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, Marina Valles had 11 points, and McKenna Walker and Albrecht each had seven.

"It's an amazing feeling," Danielle Jardine said. "As a junior I just wanted to go out and give it all for my seniors. I gave my whole heart out for our seniors to win tonight."