The WWU women's basketball team (15-5, 9-3 GNAC) returns to the road in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin's on Saturday. Both conference tilts feature a 5:15 pm tip-off and can be followed online at GNAC.tv.

 

The Vikings enter play this week with a season-high 5-game winning streak and are 15-5 overall. WWU has won 11 of its last 13 games to move into a tie for 3^rd place in the GNAC with a 9-3 conference record. Are 9-0 in home games this season in Carver Gym and 6-5 in games away from Bellingham. Have led at the half in 17 of 20 games, going 15-2 when leading after 20 minutes.

 

 

The Vikings recorded a pair of home wins over Concordia (77-53) and Western Oregon (61-57) last week to improve to 9-0 in Carver Gym this season and extend the current winning streak to five consecutive games.Emma Duff led WWU averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, with Lexie Bland and Kelsey Rogers each contributing 9.5 points per game in the wins. 

WWU is a perfect 9-0 in home games on WECU Court in Carver Gym this season, including a perfect 7-0 mark in GNAC games. WWU is 486-90 (.844) all-time in Carver Gym, with head coach Carmen Dolfo leading the team to a 292-57 (.837) record in the on-campus facility.

The  Vikings had four players selected to the 2019-20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. Senior guard Lexie Bland led the Vikings four selections as a three-time honoree on the all-academic team. She is joined by two-time selections junior guard Dani Iwami and junior forward Kelsey Rogers, and sophomore guard Avery Dykstra.

 

Senior guard Lexie Bland has scored in double-digits in eight of her last night games, averaging 11.1 points per game during WWU's 8-1 stretch beginning Jan. 4 with a 88-41 win at Concordia.

 

Junior guard Emma Duff is averaging 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while starting all 20 games this season.

 

Senior center Anna Schwecke has passed the 1,000-point milestone for her collegiate career, now with 1,019 points in 111 games. She has scored 845 of those points 78 games as a Vikings (75 starts) for an 10.8 points per game average. She played her freshman season at Colorado-Colorado Springs (174 points). She is 155 points shy of reaching 1,000 points as a Viking.

 

·         West Region Rankings – Remained at No. 6 in this week's D2SIDA West Region Media Poll.

·         What Remains – 8 regular-season games remaining, all in GNAC play (3 at home, 5 on the road).

·         GNAC Standings – Tied for 3^rd in the conference standings with 9-3 GNAC record (won 8 of last 9 games).

·         Home Court Advantage – Perfect 9-0 record in home games in Carver Gym this season.

·         Balanced Offense – Six players are averaging at least 5.0 points, led by 13.0 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 59.9% FG% (97-for-162)…she is shooting 56.2% for her WWU career (332-for-591), currently the 8^th-best mark in WWU history (6^th in GNAC history).

·         Olson's Assists – Mollie Olson is 2^nd in the GNAC averaging 4.6 assists per game (1^st with 2.0 Ast-TO ratio).

·         Cleaning the Glass – Outrebounded opponents in 17 of 20 games (leads GNAC with +8.5 reb margin).

·         Scoring Offense – 3^rd in the GNAC averaging 74.4 points per game (avg. 66.0 points/game in 2018-19).

·         Defensive – 2^nd in GNAC holding opponents to 60.8 points per game (UAA is 1^st at 53.3).

·         Sharp Shooters – Shooting 45.8% (571-for-1248) to lead the GNAC in FG% (23^rd in NCAA II).

·         Dishing it Out – 7^th in NCAA II and leads the GNAC averaging 18.2 assists per game.

·         Top 10 in GNAC – Anna Schwecke is one of four GNAC players to rank in the top-10 in the conference in scoring (10^th, 13.0 ppg) and rebounding (9^th, 6.6 rpg)…also Dingus (SMU), Gandara (UAF), Thames (SMU).

·         Big Block – Leads the GNAC and ranks 13^th in NCAA II averaging 5.1 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 605 career wins.

 

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

 

·         Seattle Pacific – Defeated SPU 73-60 in Bellingham on Jan. 11…win was the 600^th in the career of head coach Carmen Dolfo…split the season series with the Falcons last season with each team winning on their home court…Vikings lead the all-time series 63-33, with a 11-6 advantage going back to the 2012 season.

·         Saint Martin's – Recorded a 46-point victory over the Saints, 93-47, on Jan. 9 in Carver Gym…won 24 consecutive games against SMU dating back to 2/21/08…going back to 1998 Vikings are 44-1 vs. the Saints and lead the all-time series 73-10.

 

Senior center Anna Schwecke leads the GNAC 59.9 field goal percentage, connecting on 97-of-162 shots from the field this season. She is also 3^rd in the conference with a 86.8 free throw percentage (66-for-76). 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 (140-207) in 1999-2000.

 

 

Junior forward Kelsey Rogers is quietly having a stellar season, averaging 9.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.9% from the field (81-for-169). Rogers has scored in double-digits in 12 of 19 games, including 8 of her last 11 games.

 

The Vikings are the top assist team in the conference, leading the GNAC averaging 18.2 assists per game. The mark also ranks in No. 7 in NCAA II. Sophomore guard Mollie Olson is No. 2 on the GNAC assist leaderboard averaging 4.6 assists per game, including 49 over her last 8 games.

 

WWU has held opponents to 60.8 points per game, 2^nd-best in the GNAC this season. A big reason behind the defensive dominance has been the league-leading 5.1 blocked shots per game and 10.4 steals per game (3^rd in the GNAC).

 

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 +2.65.

 

 

3
Double-Doubles by Anna Schwecke this season to rank tied for 7th in the GNAC. Schwecke now has 13 double-doubles in her WWU career.

4.6
Mollie Olson is 2^nd in the GNAC and ranks 43rd in NCAA II averaging 4.6 assists per game. In 12 GNAC contests is averaging 5.3 assists per game (64 total assists) to lead all conference players.

8
Lexie Bland has scored in double-digits in 8 of her last 9 games, with the senior averaging 11.1 points per game during this 8-1 stretch.

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.

18.2
WWU ranks 7th in NCAA II with a league-leading 18.2 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.

59.9
Anna Schwecke is shooting 59.9% from the field this season (97-for-162), currently the 6th-best mark by a WWU player during the NCAA II era (record is 67.6 by Lisa Berendsen in 1999-2000)…leads the GNAC in FG%.

74.4
WWU is averaging 74.4 points per game to rank 3^rd in the GNAC. Averaging 76.5 points per game in GNAC play (2^ndin GNAC).

103
Lexie Bland has appeared in 103 career games for the Vikings.

605
Carmen Dolfo has recorded 605 career wins in her 29-year WWU head coaching career.

1019
Anna Schwecke has scored 1019 points in her collegiate career, spanning 111 games. Her career total includes 845 points in 78 games with WWU and 174 points in 33 games as a freshman at Colorado-Colorado Springs in 2016-17. 

 

The Vikings lead the GNAC averaging 39.8 rebounds per game and also have the best rebound margin in the conference at +8.5.

 

Western leads the GNAC and ranks No. 23 in NCAA Division II with a team shooting percentage of 46.8% (523-for-1134). The team has shot over 45.0% in 11 of 20 games (9 of last 12 games).

 

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 605-241 (.715) 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.

 

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 605 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 1,035 all-time wins with a program winning percentage of .734 (1037-376).

 

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 605, 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 1,073 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.