BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team opens the postseason Thursday in the quarterfinal of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in Lacey.
 
WWU is the No. 1 seed in the 10-team tournament and will face No. 9-seed and tournament host Saint Martin's, who defeated No. 8 Western Oregon 71-62 in Wednesday's first round. The Vikings and Saints will meet in Marcus Pavilion with tip-off scheduled for 2:15 pm.
 
The Vikings finished the regular season with an 18-4 overall record and won the GNAC regular-season title with a 10-4 league record and a Points Rating System (PRS) score of 4.07, just ahead of Alaska Anchorage's 4.03 and Central Washington's 3.94.
 
WWU is led by senior guard and First Team All-GNAC selection Emma Duff, who averaged 15.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free throw line. The Vikings played lockdown defense all season long, holding opponents to a conference-leading 56.4 points per game and 34 percent shooting from the field.
 
The nationally-ranked Vikings enter the postseason holding rankings of No. 14 (D2SIDA – Media) and No. 22 (WBCA – Coaches). WWU is also No. 2 in the final edition of the NCAA Division II West Region rankings.
 
All games during the GNAC Championships will feature a live webcast on YouTube through GNAC.tv. Game updates, tournament information and updated statistics can also viewed online at GNACSports.com.
 

GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 2 – First Round

No. 9 Saint Martin's 71, No. 8 Western Oregon 62 (at Lacey) No. 7 Seattle Pacific 78, No. 10 Alaska Fairbanks 48 (at Seattle)

Thursday, March 3 - Quarterfinals

No. 4 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 5 Montana State Billings (at Lacey), Noon No. 3 Central Washington vs. No. 6 Simon Fraser (at Seattle), Noon No. 1 Western Washington vs. Saint Martin's (at Lacey), 2:15 pm No. 2 Alaska Anchorage vs. Seattle Pacific (at Seattle), 2:15 pm

Friday, March 4 – Semifinals

Semifinal Game 1, Noon Semifinal Game 2, 2:15 pm

Saturday, March 5 – Final

Championship Game, 5:00 pm

In addition to several NCAA Tournament and Elite 8 appearances that hang in the rafters in Carver Gym, WWU will get to hang a fifth GNAC Championships regular-season banner. The Vikings claimed the GNAC regular-season title in 2001-02, 2005-06, 2010-11, 2012-12 and now 2021-22. WWU also won back-to-back GNAC Tournament titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14.   Here are some handy links on how to follow the 2022 GNAC Basketball Championships

• GNAC.tv: All games will feature a live webcast on YouTube via GNAC.tv. You can search on YouTube for "GNAC Sports" to watch all games in HD on your TV.
• Live Stats: Statistical updates will be provided for each game with direct links to WWU games available at wwuvikings.com/Live.
• Tournament Info: All the information you need to know on the GNAC Championships, including ticket information, health and safety guidelines and directions to each venue can be found online at GNACSports.com.

