The WWU women's basketball team (17-7, 11-5 GNAC) heads back on the road for its annual Alaskan road trip with GNAC games against Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday and No. 7 nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Both games will stream live on GNAC.tv.

 

The Vikings are 17-7 overall and 11-5 in GNAC play heading into the penultimate week of the 2019-20 regular season. Have won 10 of the last 13 games (and 13 of 17). WWU is tied for 3^rd place in the GNAC standings with a 11-5 conference record and needs one win to qualify for the GNAC Championships. Owns a 7-6 record on the road (1-1 neutral) and 10-1 inside Carver Gym.

 

 

The Vikings are currently tied with Simon Fraser for 3^rd place in the GNAC standings heading into games this week. The top six in the standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the 2020 GNAC Championships that will be held March 5-7 in Brougham Pavilion in Seattle. The Vikings need one win to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships field.

 

WWU will complete the regular season with four games over an eight-day stretch, with the two longest road trips in the GNAC traveling to play the Alaska schools and Montana State Billings.

 

The Vikings went 1-1 in home games last week vs. Northwest Nazarene (L, 79-72) and Central Washington (W, 77-69). Anna Schwecke averaged 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9% (11-for-19). Lexie Bland also averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 assists per game, with Emma Duff (13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Avery Dykstra (11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) averaging double figures.

W🏀 | With four regular-season games remaining, the Vikings debuted at No. 7 in the #D2WBB West Region rankings.

🗞 https://t.co/VzHmJp1DU8 pic.twitter.com/MzAvcDB8Fj
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) February 20, 2020
 

Senior guard Lexie Bland has scored in double-digits in 10 of her last 13 games, averaging 11.7 points and 4.1 assists per game during WWU's 10-3 stretch beginning Jan. 4 with a 88-41 win at Concordia. Bland is coming off a career-high 22-point, 9-assist performance vs. CWU on Saturday. Bland pass the 300 assist milestone for her career with her 9-assist game vs. CWU, becoming the 19^th player in program history to reach that mark.

 

WWU leads the GNAC and ranks 19^th in NCAA Division II with a 45.9 field goal percentage (680-for-1482). Has shot over 50.0% in a game seven times, with six coming in GNAC play. In 16 GNAC games has combined to shoot 46.7% (458-for-981).

 

 

·        West Region Rankings – Ranked No. 7 in the first edition of the NCAA II West Region Rakings.

·        What Remains – 4 regular-season games remaining, all in GNAC play (3 on the road, 1 at home).

·        GNAC Standings – Tied for 3^rd place in the conference standings with 11-5 GNAC record.

·        Home Court Advantage – Perfect 10-1 record in home games in Carver Gym this season (started 9-0).

·        Balanced Offense – Six players are averaging at least 6.0 points, led by 13.0 ppg from Anna Schwecke.

·        Close Defeats – Three of seven defeats have been by 4-or-fewer points (6 of 7 single-digit losses).

·        Efficient Anna – Anna Schwecke ranks 2^nd in the GNAC with a 60.7% FG% (119-for-196)…she is shooting 56.6% for her WWU career (354-for-625), currently the 4^th-best mark in WWU history (5^th in GNAC history).

·        Olson's Assists – Mollie Olson is 2^nd in the GNAC averaging 4.5 assists per game (4^th with 1.8 Ast-TO ratio).

·        Cleaning the Glass – Outrebounded opponents in 20 of 24 games (leads GNAC with +8.1 reb margin).

·        Dangerous Duff – Emma Duff has led the team in scoring (10x) and rebounding (11x), most on the team.

·        Scoring Offense – 3^rd in the GNAC averaging 74.1 points per game (avg. 66.0 points/game in 2018-19).

·        Defensive – 2^nd in GNAC holding opponents to 62.4 points per game (UAA is 1^st at 53.5).

·        Sharp Shooters – Shooting 45.9% to lead the GNAC in FG% (19^th in NCAA II).

·        Dishing it Out – 9^th in NCAA II and leads the GNAC averaging 17.7 assists per game.

·        Big Block – Leads the GNAC and ranks 14^th in NCAA II averaging 5.0 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 607 career wins.

 

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

 

·        Alaska Fairbanks – Defeated UAF 88-47 on Jan. 25 in Carver Gym, building a 22-2 lead to start the game and never looking back…WWU has a 23-game winning streak vs. the Nanooks and won 30 of the last 31 dating back to the 2004-05 season…Vikings lead the all-time series 52-5, with a 24-5 record in Fairbanks (won 11 straight) and 38-4 record in conference play.

