BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's basketball team makes its annual trek to Alaska this week, featuring a showdown with top-10 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday.

 

In a battle of two ranked teams, the No. 11 (WBCA) and No. 13 (D2SIDA) Vikings will match up against the No. 5/8 Seawolves in Anchorage on Thursday with tip-off at 7 pm AKT/8 pm PT. WWU will close out its Alaskan road trip with an afternoon tilt vs. Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (3 pm AKT/4 pm PT).

 

WWU is 10-1 overall and 2-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to tie for 3rd in the GNAC standings. UAA is 10-2 overall and 3-1 in GNAC play after losing to Montana State Billings 72-48 on Monday evening in Anchorage. UAF heads into its lone game of the weekend on Saturday with a 1-9 overall mark and 0-5 GNAC record.

 

The Vikings opened the season with 10 consecutive victories before falling to Central Washington last Thursday 76-68 in Carver Gym. The loss not only halted the perfect start to the season, but snapped a season-spanning 16-game winning streak that enters the record book as the 5th-longest in program history.

 

The loss to the Wildcats was the Vikings first game in 2022 after enduring three consecutive postponed games due to health and safety protocols. Overall WWU has had four GNAC contests postponed and one non-conference game canceled this season. Postponements and the holiday break has had the Vikings play only two games over the last 32 days heading into Thursday's game at UAA.

 

Western's success has been fueled by a strong defensive effort, leading the GNAC and ranking No. 9 in NCAA Division II holding opponents to 52.1 points per game. The Vikings are also ranked 4th nationally with a +11.0 rebound margin and 9th holding opponents to a 33.0 field goal percentage. Offensively the Vikings are 3rd in the GNAC averaging 71.5 points per game and lead the conference (No. 8 in NCAA II) with a 46.8 field goal percentage.

 

Senior guard Emma Duff leads WWU averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while also contributing 1.4 steals per game. Duff recently surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for her career, becoming the 28th player in program history to join the exclusive 1,000-point scoring club as a Viking. She is tied for 3rd in the GNAC with three double-doubles this season, including a 15-point, 10-rebound performance in WWU's last game vs. CWU.

 

The Vikings balanced scoring attack features six players averaging at least 6.0 points per game and all 12 active players are playing at least eight minutes per game. Junior guard Mollie Olson has returned to the starting lineup after missing four games and is averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Junior guard Avery Dykstra leads the GNAC in field goal percentage (.604/32-for-53) and also contributing 7.2 points per game. Senior guard Dani Iwami was averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 assists per game prior to suffering a knee injury in the first 20 seconds of the game vs. CWU.

 

Sophomore post player Carley Zaragoza and freshman guard Riley Dykstra are sparking the Vikings off the bench. Zaragoza is 2nd in the GNAC with a 60.0 field goal percentage (39-for-65) and is averaging 7.9 points per game. Dykstra is averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

 

 

A good question to ask when games are played in Alaska. WWU and Alaska Anchorage feature a 7 pm tip-off in Anchorage, meaning you can tune into the webcast in Bellingham starting at 8 pm. For Saturday's game in Fairbanks, tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm local time, so set an alarm for 4 pm Pacific Time to catch the Vikings and Nanooks in action.

 

The Vikings are at the beginning stages of a four-game road trip, closing out the month of January with this week's games in Alaska and traveling to play at Saint Martin's (Jan. 27, 5:15 pm) and Western Oregon (Jan. 29, 2 pm) next week in GNAC contests. The complete 2021-22 schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21-22_WBB.

 

WWU had its 10-0 start to the season snapped and a season-spanning 16-game winning streak halted in a 76-68 loss to Central Washington on January 13. Emma Duff tallied a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, but a second-half comeback attempt fell short for the Vikings first loss of the season. Saturday's scheduled game vs. Northwest Nazarene was postponed due to health and safety protocols within the NNU program and a makeup date has not been announced.

 

Seven of the Vikings 10 wins have come on the road, going 5-0 in true road games and 2-0 in neutral-site games. WWU picked up key road wins over West Region ranked teams Azusa Pacific and Cal State San Marcos. WWU has made road trips to Colorado, Southern California, Northern California and a neutral-site game in Seattle, in addition to going 3-1 inside Carver Gym.

 

Senior guard Dani Iwami suffered what could be a season and career-ending knee injury 20 seconds into last Thursday's game vs. Central Washington. Iwami was averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 assists per game this season prior to the injury, and has appeared in 67 games during her WWU career. She is one of the top 3-point shooter in WWU history with 112 made 3-pointers.

 

Here are some facts on the Vikings impressive 10-1 start to the season:

 

• Ranked No. 2 (tied) in the West Region in the D2SIDA Media Poll (was No. 1 last three weeks).
• Holds No. 11 (WBCA/Coaches) and No. 13 (D2SIDA/Media) national rankings.
• Opened the season with 10 consecutive wins and was one of four remaining undefeated teams prior to first loss.
• Out-scoring opponents by 19.4 points/game to rank 8th in NCAA Division II.
• Holds rebound advantage of 11.0, the 4th-best margin in NCAA Division II.
• Holding opponents to 52.1 points per game, the 9th-best mark in NCAA Division II.
• Team field goal percentage of 46.8 ranks 8th in NCAA Division II.
• Seven of 10 wins have been on the road.

 

The Vikings lead the GNAC in nearly every team defensive category, including holding opponents to 52.1 points per game for the 9th-best mark in NCAA Division II. WWU also leads the league in opponent field goal percentage (.330), rebounding margin (+11.0) and by limiting opponents to a .211 3-point field goal percentage.