The 2021-22 edition of the GNAC Basketball Championships is the 11th in conference history. The championships began in 2011 with games played on campus sites and moved to a hosting situation in 2012. The Viking women have advanced to the championships in 10 of 11 seasons with a 13-7 record in the tournament. WWU won back-to-back tournament titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and has played in the championship game seven times.
  The 2022-23 GNAC Basketball Championships will be hosted by WWU in Carver Gym with games played on campus March 2-4, 2023. WWU hosted the GNAC Tournament for the first time in renovated Carver Gym in March 2019.
  After winning the 2021-22 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title, the Western Washington University women's basketball team is well-represented on the all-conference team. WWU had five players earn All-GNAC honors and Carmen Dolfo was selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Western's all-conference honors were led by senior guard Emma Duff earning first-team honors, while sisters Avery and Riley Dykstra took home a pair of special awards. Avery was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and Riley was voted as the Freshman of the Year. Avery Dykstra was a Second Team All-GNAC pick with junior guard Mollie Olson, sophomore forward Brooke Walling and Riley Dykstra being named honorable mention All-GNAC.   The Vikings are listed No. 2 in the third and final NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Rankings in the West Region, after holding the top spot in the first two polls. Cal State East Bay moved up to No. 1 and Cal State San Marcos is right behind WWU at No. 3. WWU enters the postseason with an 18-4 overall record and a 17-4 mark against in-region opponents (12-2 on the road). The top eight teams in the regional rankings will help determine the eight-team West Regional field that will be played March 11-14 at the site of the highest seed. The GNAC, CCAA and PacWest tournament champions receive an automatic bid to the NCAA II Championships.   WWU and Saint Martin's met once during the regular season, with the Vikings defeating the Saints 81-48 on February 22 in Carver Gym. The Vikings have won three straight over the Saints and are 47-2 dating back to the 1998 season. WWU also leads the all-time series 76-11. WWU and SMU have met once in the GNAC Championships with the Vikings winning 81-71 in the 2014 semifinals.
  Prior the final home regular-season game of the season February 22 against Saint Martin's, WWU's three seniors were recognized in a special pregame ceremony. Emma Duff, Gracie Castaneda and Dani Iwami – along with senior members of the WWU band and cheer programs – were recognized for their contributions to the program over the last five years. Senior guard Emma Duff earned First Team All-GNAC honors and heads into the postseason averaging 15.7 points per game to rank 6th in the GNAC and 6.7 rebounds to rank 8th. She is also listed among league leaders with the 17th-best field goal percentage (.455/125-for-275), No. 5 in free throw percentage (.829/63-for-76) and has the 6th-highest 3-point field goal percentage (.360/32-for-89). Over her last 11 games (since 1/20 at UAA), Duff is averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, including a career-high 29 points at Central Washington. Duff has eclipsed the 1,200-point mark for her career, now 12th in WWU history with 1,208 points.
 

WWU ALL-TIME CAREER POINTS LEADERS
1.	1990	Jo Metzger (109 games) - 1977-81
2.	1940	Taylor Peacocke (119 games) - 2013-17
3.	1786	Gina Sampson (120 games) - 1992-96
4.	1658	Celeste Hill (114 games) - 1996-00
5.	1654	Amanda Dunbar (115 games) - 2006-11
6.	1475	Cim Hanson (122 games) - 1987-91
7.	1432	Jenn McGillivray (113 games) - 2000-04
8.	1408	Lori deKubber (117 games) - 1981-85
9.	1367	Amanda Olsen (116 games) - 1996-00
10.	1335	Shannon Grandbois (114 games) - 1992-97
11.	1298	Cindy Pancerzewski (115 games) - 1981-85
12.	1208	Emma Duff (117 games) - 2017-22
13.	1207	Katie Colard (122 games) - 2011-15
14.	1195	Kris Keltner (117 games) - 1983-87
15.	1191	Tina Donahue (111 games) - 2002-06

  Here are some facts on the Vikings heading into the GNAC Championships:

• Won the program's fifth GNAC regular-season title.
• Ranked No. 2 in the third and final NCAA West Regional rankings.
• Holds No. 22 (WBCA/Coaches) and No. 14 (D2SIDA/Media) national rankings…ranked in the top 24 in all 13 regular-season polls and spent 10 weeks in the national top 10.
• Opened the season with 10 consecutive wins and was one of four remaining undefeated teams prior to first loss.
• Out-scoring opponents by 14.5 points per game to rank 24th in NCAA Division II.
• Holds rebound advantage of 9.5, the 10th-best margin in NCAA Division II.
• Holding opponents to 56.4 points per game, the 24th-best mark in NCAA Division II.
• Team field goal percentage of .453 ranks 15th in NCAA Division II.
• 12 of 18 wins have been on the road (10-2 away, 2-0 neutral).
• Ranks No. 8 in the nation limiting opponents to a .246 3-point field goal percentage.

