The WWU women's basketball team (11-5, 5-3 GNAC) opens a season-high four-game homestand this week, beginning with a showdown against nationally-ranked No. 4/5 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The Vikings also host Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, with both Great Northwest Athletic Conference games tipping off at 7 pm. This week's games marks the completion of the first half of the 20-game GNAC schedule.

 

The Vikings enter play this week with an overall 11-5 record with a 7-2 record of the last nine games. WWU is 5-3 in GNAC play to sit alone in fourth place, one game back in the standings of second place Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser (6-2 in GNAC play). Overall are 5-0 in home games this season in Carver Gym and 6-5 in games away from Bellingham.

 

 

The Vikings went 1-1 on the road, falling to Central Washington 72-62 on Thursday and rebounding with an 11-point 94-83 win at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Senior center Anna Schwecke led the way averaging 24.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, including a career-high 29-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win over NNU. Schwecke was 17-for-19 from the field (89.5%) and 14-for-15 from the free throw line (93.3%). Senior guard Lexie Bland (12.5 ppg) and junior guard Emma Duff (9.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) also averaged double-digits in points.

 

The Vikings have played only five home games so far this season, the fewest amongst all GNAC teams, but are 5-0 in games played in Carver Gym. WWU is 482-90 (.843) all-time in Carver Gym, with head coach Carmen Dolfo leading the team to a 288-57 (.835) record in the on-campus facility.

W🏀| The snow is gone. Carver will be loud. Come be part of the excitement that IS @WWUbasketball

🆚 » Alaska Anchorage
📅 » Thursday
🕔 » 7 pm
📍 » Bellingham

🆚 » Alaska Fairbanks
📅 » Saturday
🕔 » 7 pm
📍 » Bellingham#GoViks x #WeAreVikings pic.twitter.com/h6bppuxHFG
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) January 22, 2020
 

Senior center Anna Schwecke has scored 988 points in 107 career collegiate games, with 814 of those points coming in 74 games with WWU (11.0 ppg). She played her freshman season at Colorado-Colorado Springs (174 points) and is now 12 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career.

 

·         West Region Rankings – Moved up to 7^th in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.

·         What Remains – 12 regular-season games remaining, all in GNAC play (7 at home, 5 on the road).

·         GNAC Standings – 4^th in the conference standings with 5-3 GNAC record (won 4 of last 5 games).

·         Strangers at Home – Played only five home games (5-0), the fewest home games by any GNAC school.

·         Homestand – Opens a season-high four-game homestand this week.

·         Balanced Offense – Seven players are averaging at least 5.0 points, led by 14.3 ppg from Anna Schwecke.

·         Close Defeats – Three of five defeats have been by 4-or-fewer points (all single-digit losses).

·         Efficient Anna – Anna Schwecke leads the GNAC with a 60.6% FG% (86-for-142)…she is shooting 56.2% for her WWU career (321-for-571), the 6^th-best mark in GNAC history.

·         Olson's Assists – Mollie Olson leads GNAC averaging 4.7 assists per game, including 32 over last 4 games.

·         Dangerous Duff – Emma Duff has scored in double-digits in 8 of 16 games, averaging 10.4 points/game.

·         Cleaning the Glass – Outrebounded opponents in 14 of 16 games (leads GNAC with +8.6 reb margin)…2^nd in the GNAC averaging 40.2 rebounds per game.

·         Scoring Offense – 3^rd in the GNAC averaging 74.5 points per game (avg. 66.0 points/game in 2018-19).

·         Defensive – 2^nd in GNAC holding opponents to 62.2 points per game (UAA is 1^st at 51.8).

·         Sharp Shooters – Shooting 45.4% (462-for-1018) to lead the GNAC in FG% (30^th in NCAA II).

·         Dishing it Out – 6^th in NCAA II and leads the GNAC averaging 18.4 assists per game.

·         Scoring & Rebounding Leader – Anna Schwecke ranks 7^th in the GNAC averaging 14.3 points/game and is also 7^th with 6.8 rebounds/game, both team-leading marks.

·         Not Very Bland – Lexie Bland is averaging 11.8 points and 3.0 assists per game over last five games.

·         Big Block – WWU is 2^nd in the GNAC and ranks 15^th in NCAA II averaging 4.9 blocked shots per game.

·         The Decade – Finished the 2010-19 decade with a 213-85 record for a .715 winning pct.

·         The Head Coach – Carmen Dolfo is in her 29^th season leading the Vikings and has 601 career wins.

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and this week's opponents:

 

·         Alaska Anchorage – WWU leads the all-time series over UAA 29-26, but the Seawolves have had the upper hand in the series of late winning 8 straight and 12 of the last 13 dating back to 2013-14 season. The Vikings last win over the Seawolves was Dec, 5, 2015 at Whatcom Pavilion. WWU was defeated 74-55 at home and 68-50 in Anchorage last season.

·         Alaska Fairbanks – WWU leads the all-time series vs. UAF 51-5 and carries a 22-game winning streak against the Nanooks into Saturday's game. The Vikings have won 29 of the last 30 games vs. UAF dating back to the 2004-05 season. WWU has never lost to UAF in a home game, going 25-0, which includes a 23-0 mark inside Carver Gym.

 

Senior center Anna Schwecke leads the GNAC and ranks 13^th in NCAA II with a 60.6 field goal percentage, connecting on 86-of-142 shots from the field this season. Over her last five games is shooting 75.6% (31-for-41) from the field. She is also 3^rd in the conference with a 86.4 free throw percentage (57-for-66). While there is a lot of season left to play, the WWU single-season record book shows that only three players have combined for five instances of shooting above 60.0% in a season, last Lisa Berendsen with a school-record mark of 67.6 (140-for-207) in 1999-2000.