·        Alaska Anchorage – Defeated UAA 71-64 on Jan. 23 in Carver Gym, snapping a 8-game losing streak to the Seawolves…WWU leads the all-time series 30-26, including a 13-12 record in games played in Anchorage…last win in Anchorage came on Feb. 22, 2014, with a current 6-game losing streak in Anchorage.

 

Senior center Anna Schwecke ranks 2^nd in the GNAC with a 60.7 field goal percentage, connecting on 119-of-196 shots from the field this season. She is also 2^nd in the conference with a 85.9 free throw percentage (73-for-85). 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 (140-207) in 1999-2000. Schwecke holds a career 56.6 FG%, currently 4^th-best in program history (min. 150 FG).

 

 

Junior guard Emma Duff has led the team in scoring 10 times and rebounding 11 times, both team-highs. Duff is averaging 10.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while starting all 24 games. Duff is also WWU's top 3-pointer shooter going 29-for-86 from beyond the arc.

 

 

1.6
Avery Dykstra leads the team and ranks 13^th in the GNAC averaging 1.6 steals per game.

4
Double-Doubles by Anna Schwecke this season to rank tied for 6th in the GNAC. Schwecke now has 14 double-doubles in her WWU career.

7
WWU is ranked No. 7 in the first of three NCAA II West Regional Rankings.

9
Assists by Mollie Olson and Lexie Bland in games this season n a pair of 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 in 2012-13.

17.7
WWU ranks 9^th in NCAA II with a league-leading 17.7 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.

60.7
Anna Schwecke is shooting 60.7% from the field this season (119-for-196), currently the 4^th-best mark in program history (record is 67.6 by Lisa Berendsen in 1999-2000)…2^nd in the GNAC in FG%.

74.1
WWU ranks 3^rd in the GNAC averaging 74.1 points per game…scored 70+ points in 16 of 24 games this season.

107
Lexie Bland has appeared in 107 career games for the Vikings.

308
Lexie Bland is one of 19 players in program history to reach 300 career assists, and is currently 18^th with 308…just outside of GNAC all-time top 30.

607
Carmen Dolfo has recorded 607 career wins in her 29-year WWU head coaching career.

1070
Anna Schwecke has scored 1070 points in her collegiate career, spanning 115 games. Her career total includes 896 points in 82 games with WWU and 174 points in 33 games as a freshman at Colorado-Colorado Springs in 2016-17. 

 

Senior center Anna Schwecke has passed the 1,000-point milestone for her collegiate career, now with 1,070 points in 115 games. She has scored 896 of those points in 82 games as a Vikings (79 starts) for an 10.9 points per game average. She played her freshman season at Colorado-Colorado Springs (174 points). She is 104 points shy of reaching 1,000 points as a Viking.

 

WWU has held opponents to 62.4 points per game, 2^nd-best in the GNAC this season. A big reason behind the defensive dominance has been the league-leading 5.0 blocked shots per game and 10.1 steals per game (3^rd in the GNAC). 
 

THIS WEEK IN WWU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, February 20	Live Coverage
at Alaska Fairbanks (7-18, 2-14)  »  5:15 pm AKT  »  Fairbanks, AK  »  Patty Center	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Saturday, February 22	Live Coverage
at #7 Alaska Anchorage (25-2, 15-1)  »  7:30 pm AKT  »  Anchorage, AK  »  Alaska Airlines Center	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Weekly Report in PDF Format

 

WWU is 2^nd in the GNAC with a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, leading the league with 17.7 assists/game.

 

WWU is 10-1 in home games on WECU Court in Carver Gym this season, including a 8-1 mark in GNAC games. WWU is 486-91 (.842) all-time in Carver Gym, with head coach Carmen Dolfo leading the team to a 293-58 (.835) record in the on-campus facility.

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo recorded her 600^th career win on Jan. 11 vs. Seattle Pacific, in her 840^th career 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:

 

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 29^th season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 607-243 (.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.

 

Junior forward Kelsey Rogers is averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.2% from the field (52-for-197). Rogers has scored in double-digits in 13 of 23 games.

 

WWU recorded a pair of wire-to-wire over No. 4/5 Alaska Anchorage (71-64) and Alaska Fairbanks (88-47) Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 to earn GNAC Team of the Week honors. The Vikings combined to shoot 53.5% (61-for-114) and were 11-for-26 (42.3%) from 3-point range.

 

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 607 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 1,039 all-time wins with a program winning percentage of .734 (1039-378).

 

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 607, 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 1,039 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.