BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With five regular-season games remaining, the Western Washington University women's basketball team opens a three-game homestand this week hosting the Alaska schools on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

WWU takes on No. 20 nationally-ranked and first-place Alaska Anchorage (20-3, 11-1 GNAC on Thursday and Alaska Fairbanks (6-14, 1-11 GNAC) on Saturday, with both games scheduled for a 7 pm tip-off.

 

An exciting week of events will surround both games with a Women in Sports Celebration set for Thursday and Mark Scholten Night on Saturday. Parking for all games is free in lot 19G on campus (9G for season ticket holders) and the Carver Gym Box Office opens one hour prior to tip-off to purchase tickets. WWU students receive free admission for all home games.

 

The Vikings are 14-8 overall and in 4th place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 9-4 mark. WWU will play its next three games at home also hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday, February 22 before ending the regular season on the road with games at Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings.

 

Western is in a good spot to clinch one of the six spots for the GNAC Championships that will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University in Lacey. The Vikings are the two-time defending champions at the postseason conference tournament and have played in the event in 12 of 13 years winning four titles.

 

The Vikings are coming off a 1-1 week on the road, falling to Central Washington 74-63 and rebounding with a 67-64 win over Northwest Nazarene. WWU has won four of its last five games heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

 

Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom leads the Vikings averaging 14.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and is approaching a career milestone just 36 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career. Junior forward Alyson Deaver led the Vikings last week averaging 13.0 points per game and is averaging 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the season. Sophomore guard Demi Dykstra (12.0 ppg) and junior guard Mason Oberg (10.4 ppg) are also averaging double-digits this season.

 

Sophomore guard Libby Stump has returned from knee surgery to average 9.8 points per game in six appearances (one start). The University of Montana transfer led the Vikings scoring 15 points in the win last Saturday at NNU.

 

 

The Vikings (14-8, 9-4 GNAC) open a three-game homestand this week hosting the Alaska schools with games set for 7 pm Thursday (UAA) and Saturday (UAF). Tickets can be purchased in advance at wwuvikings.com/Tickets. The complete season schedule, with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/WBB.

 

Two exciting events surround this week's home schedule in Carver Gym:

 

·         Thursday – Women in Sport Day: Join us as we celebrate National Girls Women in Sports Day for the game vs. UAA. Free admission will be offered to all youth that come in a sports jersey. There will also be autograph signings with the WWU team after the game and the 2024 NCAA Rowing National Champions will be honored at halftime. A pregame cookie bar will also be served free to WWU students from 6-7:30 courtesy of The Foundation for WWU & Alumni.

·         Saturday – Mark Scholten Night: Join us as we celebrate the life of longtime Whatcom County sports broadcaster and personality Mark Scholten at Saturday's game vs. UAF. Mark's family will be recognized and presented with a special gift and a video tribute to many of Scholten's memorable calls will be played on the videoboard. Mark passed away on August 14, 2023. He was an avid supporter of WWU Athletics and Whatcom County sports and had a 31-year radio career at KPUG.

 

Believe it or not, the Vikings will play three consecutive home games for the first time this season with GNAC contests this week against the Alaska schools and then the following Saturday (Feb. 22) hosting Simon Fraser. WWU has played just seven of 22 games at home this season, going 6-3 in road games and 3-3 in neutral site contests to combine for a 9-6 record away from Bellingham.

 

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball standings and overall records heading into this week's action. Updated standings and conference statistics can be viewed online at GNACSports.com. The top six teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships held March 6-8 in Lacey. UAA, MSUB and CWU have all clinched spots in the GNAC Tournament:

 

 

WWU is listed No. 10 in the week 12 edition of the D2CSC West Region Rankings. Here is a look at the rankings as voted on by College Sports Communicators in the region:

 

 

The Vikings have always been a program that prided itself on defense and ranks 3rd in the GNAC this season holding opponents to a 37.7 field goal percentage. WWU has held opposing teams to a shooting percentage below 50-percent in 117 of its last 118 games, dating back to the GNAC Championship final in 2020. Over the last five seasons, the Vikings have gone 93-25 and held opponents to a combined .356 shooting percentage (2405-for-6753). Here is a chart looking at opponent shooting totals over the last five seasons:

 

 

Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom is having an outstanding season ranking in the top 10 in the GNAC in scoring and rebounding averaging 14.1 points per game (8th) and 7.0 rebounds per game (5th). Wikstrom has scored in double-digits in 19 of 22 games with a season and career high 24 points at Alaska Anchorage (Jan. 18). She is also amongst the conference leaders with six double-doubles and is 2nd shooting 43.4-percent from three-point range (43-for-99). Wikstrom is in her fifth collegiate season (due to the pandemic) playing in 134 career games and is nearing the 1,000-point milestone currently at 964 points.

