Women's Basketball | 1/3/2019 9:48:00 AM

BELLINGHAM, Wash – The Western Washington University women's basketball team returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference action this week with its annual Alaskan road trip.

The Vikings (7-3 overall, 2-0 GNAC) travel North to play at Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday (5:15 pm AKT/6:15 pm PT) and then face No. 14 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (7:30 pm AKT/8:30 pm PT). Both games will feature a live webcast via GNAC.tv.

WWU has won six of its last seven games and is one of three undefeated teams in the GNAC joining Seattle Pacific (3-0) and Northwest Nazarene (2-0).

The Vikings were last in action prior to Holiday break, going 1-1 in the 2018 Viking Holiday Hoops Classic. WWU was edged by Lubbock Christian 67-54 and defeated Stanislaus State 77-60 to complete the non-conference portion of the 2018-19 schedule. 

All GNAC matches, home and road, will stream live and feature live stats 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 throughWWUVikings.com/Live.

The Vikings went 1-1 during the 2018 Viking Holiday Hoops Classic, falling to 2016 national champion Lubbock Christian 67-54 and recorded a 17-point victory over Stanislaus State 77-60…Kelsey Rogers (13.5 points/game, 7.5 rebounds/game, 11-for-15 FG) and Lexie Bland (8.0 points/game, 5.0 assists/game, 5.5 rebounds/game) were selected to the all-tournament team…WWU combined to hold its opponents to a 35.3 field goal percentage.

WWU has played only two games over the last 33 days (Dec. 2, 2018-Jan. 3, 2019)…opened GNAC play with wins over Simon Fraser on Nov. 27 and Montana State Billings on Dec. 1, but then took 15 days off for final exams…played a pair of games in the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic Dec. 17-18, and were then again off for the holiday break.

Western had its five-game winning streak snapped in a 67-54 loss to Lubbock Christian on Dec. 17…still won six of last seven games and are 7-3 overall on the season.

WWU will be playing outside the state of Washington for the second time this season with its Alaskan road trip…has played 7 of 10 games inside Carver Gym…also played a pair of neutral-site games in Seattle at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic hosted by Seattle Pacific University and opened GNAC play at Simon Fraser.

• West Region Poll – WWU is listed No. 7 in the D2SIDA West Region Poll.
• Scoring Leader – Kelsey Rogers leads the team and ranks 6^th in the GNAC averaging 14.5 points per game.
• Rebounding Leader – Anna Schwecke leads the team and is 4^th in the GNAC averaging 8.6 rebounds/game.
• 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.
• Crashing the Boards – WWU leads the GNAC and ranks 25^th in NCAA II averaging 44.6 rebounds per game…also 3^rd in NCAA II with a +13.1 rebound margin.
• Defense – Leads the GNAC holding opponents to a 37.2 field goal percentage.
• Not so Bland – Lexie Bland is averaging 10.2 points per game over her last five games (7.9 ppg for the season).
• Carver Gym – WWU is 5-2 in Carver Gym this season, and owns an all-time 471-85 (.847) record in Carver Gym…head coach Carmen Dolfo is 277-52 (.842) in the on-campus venue.
• The Head Coach – Carmen Dolfo is in her 28^th season leading the Vikings and has 580 career wins.

Following the road trip to Alaska, the Vikings return home to Bellingham to host Concordia (Thursday, Jan. 10) and Western Oregon (Saturday, Jan. 12) in Carver Gym…following this week's action, the Vikings will play six of their next eight games on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

Here is a look at the current GNAC standings heading into this week's action:

Sophomore forward Kelsey Rogers leads the team and is 6^th in the GNAC averaging 14.6 points per game…has scored in double-digits in eight of the Vikings 10 games, including five straight…averaging 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in two GNAC contests…among GNAC leaders also ranks 4^th in field goal percentage (.590/62-for-105), 5^th in free throw percentage (.875/21-for-24), tied for 10^th in rebounds (6.5/game) and tied for 5^th in blocked shots (1.3/game).