Sophomore forward Brooke Walling is 5th in the GNAC averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Over the last seven games she has grabbed 57 rebounds for a 8.14 per game average, including a season-high 13 rebounds in WWU's last regular-season game at Simon Fraser. Walling is also averaging 7.9 points per game and 1.3 steals per game while starting 20 of 22 games.
  The Vikings are 12-2 on the road this season, going 10-2 in true away games and 2-0 in neutral-site contests. WWU has picked up key road wins over West Region ranked teams Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, 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 6-2 inside Carver Gym.
  The Vikings are ranked No. 14 (D2SIDA – Media) and No. 22 (WBCA – Coaches) heading into the GNAC Championships. WWU has spent 10 of the last 12 weeks inside the national top-10 including reaching as high as No. 5 (WBCA) and tied for No. 2 (D2SIDA). 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.   Senior Emma Duff became the 28th player in WWU history to pass the 1,000 career point milestone on December 30 vs. Western Oregon. Duff now has 1,208 points in 117 games (91 starts) to rank No. 12 in program history in total points (10.3 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, and 16th in program history for total points.
  Here is a look at where WWU is listed in the official NCAA statistics rankings (through games of 3/1/22):
 

Statistic	National Ranking	GNAC Ranking	Value
Three Pt FG Defense	8	1	24.6
Rebound Margin	10	1	9.5
Field-Goal Percentage Defense	12	1	34.3
Field-Goal Percentage	15	1	45.3
Scoring Defense	24	1	56.4
Scoring Margin	24	1	14.5
Won-Lost Percentage	34	1	81.8
Blocked Shots Per Game	37	2	4.2
Defensive Rebounds per Game	40	1	28.5
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage	42	2	34.1
Assists Per Game	52	5	15.1
Rebounds Per Game	57	1	40.8
Scoring Offense	60	4	70.9
Fewest Turnovers	72	3	389.0
Blocked Shots	76	2	93.0

  Here is a look at the results for the Vikings in the first 22 games of the 2021-22 season (18-4, 10-4 GNAC). Emma Duff has led the Vikings in scoring in 13 of 22 games, while Brooke Walling has been the top rebounder eight times.
 

Record: 18-4    GNAC: 10-$    Home: 6-2    Away: 10-2    Neutral: 2-0
Date	Opponent		Score	High Points	High Rebounds
11/12/21	vs Humboldt State	W	68-56	(22) Duff	(11) Duff
11/19/21	vs Azusa Pacific	W	73-57	(23) Duff	(13) Duff
11/20/21	at Cal State San Marcos	W	78-73	(18) Duff	(8) Walling/Duff
11/26/21	at Regis	W	60-47	(11) Duff	(10) Walling
11/27/21	at Colorado Christian	W	58-51	(14) Dykstra,A	(10) Walling
12/02/21	LINCOLN (CA)	W	89-26	(15) Castaneda	(10) Reilly
12/04/21	SIMON FRASER*	W	82-60	(16) Dykstra,A	(9) Duff
12/14/21	at Academy of Art	W	57-43	(13) Zaragoza/Duff	(12) Dykstra,A
12/17/21	at Holy Names	W	83-32	(14) Olson/Iwami	(7) Reilly/Duff
12/30/21	WESTERN OREGON*	W	70-52	(12) Olson	(7) Duff
01/13/22	CENTRAL WASHINGTON*	L	68-76	(15) Duff	(10) Duff
01/20/22	at Alaska Anchorage*	W	53-45	(21) Duff	(7) Duff
01/22/22	at Alaska Fairbanks*	W	79-67	(19) Duff	(12) Walling
02/01/22	at Western Oregon*	W	77-59	(24) Duff	(7) Dykstra,R
02/03/22	SEATTLE PACIFIC*	W	59-40	(19) Duff	(7) Dykstra,R
02/10/22	at Northwest Nazarene*	L	70-77 (ot)	(16) Walling	(8) Walling/Duff
02/12/22	at Central Washington*	W	74-72	(29) Duff	(8) Grandbois
02/15/22	at Seattle Pacific*	W	75-54	(18) Duff/Dykstra,R	(9) Dykstra,R
02/19/22	ALASKA ANCHORAGE*	W	63-50	(14) Gimmaka	(6) Walling
02/21/22	NORTHWEST NAZARENE*	L	76-87 (ot)	(21) Dykstra,R	(12) Walling
02/22/22	SAINT MARTIN'S*	W	81-48	(18) Gimmaka	(9) Gimmaka
02/26/22	at Simon Fraser*	L	67-69 (ot)	(19) Duff	(13) Walling

