HAYWARD, Calif. – Led by a 17-point, 17-rebound double-double by
Brooke Walling and 18 points from
Riley Dykstra, the No. 3 seed Western Washington University women's basketball team advanced to NCAA Division II Championships West Regional Semifinal with a 76-64 victory over No. 6 Alaska Anchorage Friday in Pioneer Gymnasium.
The Vikings improved to 21-5 overall by defeating GNAC rival UAA for the third time this season. UAA had its four-game NCAA quarterfinal winning streak snapped to finish the season at 20-7. WWU advances to play No. 2 seed Central Washington (79-74 OT win over Northwest Nazarene) Saturday at 5 pm.
In addition to the big double-double by Walling on 5-for-11 shooting, the junior forward added three blocked shots, two steals and one assist while playing 31 minutes.
Dykstra, the GNAC Freshman of the Year, was 5-for-7 from the field with a pair of three-pointers, and 6-for-8 from the free throw line.
The Vikings also received double-digit scoring performances from senior guard
Emma Duff with 16 points (4-for-10 FG) and a career-high 11 points by freshman guard
Maddy Grandbois (4-for-5 FG, 3-for-4 3FG). Sophomore post
Carley Zaragoza added nine points on 3-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes of action. GNAC Defensive Player of the Year
Avery Dykstra dished out a career-high eight assists and also had a pair of blocked shots.
Overall WWU shot an efficient 45.1-percent (23-for-51) and was 7-for-17 (.412) from beyond the arc. The Vikings were also 23-for-27 from the free throw line, led by Duff and Walling both going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
UAA received a game-high 20 points from Tennae Voliva on 7-for-15 shooting and seven rebounds. The Seawolves shot 38.3-percent (23-for-60) and were 15-for-26 from the free throw line.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
A back and forth third quarter found the Vikings still up by 12 heading into the fourth where the Seawolves used a 7-1 run to pull within nine points. That is the closest UAA would get however as the Vikings immediately answered with a 10-5 run of their own to put the game away. Freshman
Maddy Grandbois, went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc in the third quarter to fuel her career-high scoring performance.
FIRST HALF RECAP
WWU held a 17-12 lead through the first quarter and expanded the advantage to 12 points at 39-27 at the half. Following a 15 minute delay due to a malfunctioning scoreboard, the Vikings continued its solid play out-scoring the Seawolves 22-15 in the second quarter.
Emma Duff led the Vikings with 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Brooke Walling nearly totaled a double-double in the first 20 minutes with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Riley Dykstra added 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting with a pair of three pointers. Overall the Vikings were 11-for-22 from the field in the first half (3-for-9 3 FG) and 14-for-14 from the free throw line. Tennae Voliva led UAA with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and UAA from Friday's NCAA Division II Championships West Regional quarterfinal:
| COMPARISON |
WWU |
UAA |
| Points |
76 |
64 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.451 (23-51) |
.383 (23-60) |
| 3 Point FG Pct. |
.412 (7-17) |
.300 (3-10) |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.852 (23-27) |
.577 (15-26) |
| Rebounds |
40 |
31 |
| Offensive Rebounds |
9 |
10 |
| Defensive Rebounds |
31 |
21 |
| Assists |
17 |
11 |
| Turnovers |
15 |
9 |
| Steals |
5 |
10 |
| Blocked Shots |
7 |
0 |
| Time Led |
35:21 |
1:08 |
| Points off Turnovers |
8 |
14 |
| Points in the Paint |
26 |
32 |
| Bench Points |
23 |
24 |
| Fouls |
18 |
22 |
MARCH MADNESS
The Vikings are playing in their 18th NCAA Championships in 23 possible seasons (since 1998-99). Has now advanced to the Championships in each of the last two seasons eligible (only played six games last season). Did not get the chance to play in the 2020 NCAA II West Regional in Honolulu, Hawai'i when the pandemic canceled the tournament. WWU advanced to the NCAA Championships in 15 of 16 seasons from 1999-2014. Won two regional championships in 2000 and 2013.
The Vikings own an all-time 16-16 record in NCAA tournament play, recording at least one win in 11 of 17 prior regional appearances (with a game played). Below is a game-by-game listing of WWU in NCAA Tournament play with the regional host site listed next to the year:
1998-99 (Davis, CA):
Defeated Seattle Pacific, 77-69 (OT)
Lost to Montana State Billings, 70-48
1999-2000 (Pomona, CA):
Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 78-59
Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 84-66
Defeated Slippery Rock, 84-67 – Elite 8
Lost to Northern Kentucky, 80-74 – Final Four
2000-01 (Pomona, CA):
Defeated Central Washington, 74-66
Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 91-85
2001-02 (Pomona, CA):
Defeated Sonoma State, 71-60
Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 71-70
2002-03 (Seattle, WA):
Lost to Northwest Nazarene, 83-79
2003-04 (Seattle, WA):
Defeated Sonoma State, 85-71
Lost to Seattle Pacific, 80-66
2004-05 (Seattle, WA):
Defeated CSU Dominguez Hills, 82-74 (OT)
Lost to Chico State, 85-75
2005-06 (Bellingham, WA):
Defeated Northwest Nazarene, 66-54
Lost to Seattle Pacific, 70-50
2006-07 (La Jolla, CA):
Lost to UC San Diego, 78-45
2008-09 (Seattle, WA):
Lost to Humboldt State, 74-64
2009-10 (Seattle, WA):
Lost to Chico State, lost 79-68
2010-11 (Pomona, CA):
Lost to Alaska Anchorage, 55-48
2011-12 (La Jolla, CA):
Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 65-58
Lost to UC San Diego, 81-66
2012-13 (Bellingham, WA):
Defeated Academy of Art, 70-50
Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 71-63
Defeated Simon Fraser, 75-58
Defeated Nova Southeastern, 80-76 (OT)
Lost to Ashland, 66-54 – Final Four
2013-14 (Pomona, CA):
Lost to Simon Fraser, 77-70
2016-17 (Anchorage, AK):
Defeated Cal State East Bay, 74-48
Lost to Cal Baptist, 80-68
2019-20 (Honolulu, HI):
vs. Alaska Anchorage, DNP (COVID-19)
2021-22 (Hayward, CA):
Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 76-64
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS v2.0
The GNAC is represented by four teams in the NCAA Championships West Regional, with all four teams squaring off in the quarterfinal round. This marks the fifth year that the GNAC has had four teams advance to the NCAA II Championships (2008, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2022). The GNAC has had three or more teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 12 of the conference's 21 years.
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON
The Vikings have reached the 20-win mark (21-5), marking the 36th 20-win season in the 51-year history of the program, and 22nd in 31 seasons under head coach
Carmen Dolfo.
ABOUT WWU BASKETBALL
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in nine of the last 13 full seasons, and 36 times in the 51-year history of the program. WWU has 22 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 639, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 18 of 23 possible seasons at the Division II level with two trips to the Final Four. The program has 1,071 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.
