FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Western Washington University women's basketball game is postseason bound.

The Vikings recorded a 81-64 road victory over the University of Alaska Fairbanks Thursday evening, clinching one of the six spots in the 2020 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships that will be played March 5-7 at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.

WWU improved to 18-8 overall and gained sole possession of 3^rd place in the GNAC standings at 12-5 in conference play. The Vikings remain in Alaska with a match-up against No. 7 nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. WWU beat the Seawolves 71-64 in the earlier meeting this season in Bellingham.

A quick start featuring the Vikings scoring the first 15 points of the game was a key factor in WWU's 24^th consecutive win over the Nanooks, but WWU still had to hold off UAF in the second half. The Nanooks closed to within six points midway through the 3^rd quarter, but WWU pulled away out-scoring UAF 19-12 in the 4^th quarter to seal the 17-point victory.

Senior center Anna Schwecke led four Vikings scoring in double-digits with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting and was perfect at 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Senior point guard Lexie Bland continued her stellar play with 13 points and 8 assists, now with 35 points and 17 assists over the last two games.

Sophomore guard Avery Dykstra also scored 13 points, reaching double-digits in scoring for the third consecutive game, and tallied a game-high 3 steals. Junior forward Kelsey Rogers added 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and junior guard Emma Duff just missed a double-double with 9 points and 12 rebounds. 

UAF (7-19, 2-15 GNAC) were led by a game-high 25 points from Jocelyn Gandara, who was 8-for-22 shooting and 9-for-14 from the free throw line. The Nanooks have dropped 15 of their last 16 games.

WWU, the GNAC's leading shooting team, shot 48.3% for the game (29-for-60) and were 20-for-26 from the free throw line. The Vikings also won the battle of the boards with a 38-30 edge over the Nanooks.

WWU joined Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene as the three teams that have punched tickets to the 2020 GNAC Championships that will be held March 5-7 at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle. WWU is 11-6 all-time in the GNAC Championships, now appearing in nine of the 10 GNAC Tournaments, including winning back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014.

The Vikings held a 16-point lead at the half 47-31, but the Nanooks scored the first 8 points of the 3^rdquarter and cut the WWU lead to 6 points at 51-45 with 5:15 remaining in the 3^rd quarter. UAF again cut its deficit to single-digits at 62-53 (down 9) early in the 4^th quarter, but WWU answered going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead back to 17 points at 70-53 virtually putting the game away.

Much like the 22-2 start in the previous win this season over the Nanooks, WWU scored the first 15 points of Thursday's game and never looked back in the wire-to-wire victory. Lexie Bland scored 7 of WWU's first 11 points to fuel the early scoring binge.

WWU guards Avery Dykstra and Lexie Bland tied for the team lead with 9 first-half points, with Bland recording 5 assists in 11 minutes of action. Emma Duff added 8 points and Anna Schwecke had 6 points on 3-for-5 shooting. WWU combined to shoot 53.1% for the half (17-for-32) and were 3-for-5 from 3-point range. UAF was led by 16 points from Jocelyn Gandara on 5-for-12 shooting and 6-for-9 from the free throw line.

The Vikings (18-7, 12-5 GNAC) remain on the road closing out its annual Alaskan road trip facing No. 7 nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (7:30 pm AKT/8:30 pm PT). The game will feature a live webcast and statistical updates at GNAC.tv.

WWU earned the series sweep over the Nanooks, also winning 88-47 in Carver Gym on January 25. The Vikings have won 24 consecutive games vs. UAF and 30 of 31 dating back to the 2004-05 season. WWU leads the all-time series 53-5 with a 25-5 all-time record in Fairbanks (won 12 straight).

Here is a look at the updated Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings through games played on Thursday, with the Vikings gaining sole possession of 3^rd place in the standings at 12-5 in league play.

More information on WWU Basketball 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.