 

 

The Vikings are the top assist team in the conference, leading the GNAC averaging 18.4 assists per game. The mark also ranks in No. 6 in NCAA II. Sophomore guard Mollie Olson is at the top of the GNAC assist leaderboard averaging 4.7 assists per game, including 32 over her last four games.

W🏀| Carver is going to be rocking this week for @WWUbasketball

🆚 » Alaska Anchorage
📅 » Thursday
🕔 » 7 pm
📍 » Bellingham

🆚 » Alaska Fairbanks
📅 » Saturday
🕔 » 7 pm
📍 » Bellingham#GoViks x #WeAreVikings pic.twitter.com/JF55LyMeta
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) January 21, 2020
 

WWU ranks 2^nd in the GNAC with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio and is 3^rd in the conference with a turnover margin of +2.50.

 

The Vikings lead the GNAC averaging 40.2 rebounds per game and also have the best rebound margin in the conference at +8.6 (643-506). Also the 2^nd-best rebounding team in the conference via opponent boards (31.6 per game). Anna Schwecke ranks 7^th in the GNAC averaging a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game and Emma Duff is just outside of the top 10 at No. 11 with 6.2/game.

 

WWU has had great success in the opening 20 minutes of games this season, out-scoring opponents 623-449 (+174) while shooting 48.4% (249-for-514) in the first half. The Vikings have out-scored teams by a much closer margin 554-528 (+26) in the second half, with a 42.8% (208-for-486) mark from the field. WWU has held a lead at the half in 13 of 16 games this season.

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo recorded her 600^th career win on Jan. 11 vs. Seattle Pacific, in her 840^thcareer game. Dolfo became the 36^th active NCAA women's head coach across all divisions to join the 600-win club and is one of 73 women's coaches all-time in NCAA history to reach the milestone. She is also the 8^th active NCAA II coach with 600 career wins and the 17^th at the NCAA II level.

 

All conference games during the 2019-20 season will stream live and feature live statistical updates atGNAC.tv, with home games also on YouTube with rewind capability. 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.

 

Here is a look at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings heading into games this week, which round out the first half of the conference schedule in 2019-20:

 

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 29^th season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 601-241 (.714) to rank amongst the active and career leaders at the NCAA Division II level for career wins and winning percentage. Dolfo has led the Vikings to 16 trips to the NCAA Championships and a pair of Elite 8 appearances. She became the winningest coach in WWU Athletics history when she collected victory No. 519 on Dec. 3, 2015 vs. Alaska to pass former men's basketball coach Brad Jackson (518-279). WWU has recorded 20 seasons with 20-or-more wins under Dolfo.

 

Senior guard Lexie Bland, senior center Anna Schwecke and junior forward Kelsey Rogers were selected to the 15-player Preseason All-GNAC team that was voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches. WWU led the GNAC with three selections to the preseason team.

 

The Vikings were picked to finish 2nd in the 2019-20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings received 107 points, including three first-place votes, to finish two points behind conference preseason favorite Central Washington (109 points).

 

The 2019-20 coaching staff includes eighth-year head assistant coach Stacey Turrell, along with graduate assistant Kayla Bernsen (2^nd season) and student assistant Zach Phelps (1^st season).

 

Two WWU women's basketball coaches have more than 400 career victories, with current head coach Carmen Dolfo amassing 601 wins and Hall of Fame coach Lynda Goodrich totaling 411 wins leading the Vikings for 19 seasons from 1971-1990.

 

The Vikings earned a historic victory against Saint Martin's (69-58) on Jan. 13, 2018 to record win No. 1,000 in program history. According to available records, WWU became just the 16th women's college basketball team (all levels/divisions) to reach 1,000 all-time victories, and is currently at 1,033 all-time wins with a program winning percentage of .733 (1033-376).

 

More information on the 2019-20 season, including statistics, 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 11 seasons, and 34 times in the 48-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 with 601, win percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 16 of 21 seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,033 all-time wins in the 48-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of just 16 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the milestone.

 

Here is a statistical look at GNAC teams, listed alphabetically, heading into this week's games.

 

 

 

3
Double-Doubles by Anna Schwecke this season to rank tied for 5^th in the GNAC. Schwecke now has 13 double-doubles in her WWU career.

4.7
Mollie Olson leads the GNAC and ranks 42^nd in NCAA II averaging 4.7 assists per game. In 8 GNAC contests is averaging 5.9 assists per game (47 total assists).

5
Consecutive games Lexie Bland has scored in double-digits.

9
Assists by Mollie Olson in a pair of recent games to set a single-game career high and tie for the 2^nd-most in a game by a GNAC player this season. Last Viking with 10+ assists in a game was Trishi Williams twice during the 2012-13 season.

18.4
WWU ranks 6^th in NCAA II with a league-leading 18.4 assists per game.

29
Points by Anna Schwecke on 1/18 at NNU (94-83 win), the most by a Viking since Taylor Peacocke had a 34-point game in 2016-17.

60.6
Anna Schwecke is shooting 60.6% from the field this season (86-for-142), currently the 6^th-best mark by a WWU player during the NCAA II era (record is 67.6 by Lisa Berendsen in 1999-2000).

74.5
WWU is averaging 74.5 points per game to rank 3^rd in the GNAC. Averaging 77.6 points per game in GNAC play (2^nd in GNAC).

99
Lexie Bland has appeared in 99 career games for the Vikings.

601
Carmen Dolfo has recorded 601 career wins in her 29-year WWU head coaching career.

988
Anna Schwecke has scored 988 points in her collegiate career, leaving her 12 points away from 1,000. Her career total includes 814 points in 74 games with WWU and 174 points in 33 games as a freshman at Colorado-Colorado Springs in 2016-17.