Women's Basketball | 1/23/2019 11:56:00 AM

WHAT'S HAPPENING…the WWU women's basketball team (10-6, 5-3) return home to Carver Gym to begin a four-game homestand with games against nationally-ranked Northwest Nazarene (16-0, 8-0) on Thursday (5:15 pm) and in-state rival Central Washington (11-4, 6-2) on Saturday (7 pm)…NNU is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the D2SIDA Media/SID poll and No. 3 in the WBCA Coaches Poll…WWU will play its next four games and six of its next eight contests on campus in Carver Gym.
 
THE RECORD…WWU is 10-6 overall and tied for 4^th place in the GNAC standings with a 5-3 conference record…4-3 over the last 7 games after opening the season 6-3…have gone 6-3 in Carver Gym, 3-2 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games…5-2 when leading at the half and have 4 victories after trailing at intermission…won season-high 5 consecutive games Nov. 17-Dec. 1.
 

Overall/GNAC Record	10-6, 5-3 (T4th)
Home (Overall/GNAC)	6-3, 2-1
Road (Overall/GNAC)	3-2, 3-2
Neutral	1-1
vs. Ranked Teams	1-1
Leading at Half	5-2
Trailing at Half	4-3
Tied at Half	1-1
Overtime	1-0
By Uniform
White	6-3
Navy Blue	4-3

 
WWU BASKETBALL DOUBLEHEADER…the Vikings will team up with the men's squad for GNAC doubleheaders this week…WWU plays the early game Thursday at 5:15 pm vs. NNU, followed by the men at 7:30 pm vs. Alaska Fairbanks…on Saturday, WWU plays at 7 pm vs. Central Washington, with the men playing Alaska Anchorage at 3 pm.
 
PROMOTIONS…the following promotions are featured this week:

• Thursday vs. NNU » WECU Day (300 free tickets to fans showing their WECU card), WWU Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day (free admission with WWU ID).
• Saturday vs. CWU » Blue Out vs. CWU, WWU Women's Soccer honored at halftime.

INGREDIENT TO SUCCESS…the Vikings are 7-1 when scoring 70+ points this season, including a 75-67 victory at Saint Martin's in their last time out…averaging 67.1 points per game to rank 7^th in the GNAC…WWU is 3-5 when limited to fewer than 70 points in a game.
 
A LOOK AT LAST WEEK…WWU went 1-1 last week in conference play, dropping a 61-59 contest at Seattle Pacific (led 23-6 after the first quarter) and came back with a 75-67 victory on Saturday at Saint Martin's (overcame 14-point deficit early in the second quarter)…Kelsey Rogers again led the Vikings averaging 12.0 points per game, scoring 14 against SPU and 10 vs. SMU…Lexie Bland added 11.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, with Anna Schwecke, Gracie Castaneda and Mollie Olson all averaging 9.5 points per game…the Vikings combined to shoot 40.8% (49-for-120).
 
HOME SWEET HOME…WWU is 6-3 on WECU Court in Carver Gym this season, including a 2-1 mark in GNAC play…4-3 on the road, which includes a 1-1 mark in neutral-site games…WWU has 12 games remaining in the 2018-19 regular season, with six of the next 8 at home…WWU is 472-86 all-time in Carver Gym for a .846 winning percentage, with head coach Carmen Dolfo leading the Vikings to a 298-60 (.832) all-time mark in the on-campus facility.
 
CLEANING THE GLASS…the Vikings have out-rebounded their opponent in 13 of 16 games this season and have the 11^th-highest rebound margin in NCAA II at +10.4…averaging 42.1 rebounds per game to lead the GNAC and rank 40^th in the nation…Anna Schwecke leads the team and is 4^th in the GNAC averaging 7.8 rebounds per game.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW…all GNAC games, home and road, will stream live and feature live statistical updates at GNAC.tv, with home games also streamed live on YouTube…in addition to being available online, all conference matches are available via the GNAC channel on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV…live links can be accessed through WWUVikings.com/Live.
 
THE HEADLINES…

• GNAC Standings – WWU is tied for 4^th in the GNAC with a 5-3 league record (10-6 overall).
• Home Sweet Home – WWU plays 4 straight and 6 of the next 8 games in Carver Gym.
• Scoring Leader – Kelsey Rogers leads the team and is 2^nd in the GNAC averaging 15.3 points per game.
• Offensive Olson – Mollie Olson is averaging 11.7 points per game over her last three games.
• Crashing the Boards – WWU leads the GNAC and ranks 40^th in NCAA II averaging 42.1 rebounds/game.
• Defense – Leads the GNAC holding opponents to a 38.0 field goal percentage (91^st in NCAA II).
• Missing Iwami – Dani Iwami is likely out for the season with a foot injury…the preseason All-GNAC selection and 2018 GNAC Newcomer of the Year was averaging 12.1 points and 4.8 assists per game.
• Youngsters – WWU's active roster features 4 freshmen, 3 sophomores, 2 juniors and 1 senior.
• The Head Coach – Carmen Dolfo is in her 28^th season leading the Vikings and has 583 career wins.