  The 2021-22 GNAC regular-season title was decided on by a new points rating system, with WWU claiming its fifth conference title since joining the GNAC in 2001-02. Here is a look at the team records and standings heading into the GNAC Championships. View the conference schedule, scores, stats and updated standings at GNACSports.com.
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL		CONF	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
1.	Western Washington (4.07)	10-4	.714	18-4	.818	6-2	10-2	2-0	Lost 1
2.	Alaska Anchorage (4.03)	12-4	.750	19-5	.792	9-2	9-3	1-0	Won 2
3.	Central Washington (3.94)	13-5	.722	20-7	.740	8-3	10-3	2-1	Won 2
4.	Northwest Nazarene (3.67)	12-6	.667	18-8	.692	10-2	7-4	1-2	Won 5
5.	Montana State Billings (3.63)	10-5	.667	16-11	.593	10-5	4-4	2-2	Lost 2
6.	Simon Fraser (3.03)	8-8	.500	12-13	.480	7-2	3-7	2-4	Won 1
7.	Seattle Pacific (2.86)	7-11	.389	11-17	.393	7-7	3-8	1-2	Lost 2
8.	Western Oregon (2.50)	5-13	.278	9-16	.360	6-6	3-9	0-1	Won 1
9.	Saint Martin's (2.14)	4-12	.250	12-13	.480	7-6	3-7	2-0	Won 1
10.	Alaska Fairbanks (2.12)	2-15	.118	3-19	.136	1-10	1-7	1-1	Lost 2

The GNAC announced a change to the format and qualifying criteria for its 2022 men's and women's basketball championships. The conference's Management Council and CEO Board unanimously voted to expand this year's tournament to all 10 men's and women's programs. The GNAC Championships will now run from March 2 to 5. To accommodate full fields in both genders, the first two rounds of games will be split between Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Washington, and Seattle Pacific University. In total, six games – two play-in contests and four quarterfinals matchups – will be contested at SPU's Royal Brougham Pavilion. The other 12 games, including the semifinals and championship games in both genders, will be played at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's, which was awarded tournament-hosting rights two years ago. For each gender, the No. 7 through No. 10 seeds will compete in play-in games on Wednesday, March 2. The winners will advance to an eight-team bracket, which will begin play on Thursday, March 3.
 
The points rating system is an end-of-season calculation that attaches numeric values to each result based on whether the game was at home or on the road and where each opponent's final conference winning percentage fell (i.e., .750 and above, .500 to .749, .250 to .499 and .249 and below). The better an opponent's final winning percentage, the greater the point values for a win or a loss. It is similar to one of the key metrics used by Division II in ranking teams under consideration for NCAA postseason at-large berths in multiple sports, including men's and women's basketball.
  Led by four-time selection Dani Iwami the Vikings set a program record with eight selections to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. While a top-10 team on the court with an overall 14-1 record, the Vikings showed to be equally impressive in the classroom with the record-setting amount of award winners on the conference All-Academic squad presented by Barnes & Noble College. WWU surpassed the six awards from last season to set the program record, with the previous high being five honorees from 2016-17. Western was tied for 2nd in the GNAC with the eight selections, trailing 10 by Seattle Pacific and matching eight by Montana State Billings.
 

