LACEY, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team was defeated 57-46 by Central Washington University in Saturday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships Final inside Marcus Pavilion.
The No. 1 seed Vikings dropped only their fifth game of the season at 20-5 and will now wait for Selection Sunday for the 7 pm NCAA Division II Championships Selection Show to see if they will be rewarded with an at-large berth to the West Regional.
WWU shot a season-low 25.0-percent from the field (16-for-64) and were 2-for-25 from three-point range in the 11-point loss to the Wildcats (23-7). The Vikings were also held to below 50 points for the first time this season.
Sophomore forward Brooke Walling capped a solid tournament performance with a game-high 18 points on 8-for-19 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior guard Emma Duff finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and senior guard Gracie Castaneda contributed 10 points.
No. 3 seed CWU was led by 14 points from GNAC Player of the Year Kassidy Malcolm and a 12-point, 23-rebound double-double by GNAC Tournament MVP Samantha Bowman.
Central Washington used an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter to turn a five-point deficit into a six-point lead and never trailed the rest of the game. CWU combined to out-score WWU 30-17 in the second and third quarters combined to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Vikings cut into the deficit pulling to within six points following a 6-0 run with 2:38 remaining, but a three-pointer by Kizzah Maltezo extended the lead back to nine points.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and CWU from Saturday's GNAC Championships Final game at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey:
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COMPARISON
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WWU
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CWU
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Points
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46
|
57
|
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Field Goal Pct.
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.250 (16-64)
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.404 (19-47)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
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.080 (2-25)
|
.308 (4-13)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.750 (12-16)
|
.750 (15-20)
|
|
Rebounds
|
31
|
47
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
12
|
9
|
|
Defensive Rebounds
|
19
|
38
|
|
Assists
|
6
|
6
|
|
Turnovers
|
9
|
19
|
|
Steals
|
9
|
4
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
4
|
0
|
|
Time Led
|
14:20
|
24:18
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
11
|
9
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
26
|
22
|
|
Bench Points
|
4
|
14
|
|
Fouls
|
17
|
13
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GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Here is a look at the final results from the 2022 GNAC Women's Basketball Championships:
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GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
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Wednesday, March 2 – First Round
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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)
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Thursday, March 3 - Quarterfinals
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No. 5 Montana State Billings 69, No. 4 Northwest Nazarene 56 (at Lacey)
No. 3 Central Washington 91, No. 6 Simon Fraser 85 (at Seattle)
No. 1 Western Washington vs. Saint Martin's (at Lacey), 2:15 pm
No. 2 Alaska Anchorage 57, No. 7 Seattle Pacific 50 (at Seattle)
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Friday, March 4 – Semifinals (Lacey, WA)
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No. 3 Central Washington 80, No. 2 Alaska Anchorage 65
No. 1 Western Washington 69, No. 5 Montana State Billings 63
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Saturday, March 5 – Final (Lacey, WA)
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No. 3 Central Washington 57, No. 1 Western Washington 46
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GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
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 and are now 15-8 all-time in the tournament. WWU won back-to-back tournament titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and have played in the championship game in eight of 11 tournaments.
The Vikings reached the 20-win mark (20-5), marking the 36th 20-win season in the 51-year history of the program, and 22nd in 31 seasons under head coach Carmen Dolfo.
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 638, 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 1,070 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.
