Post-Tournament Interview - Katie Colard

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Tournament MVP Katie Colard (Sr., McCleary/Elma) scored 15 points as the Western Washington University women's basketball team rolled past Northwest University, 92-53, to win the 18th Annual Lynda Goodrich Classic on Saturday, Nov. 29, at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

Forward Sydney Donaldson (Sr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) had a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 field-goal shooting for the Vikings, who improved to 5-2 overall with their fourth consecutive victory.

The game was an exhibition for Northwest, which has a 5-2 record in counting contests. Chanara Greene led the Eagles with 14 points, 12 in the first half.

It was the 14th straight triumph in the Goodrich Classic for the Vikings, who have now won 33-of-36 games all-time in the tourney, tying or winning 16 of the 18 titles.

Greene hit five of her first six shots to help Northwest take a 17-14 lead a little over six minutes into the game, but the Vikings used fullcourt pressure to key a 21-5 run that gave them a 35-22 lead with 6:40 left in the first half. WWU held a 52-29 lead at halftime.

Kiana Gandy (So., Des Moines/Mount Rainier) had 12 points and eight rebounds for WWU, Kayla Bernsen (Jr., Moses Lake) had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Jenni White (Sr., Spokane/Central Valley) and Aleisha Hathaway (So., Spokane/Shadle Park) each added 10 points.

It was the 499th career victory for WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. Dolfo, who has a record of 499-185 in 24 seasons, needs one more victory to become the first four-year coach in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) to reach that milestone at one university in those states.

The Vikings had a 47-30 advantage in rebounds and turned the ball over just nine times.

Colard was joined on the all-tourney team by Bernsen, Donaldson, Greene, Juliana Cavallaro of Tampa and Krista Stabler of Saint Martin's.

Tampa defeated Saint Martin's, 72-59, in Saturday's first game.

WWU opens its Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule on Dec. 6 (5:15 p.m.), traveling to Simon Fraser University.