Junior center Anna Schwecke is averaging 13.2 points (12^th in the GNAC) and 8.6 rebounds (4^th in the GNAC)…tied for 3^rd in the conference with three double-doubles…scored in double-digits in 7 of 10 games and recorded three games with 10+ rebounds…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 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 38 games (36 starts).

The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 25^th in NCAA Division II averaging 44.6 rebounds per game…also lead the conference and 3^rd in NCAA II with a rebound margin of +13.1…averaging 13.9 offensive rebounds per game (3^rd in GNAC) and 30.7 defensive rebounds per game (1^st in GNAC)…have three players listed in the top 10 in the league in rebounding: Anna Schwecke (4^th, 8.6 rpg), Emma Duff (7^th, 7.1 rpg), Kelsey Rogers (T10^th, 6.5 rpg).

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.
 

·       Alaska Fairbanks » The Nanooks are 3-5 overall and 0-2 in GNAC play heading into Thursday's game…senior forward Marian Wamsley leads UAF averaging 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game…head coach Kerri Nakamoto is in her first year leading the Nanooks after serving as the head coach at Cal State Monterey Bay from 2013-18…All-Time Series: WWU leads the all-time series vs. UAF 49-4…current 27-game winning streak vs. the Nanooks dating back to 2004, including last 10 games in Fairbanks…went 2-0 vs. UAF last season, winning 83-49 in Bellingham and 46-38 in Fairbanks.

·       Alaska Anchorage » The Seawolves are 9-1 overall and off to a 1-1 start in GNAC play…currently ranked No. 14 in the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll…only loss this season was on the road at undefeated Northwest Nazarene on Dec. 1…UAA is led by 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game from senior Hannah Wandersee (both 13^th in the GNAC)…head coach Ryan McCarthy is in his seventh season as UAA's head coach…All-Time Series: WWU leads the all-time series 29-24, but the Seawolves have won six straight and 10 of the last 11 in the series…UAA leads the series 18-16 in GNAC contests (since 2001-02). 

In six of WWU's seven wins this season, the Vikings have overcame deficits to record the victory…trailed Fresno Pacific by 7 points at 61-54 with 3:15 left in the 4^th quarter, but erased the deficit with a 7-0 run, and rallied for the 66-65 victory…trailed Azusa Pacific by 6 points at 56-50 with 5:55 remaining in the 4^th quarter, but went on for a 77-74 overtime victory…overcame an 11-point deficit in the 73-72 win over the University of Mary and a 4-point halftime deficit in the win over Minnesota Crookston.

Sophomore forward Kelsey Rogers has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, for games played Nov. 12-18…Rogers scored 50 points in WWU's two games in the Sodexo Classic hosted by Seattle Pacific University, and combined to shoot 71.4% from the field (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 regionally-ranked UC San Diego and added 24 points in a 77-74 overtime victory against nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific…overall Rogers averaged 25.0 points per game in the tournament while grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game.

Here is a statistical look at the 11 GNAC teams (listed alphabetically):

The Vikings four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's squad that went 12-16 overall and 8-12 in the GNAC…WWU finished the second half of the GNAC schedule last season 5-5, narrowly missing the conference tournament, with two of the defeats by just two points…the 11-player squad for 2018-19 includes one senior, three juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.

WWU has been selected to tie for third place in the annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 83 points in the vote of the conference's 11 head coaches to tie with border rival Simon Fraser…defending league co-champion Northwest Nazarene received 6 of the 11 first-place votes and 116 points to edge Alaska Anchorage by one point for the top spot…UAA received the remaining five first-place votes to earn the No. 2 spot, followed by WWU and SFU in a tie for third and Central Washington in fifth with 77 points. 

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) is scheduled to redshirt in 2018-19.

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 580-226 for a .720 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 1,000^th 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. 

WWU will serve as the host for the 2019 GNAC Championships, with the top six teams in both the men's and women'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. 

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).

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in seven of the last nine 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. The program has 1,012 all-time wins in the 48-year history of the program, and according to available records, is the 15th women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.

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