 
SERIES HISTORY…here is a look at the series history vs. WWU's opponents this week:

• Northwest Nazarene » The Vikings lead the all-time series vs. NNU 30-11, including winning 13 of the last 15…NNU won both games last season, snapping a 13-game losing streak to WWU…won 82-62 in Nampa and 78-76 in overtime in Bellingham en route to winning the GNAC regular-season title…WWU is 17-3 all-time vs. the Nighthawks in Bellingham (11-7 on the road, 2-1 neutral)…NNU is 16-0 overall and 8-0 in GNAC play this season…one of five undefeated DII programs…currently ranked No. 1 (D2SIDA) and No. 3 (WBCA) in the national polls…led by three players averaging double-figures in scoring: Avery Albrecht (12.6), Ellie Logan (12.2) and Marina Valles (10.1)…the Nighthawks have 10 players that average over 6.0 points per game.
• Central Washington » WWU leads the all-time series vs. CWU 94-12, including a 21-2 mark over the last 23 meetings in the series dating back to the 2008 season…went 1-1 vs. the Wildcats last season, falling 77-73 in Ellensburg and winning 67-59 in Bellingham…CWU is 11-4 overall and 6-2 in GNAC play to sit in 3^rd place in the conference standings…won 5 of last 6 heading into this week's action…averaging 77.6 points per game to rank 2^nd in the GNAC…Alexis Pana leads the GNAC, just ahead of Kelsey Rogers, averaging 15.3 points/game.

 
HIGH & LOW SCORING QUARTERS…NCAA women's basketball adopted the four-quarter system four seasons ago in 2015-16…during that time, the Vikings have held an opponent to single-digit points in a 10-minute quarter 46 times, including the 6 points WWU limited Seattle Pacific to last Thursday in the first quarter (tied for lowest scoring first quarter by an opponent over last four years)…WWU also scored 31 points in Saturday's second quarter at Saint Martin's, the 5^th-highest scoring output in a quarter over the last four seasons.
 
ROGERS LEADING THE WAY…sophomore forward Kelsey Rogers leads the team and is 2^nd in the GNAC averaging 15.3 points per game…has scored in double-digits in 14 of the Vikings 16 games, including 10 consecutive contests…tied for the GNAC lead with five games with 20-or-more points…also averaging 15.6 points per game in GNAC play to rank 5^th in the conference…among GNAC leaders also ranks 2^nd in field goal percentage (.560/107-191), 10^th in rebounding (6.1 rpg), 8^th in free throw percentage (89.2/29-for-39) and 5^th in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
 
SCHWECKE'S BIG NUMBERS…junior center Anna Schwecke is averaging 11.3 points (20^th in the GNAC) and 7.8 rebounds (4^th in the GNAC)…tied for 5^th in the conference with three double-doubles…scored in double-digits in 9 of 16 games and recorded four games with 10+ rebounds (tied for 4^th in GNAC)…named the GNAC Player of the Week for Nov. 26-Dec. 2 after posting a pair of double-doubles in the opening week of GNAC play…over two seasons with the Vikings is averaging 9.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 44 games (41 starts).
 
WINNING THE CLOSE GAMES…WWU is 4-1 in games decided by 5-or-fewer points and is 1-0 in overtime contests.
 
BUZZER BEATER…junior guard Lexie Bland hit the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired in a 77-74 overtime victory over No. 16 Azusa Pacific on Nov. 17…Bland's 3-pointer from the far corner bounced high off the rim and through the net for the buzzer beater to send the Vikings to the victory.
 
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS…WWU will serve as the host for the 2019 GNAC Championships, with the top six teams in both the women's and men's conference standings at the end of the season qualifying for the tournament that will be held March 7-9 on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
A STORIED PROGRAM…two WWU women's basketball coaches have more than 400 career victories…current head coach Carmen Dolfo has amassed 583 wins while former coach Lynda Goodrich totaled 411 wins leading the Vikings.
 