 

WWU leads the GNAC and ranked No. 8 nationally with a team field goal percentage of .468, connecting on 308-of-658 shots in the first 11 games of the season. As a team has shot at least 48.0 percent in five of 11 games. Here is a look at the leading shooting teams in NCAA II heading into games this week:

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between WWU and the Alaska schools:

 

• Alaska Anchorage: According to WWU records, the Vikings hold a 30-28 lead in the all-time series vs. UAA…went 1-2 vs. the Seawolves during the last time the two schools played during the 2019-20 season, with each team winning on its home court…UAA defeated the Vikings 89-68 in the last meeting in the GNAC Championships Final in Seattle on March 7, 2020…two teams were set to play in the opening round of the NCAA II West Regional in Hawai'i before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19…UAA has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series and seven straight in Anchorage (WWU is 0-6 in Alaska Airlines Center).
• Alaska Fairbanks: WWU and Alaska Fairbanks are playing for the first time since the 2019-20 season, with the Vikings recording a pair of wins…Western has won 24 consecutive games against UAF and 30 of the last 31 dating back to the 2004-05 season…Vikings lead the all-time series 53-5 with a 35-5 all-time record in Fairbanks (won 12 straight).

 

The Vikings slipped to No. 11 (WBCA Coaches) and No. 13 (D2SIDA Media) after being ranked No. 5 (WBCA) and tied for No. 2 (D2SIDA) last week. The No. 2 national ranking was the highest WWU has been ranked in any of the national polls and the No. 5 coaches poll mark was the highest since being a consistent top-10 team in 2012-13, a season that finished with a No. 3 national ranking.

 

Here is a look at the current D2SIDA West Region Media Poll with the Vikings tied for 2nd with Azusa Pacific. WWU was listed No. 1 in the previous three polls, including receiving all six first-place votes last week:

 

The Vikings had its perfect start to the season come to an end last Thursday vs. Central Washington after opening the 2021-22 campaign with 10 consecutive victories. The 10-0 start goes into the record books as tied for the 3rd-best in program history and the 16-game winning streak (dating back to spring 2021) is 5th-best in WWU history.

 

 

There have been a few schedule changes for the Vikings in upcoming games. Be sure to bookmark the 2021-22 season schedule for up-to-date tip-off times and schedule changes on wwuvikings.com/21-22_WBB:

 

• The Jan. 1 postponed game vs. Saint Martin's has been rescheduled for Feb. 22 (7 pm) in Bellingham.
• The Jan. 8 postponed game at Seattle Pacific has been rescheduled for Feb. 15 (4 pm) in Seattle.
• The Jan. 27 game at Saint Martin's now features a 5:15 pm tip-off (was 7 pm).

 

Senior Emma Duff is leading the Vikings averaging 14.1 and 7.7 rebounds per game, and added to her impressive basketball resume becoming the 28th player in WWU history to pass the 1,000 career point milestone. Duff now has 1,018 points in 106 games (80 starts) for an average of 9.6 points per game. She is the first player to join the exclusive club since the 2016-17 season when Taylor Peacocke, Kiana Gandy, Tia Briggs topped the 1,000-point mark for a career. In recent seasons Hannah Stipanovich and Anna Schwecke reached the 1,000-point mark for their collegiate career, but a portion of the points were scored prior to transferring to WWU.

 

Junior Avery Dykstra and freshman Riley Dykstra have proven to be a tough sister combination this season for the Vikings. Avery has started all 11 games averaging 7.2 points while shooting a team-best 60.4% (32-for-53), and is averaging 1.1 steals per game. Riley is averaging 6.8 points on 30-for-63 shooting (.476), and is also averaging 4.8 rebounds per game in 11 games (all coming off the bench).

 

Here is a look at where WWU is listed in the official NCAA statistics rankings (through games of 1/18/22):

 

 

Here is a look at the results for the Vikings in the first 11 games of the 2021-22 season (10-1, 2-1 GNAC):

 

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings heading into games this weekend. For complete updated conference statistics and standings, visit GNACSports.com.

 

 

Senior guards Emma Duff and Dani Iwami rank in the top 15 in WWU program history for career 3-pointers made. Here is a list of the all-time leader since the rule was adopted in 1987-88:

 

 

WWU led the way with three selections to the 2021-22 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Senior guards Dani Iwami and Emma Duff, along with sophomore transfer forward Brooke Walling were among the 15 players who were selected to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team based on voting by GNAC head coaches. Duff was one of nine unanimous selections to the team.

 

The Vikings have been voted No. 2 in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 89 total points to narrowly trail the 92 points obtained by preseason favorite Alaska Anchorage. UAA received seven of the 10 first-place votes, followed by two for WWU and one for Northwest Nazarene, who was picked to finish third with 70 poll points.

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 31st season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 628-246 (.719) 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 17 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). Dolfo tallied her 600th career victory on January 11, 2020 vs. Seattle Pacific, in her 840th career game. Dolfo became the 36th 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. WWU has recorded 21 seasons with 20-or-more wins under Dolfo.

 

The 2021-22 coaching staff includes 10th-year assistant head coach Stacey Turrell, along with graduate assistant Bobbi Westendorf, volunteer assistant Annalisa Fish and student assistant George Irwin.

 

Two WWU women's basketball coaches have more than 400 career victories, with current head coach Carmen Dolfo amassing 628 wins and Hall of Fame coach Lynda Goodrich totaling 411 wins leading the Vikings for 19 seasons from 1971-1990. The program owns an all-time record of 1060-380 for a career winning percentage of .736.

 

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in eight of the last 12 full seasons, and 35 times in the 50-year history of the program. WWU has 21 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 628, winning 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 1,060 all-time wins in the 50-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of less than 20 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the 1,000-victory milestone.