ANCHORAGE – In a battle of two of the top teams in the nation, No. 11 Western Washington University went on the road and defeated No. 8 Alaska Anchorage 53-45 Thursday evening in the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
WWU improved to 11-1 overall and 3-1 in GNAC play with the eight-point victory over UAA, marking the Vikings first win in Anchorage since the 2013 season. UAA dropped its second consecutive game to fall to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in GNAC play.
 
Senior guard Emma Duff led all players with 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting, also going 5-for-6 from the free throw line, and contributing seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
 
Sophomore forward Brooke Walling tallied a season-high 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and also had three blocked shots. 
 
"Emma and Brooke were key for us on offense, providing big baskets when we needed them," said WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo. "I am proud of our defensive effort and the way we defended the three tonight. This team has a lot of heart and showed that tonight with another road win."
 
WWU combined to shoot 44.4% for the game (16-for-36), going 7-for-17 from 3-point range and 14-for-18 from the free throw line.
 
The Vikings defense limited UAA to season-lows in shooting percentage (25.4/17-for-67) and points. Nicole Pinckney and Tennae Voliva each scored 10 points for the Seawolves.
  WWU built a 10-point 30-20 lead at halftime, but UAA out-scored the Vikings 12-4 in the third quarter to pull within two points at 34-23 heading into the final 10-minute period. The Seawolves tied the game 38-38 at the 6:49 mark on a layup by Sala Langi, but the Vikings stalled the comeback going on an immediate 5-0 run with all points scored by Emma Duff. The Vikings out-scored the Seawolves 15-7 down the stretch, clinching the victory by going 8-for-10 at the free throw line.
  WWU held an 18-12 lead through the first quarter and a 10-point 30-20 lead at the half … the Vikings eight blocked shots are tied for the most in a single game this season (also vs. Lincoln on 12/2) … WWU limited UAA to 2-for-18 shooting from 3-point range … WWU has held opponents to a .322 shooting percentage in 12 games this season … WWU snapped a seven-game losing streak in Anchorage and recorded its first win in the Alaska Airlines Center since it opened in 2014 (1-6 record) … UAA suffered its first back-to-back home losses since falling to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington on Jan. 17 and Jan. 19, 2013, at the old UAA Sports Complex … also lost 72-48 vs. MSUB on Monday, marking the first two-game losing streak for the Seawolves since the final two games of the 2013-14 season.
  The Vikings (11-1, 3-1 GNAC) conclude their Alaska road trip Saturday with an afternoon game against Alaska Fairbanks. Tip-off for WWU against UAF is set for 3 pm AKT/4 pm PT in Alaska Airlines Gymnasium. Western is 1-0 during its current stretch of four consecutive road conference games, also traveling to play Saint Martin's and Western Oregon next week.
  Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings following play on Thursday, with WWU tied with Seattle Pacific at the top of the league leaderboard:
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL	CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Western Washington	3-1	.750	11-1	.917	3-1	6-0	2-0	Won 1
Seattle Pacific	3-1	.750	7-7	.500	5-2	1-3	1-2	Won 3
Northwest Nazarene	4-2	.667	10-4	.714	6-1	3-1	1-2	Won 1
Montana State Billings	4-2	.667	10-8	.556	5-4	3-2	2-2	Won 2
Alaska Anchorage	3-2	.600	10-3	.769	5-2	4-1	1-0	Lost 2
Central Washington	3-2	.600	10-4	.714	3-1	5-2	2-1	Won 5
Western Oregon	3-3	.500	7-6	.538	6-0	1-5	0-1	Lost 1
Simon Fraser	1-3	.250	5-8	.384	2-0	1-4	2-4	Lost 2
Saint Martin's	1-4	.200	9-5	.642	6-2	1-3	2-0	Lost 3
Alaska Fairbanks	0-5	.000	1-9	.100	0-4	0-4	1-1	Lost 9
THURSDAY'S GNAC RESULTS
Western Washington 53, at Alaska Anchorage 45 at Northwest Nazarene 73, Western Oregon 66 at Central Washington 90, Saint Martin's 75 Simon Fraser at Alaska Fairbanks (Postponed)

  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 629, 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 1,061 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.