GNAC STANDINGS…WWU is currently tied for 4^th place in a tightly-packed upper tier of the GNAC standings heading into conference action this week:
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL	CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Northwest Nazarene	8-0	1.000	16-0	1.000	9-0	5-0	2-0	Won 16
Alaska Anchorage	7-1	.875	15-1	.938	8-0	5-1	2-0	Won 8
Central Washington	6-2	.750	11-4	.733	7-2	2-2	2-0	Won 1
Western Washington	5-3	.625	10-6	.625	6-3	3-2	1-1	Won 1
Simon Fraser	5-3	.625	9-6	.600	2-2	5-1	2-3	Won 3
Seattle Pacific	4-4	.500	5-10	.333	4-3	1-5	0-2	Lost 1
Montana State Billings	3-5	.375	7-7	.500	4-0	2-6	1-1	Lost 2
Western Oregon	3-5	.375	6-8	.429	3-3	2-4	1-1	Won 1
Concordia	2-6	.250	7-9	.438	2-3	3-4	2-2	Lost 1
Saint Martin's	1-7	.125	3-13	.188	2-4	1-6	0-3	Lost 7
Alaska	0-8	.000	3-11	.214	0-5	1-5	2-1	Lost 11

 
1,000 WINS…the Vikings earned a historic victory against Saint Martin's on 1/13/18 with a 69-58 victory to record win No. 1,000 all-time in program history…according to available records, WWU is one of just 16 women's college basketball team (all levels/divisions) to reach 1,000 all-time victories.
 
ABOUT WWU HOOPS…one of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in 7 of the last 9 seasons, and 34 times in the 47-year history of the program…WWU has 20 seasons of 20 or more wins under head coach Carmen Dolfo, who is the winningest coach of any sport at WWU and ranks among Division II active and all-time coaching leaders in wins, win percentage and 20-win seasons…the Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 16 of 20 seasons at the Division II level, with two trips to the Final Four, and have 43 all-time postseason appearances…the program is one of just 16 women's college basketball teams across all divisions and levels to reach the 1,000-victory milestone (currently 1,015 all-time wins).
 
THE NEWCOMERS…WWU's four freshmen include a pair of local products in Nooksack Valley's Katrina Gimmaka (F, Everson, WA) and Lynden Christian's Avery Dykstra (G, Lynden, WA)…both were WIAA First Team All-State selections during their senior year in the Northwest Conference…freshman guard Mollie Olson (Napavine, WA) was also an All-State selection out of Napavine High School averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game during her senior season…guard Monique Fierke (Monroe, WA) made her season debut during the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic.
 
ROGERS NAMED GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK…Kelsey Rogers was named the GNAC Player of the Week, for games played Nov. 12-18…Rogers scored 50 points in WWU's two games in the Sodexo Classic, combining to shoot 71.4% (20-for-28) and was 10-for-10 from the free throw line…she scored a career-high 26 and tallied a double-double with 10 rebounds in a 79-72 loss to UCSD and added 24 points in a 77-74 overtime victory against nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific.
 
WHAT RETURNS…the Vikings returned 4 starters and 7 letterwinners from last year's squad that went 12-16 overall and 8-12 in the GNAC…finished the second half of the GNAC schedule with a 5-5 record, narrowly missing the conference tournament, with two of the defeats by two points…the 11-player squad for 2018-19 includes one senior, three juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.
 
THE COACHING STAFF…head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 28^th season leading the program, amassing 20 seasons of 20-or-more wins and a career record of 583-229 for a .718 winning percentage…last season WWU joined the elite ranks of only a select number of programs across all NCAA women's basketball divisions to record the 1,000th win in school history…Dolfo's coaching staff includes seventh-year assistant coach Stacey Turrell, along with graduate and student assistants Kayla Bernsen and Amanda Lance.
 
FOLLOW THE VIKS…more information on the 2018-19 season, including a details schedule, roster and quick facts can be found online at WWUVikings.com/WBB and via social media on Twitter (@WWUBasketball), Instagram (@wwu.basketball) and Facebook (@WWUwomensbball).
 
LED BY A LEGEND…head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 28^th season leading the program…she owns an all-time record of 583-229 (.718) to rank amongst active and career leaders at the Division II level in career wins and winning percentage…Dolfo became the winningest coach in Western Washington history when she collected victory No. 519 on Dec. 3, 2015 vs. Alaska to pass former men's basketball coach Brad Jackson (518-279)…Coach Dolfo ranks amongst NCAA coaching leaders in several categories (rankings entering 2018-19 season):
 

• Winningest Active Coaches (All-Divisions): 36th (573-223/.720)
• Winningest Active Coaches (Division II): 6th (by wins), 13th (by pct.)
• Winningest All-Time Coaches (Division II): 18th (by wins), 27th (by pct.)
• Most 20-Win Seasons (Division II): 8th (20)