 

Junior forward Alyson Deaver has been a consistent and key contributor in her first season at WWU averaging 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, both ranked second on the team. Deaver has started all 22 games, scoring in double digits 20 times, and had a recent 23-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win at Simon Fraser, her second double-double performance of the season.

 

Sophomore guard Libby Stump made her WWU debut on the Alaska road trip and had a 20-point performance on 9-for-15 shooting in the win over Simon Fraser. In six games she is averaging 9.8 points per game. Stump is a transfer from the University of Montana, where she played in 35 games for the Griz in 2022-23 (30 G) and 2023-24 (5 G). She tore her ACL early in the 2023-24 season and transferred back home to Whatcom County where she starred at Lynden Christian.

 

Senior guard Maddy Grandbois is having a great all-around season averaging 8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while starting all 22 contests. A candidate for GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Grandbois often has the task of guarding the opposing team's top player. Grandbois is shooting 47.0-percent for the season (63-for-134) to rank No. 10 in the GNAC.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024-25 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between WWU and its opponents this week:

 

·         Alaska Anchorage: WWU lost to UAA 67-59 in the first meeting this season on January 18 in Anchorage…WWU leads the all-time series 36-31 with an 18-11 record in home games (15-15 in Anchorage)…the Vikings are 6-3 vs. the Seawolves over the last four seasons including a five-game winning streak from January 20, 2022-January 28, 2023…UAA defeated WWU 77-69 in Carver Gym last season while sweeping the regular-season series, but the Vikings defeated the Seawolves 75-60 in the GNAC semifinals.

·         Alaska Fairbanks: The Vikings defeated UAF 67-37 in Fairbanks on January 16, led by a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double by Olivia Wikstrom…WWU has won 29 consecutive games against the Nanooks dating back to the 2008-09 season and leads the all-time series 59-5…Western is 28-0 all-time in home games against UAF.

 

WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo recorded her 700th career victory in her 968th career game in 34 seasons as the head coach of the Vikings. Her career record now stands at 705-270 for a .723 winning percentage. Here are a few fun facts about Dolfo's 700 career wins:

 

·         Among all-time NCAA Division II women's basketball head coaches, only 13 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Among active NCAA II women's basketball head coaches, only 5 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Only 45 head coaches at all levels of NCAA women's basketball have reached 700 career wins.

·         Dolfo became the 18th active women's basketball head coach with 700 career wins.

 

In the Vikings 67-65 triumph over Central Washington on January 11, they overcame a 13-point 4th quarter deficit to record Carmen Dolfo's 700th career win. WWU was down 58-45 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game prior to the Vikings going on a 19-4 run to take the lead and ultimately gain the two-point victory over the Wildcats. 

 

Thanks to a partnership with WECU and The Foundation for WWU & Alumni, all current WWU students will receive free admission to all regular-season athletic events in Carver Gym and at Harrington Field again in 2024-25. Students just need to show their W card at the door and then head over to the WECU Student Section to cheer on the Viks. 

 

Tickets are available for pre-purchase online at wwuvikings.com/Tickets or starting one hour prior to tip-off at the Carver Gym Box Office.

 

Parking for all WWU home events in Carver Gym is free and now located in the 19G Lot by the Student Recreation Center. Season ticket parking will be in the 9G lot. A parking map is available at wwuvikings.com.

 

WWU's remaining five games are all Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. All 10 GNAC teams play an 18-game league schedule, with the top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season advancing to the GNAC Championships that will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey. WWU is the two-time defending postseason GNAC Tournament champions.

 

Through the first 22 games of the season, the Vikings have had a tough schedule facing four teams that are currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation (Cal St. Dom. Hills - #3, Montana State Billings - #16, Azusa Pacific - #18, Alaska Anchorage - #20).

 

WWU has played just seven of 22 games at home in Carver Gym, with 15 games on the road (6-3 away, 3-3 neutral).

 

The Vikings have battled the injury bug through the early part of the season with sophomore guard Libby Stump, junior forward Ellie Croco, freshman forward Jaylyn Arosemena and senior forward Aspen Garrison missing substantial time. 