Name	Academic Major	Year	GPA	Hometown
Gracie Castaneda	Elementary Education	Sr.	3.28	Arlington, WA
Emma Duff*	Environmental Science	Sr.	3.33	Tumwater, WA
Avery Dykstra*+	Business Administration	Jr.	3.70	Everson, WA
Riley Dykstra	Elementary Education	Fr.	3.55	Everson, WA
Monique Fierke*	Public Health	Sr.	3.36	Monroe, WA
Dani Iwami*+#	Environmental Studies	Sr.	3.66	Seal Beach, CA
Mollie Olson	English	Jr.	3.22	Napavine, WA
Carley Zaragoza*	Environmental Science	So.	3.88	El Dorado, CA
* - 2020-21 All-Academic Selection + - 2019-20 All-Academic Selection # - 2018-19 All Academic Selection

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 ALL-TIME 3-POINT FG MADE
1.	258	Katie Colard (122 games)	2011-15
2.	256	Amanda Dunbar (115 games)	2006-11
3.	210	Jodie Kaczor (118 games)	1998-02
4.	191	Corinn Waltrip (120 games)	2009-13
5.	155	Stacey Miller (86 games)	2000-03
	155	Erica Porter (122 games)	1987-91
7.	145	K.C. Mattingly (80 games)	1994-97
	145	Taylor Peacocke (119 games)	2013-17
9.	140	Emma Duff (117 games)	2017-current
10.	124	Kristy Eggen (116 games)	1994-97,02-03
11.	119	Kristin Schramm (114 games)	2007-08,09-12
12.	114	Mollie Stelmack (57 games)	2005-07
13.	112	Dani Iwami (67 games)	2017-current
14.	106	Briana Abrahamsen (88 games)	1998-01
15.	104	Jodi Gerald (110 games)	2001-05

Senior guard Dani Iwami suffered what could be a season and career-ending knee injury 20 seconds into the January 13 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.
  The Vikings had its perfect start to the season come to an end January 13 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.
 

LONGEST WINNING STREAKS
1.	21	Dec. 21, 2005 – Mar. 10, 2006
2.	19	Dec. 11, 2010 – Feb. 22, 2011
	19	1971 – 72, dates unknown
4.	17	Dec. 19, 2016 – Feb. 16, 2017
5.	16	Feb. 26, 2021 – Dec. 30, 2021
6.	15	1972 – 73, dates unknown
	15	Dec. 14, 1979 – Feb. 8, 1980
	15	Nov. 21, 1983 – Jan. 21, 1984
	15	Nov. 23, 2004 – Jan. 22, 2005
10.	14	1973 – 74, dates unknown
11.	13	Feb. 11, 1997 – Mar. 23, 1997
12.	12	Nov. 20, 1989 – Dec. 28, 1989
	12	Feb. 14, 2013 - Mar. 26, 2013
14.	11	Jan. 24, 1989 – Feb. 23, 1989
	11	Jan. 27, 1996 – Mar. 15, 1996
	11	Dec. 18, 2012 - Jan. 2, 2013
17.	10	Nov. 18, 1993 – Dec. 29, 1993
	10	Jan. 17, 1981 – Feb. 13, 1981
	10	Jan. 11, 1985 – Feb. 2, 1985
	10	Nov. 26, 1988 – Dec. 29, 1988
	10	Jan. 1, 1990 – Feb. 6, 1990
	10	Nov. 16, 1990 – Jan. 4, 1991
	10	Nov. 26, 1994 – Dec. 30, 1994
	10	Dec. 5, 1997 – Jan. 10, 1998
	10	Jan. 7, 2010 – Feb. 6, 2010
BEST UNBEATEN STARTS
1.	19-0	1971-1972
2.	12-0	1989-1990
3.	10-0	2021-2022
	10-0	1993-1994
	10-0	1990-1991
	10-0	1988-1989
7.	9-0	1999-2000
8.	7-0	1998-1999

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 636-249 (.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. She was named the 2021-22 GNAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time, her 12th coach of the year honor.   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 636 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 1068-384 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 636, 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 1,068 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.