 

Both home games this week feature a live (and free) webcast on YouTube with a direct link available at WWUVikings.com/Live. All home games will stream live on YouTube via Vikings TV. Additionally, every away GNAC game will feature a webcast on YouTube produced by the visiting team. To watch WWU home games on your Smart TV, navigate to the YouTube application and search for WWU Athletics, or for away games search for the opposing school's YouTube channel (example: CWU Athletics). All WWU links to follow the Vikings online can be found online, but be sure to bookmark the following links for easy access:

 

·         Vikings TV (WWU home games)

·         GNAC Live Streams

·         Direct Link to watch WWU games (wwuvikings.com/WBB_Watch)

·         Direct Link to follow WWU games via Live Stats (wwuvikings.com/WBB_Stats)

 

Junior guard Mason Oberg has made 136 career three-pointers (in 69 games) to rank No. 10 in program history. For her career Oberg is 136-for-357 to record a .381 three-point field goal percentage, currently No. 9 in program history. Here is a look at the top three-point shooters in program history by three-pointers made and accuracy from beyond the arc:

 

 

In the 63-30 road victory at Western Oregon, the Vikings defense limited WOU to under 20-percent shooting in the game (.197/12-for-61) and nearly held the Wolves without a field goal in the first quarter. The 30 points allowed are fewest allowed by a Viking team since holding Lincoln to 26 points on December 2, 2021 and the fewest in a GNAC breaking the old mark of 32 points allowed in a 77-32 win over Alaska Fairbanks on February 26, 2009. WWU just missed the GNAC record for fewest points allowed in a conference game, 27 set by Saint Martin's in 2003 vs. Western Oregon. WWU ranks 4th in the GNAC this season holding opponents to 60.9 points per game.

 

In the January 16 win at Alaska Fairbanks, Western held the Nanooks to 25.4-percent shooting for the game (15-for-59) and limited an opponent to fewer than 40 points for the second time this season. The 18-0 scoreline in the third quarter marked the first time WWU has shut out an opponent in a quarter since the four-quarter format was adopted in 2015-16.

 

The Vikings made an in-season roster addition with junior guard Anna VanderYacht joining the program after the completion of the volleyball season. The Lynden native has appeared in 16 games averaging 9.8 minutes per game to etch her name as a two-sport student-athlete. VanderYacht appeared in all 24 matches for the WWU volleyball team this fall while recording 11 service aces.

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season heading into this week's schedule:

 

Over the last six seasons (since 2019-20), the Vikings have combined to go 115-34 for a .772 winning percentage. WWU won back-to-back GNAC regular-season championships in 2022 and 2023 and have won the last two GNAC Tournament titles. The Vikings played in the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship Game in Birmingham, Alabama, earning runner-up honors.

 

The Vikings made their 20th NCAA Championships appearance in 25 possible seasons (since 1998-99) and fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA West Regional Tournament. WWU has advanced to the postseason (conference, regional, NCAA) in 49 of 52 possible seasons of program history and has won three regional championships to advance to the Elite Eight in 2000 (Pine Bluff, Arkansas), 2013 (San Antonio, TX) and 2022 (Birmingham, AL). The Vikings own an all-time 21-19 record in NCAA tournament play, recording at least one win in 12 of 19 prior regional appearances (with a game played).

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 34th season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 705-270 (.723) to rank amongst the active and career leaders at the NCAA Division II level for career wins and winning percentage. Entering the 2024-25 season, Dolfo as 10th all-time in NCAA II in wins. Dolfo has led the Vikings to 20 trips to the NCAA Championships and a trio 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, and tallied No. 700 on January 11 vs. CWU. WWU has recorded 23 seasons with 20-or-more wins under Dolfo. She was named the 2021-22 GNAC Coach of the Year, her fifth GNAC honor and 12th Coach of the Year accolade overall. Dolfo was also a volleyball and basketball student-athlete at WWU in the 1980s.

 

The 2024-25 coaching staff includes 13th-year assistant head coach Stacey Turrell, assistant coach Katrina Gimmaka, volunteer assistant Mike Li, and student assistants George Irwin, Ben Allen and Grant Brewer.

 

Two WWU women's basketball coaches have more than 400 career victories, with current head coach Carmen Dolfo amassing 705 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 1137-405 for a career winning percentage of .737.

 

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in 11 of the last 14 full seasons, and 38 times in the 53-year history of the program. WWU has 24 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 705, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 20 of 25 possible seasons at the Division II level with three trips to the Elite Eight (last in 2022) and played in the 2022 national championship game. The program has 1,137 all-time wins in the 53-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.