ANCHORAGE – The Western Washington University women's basketball team officially punched its ticket to the postseason clinching a spot in the GNAC Championships with a 65-53 road victory over Alaska Anchorage Thursday inside the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Vikings won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 19-6 overall and with their seventh win in the last eight GNAC contests remain in second place at 11-3 in conference play. WWU (and first-place Central Washington) officially clinched the first two spots in the six-team GNAC Championships that will be held March 5-7 in Carver Gym in Bellingham.

WWU finished the second quarter on a 10-3 run to take a one-point 27-26 lead, overcoming a quick UAA start that saw the Seawolves jump out to an 8-0 lead. After the initial scoring spurt by UAA, the Vikings went on an 11-0 run to stall the early-game momentum.

The Vikings out-scored the Seawolves 18-11 in the third quarter and held off any hopes of a UAA comeback for the 12-point victory to clinch the regular-season series sweep.

Over the last eight games, the Vikings have gone 7-1 with a dominating defensive effort. During the span of games dating back to January 15 WWU has limited opponents to 50.4 points per game and a .298 opponent shooting percentage.

The Vikings received all 65 points from the starting five, with junior guard Libby Stump scoring a game-high 18 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Stump also contributed four steals, four assists, three rebounds and one blocked shot.

Senior forward Olivia Hodges continued her All-America worthy season tallying her 17th double-double of the season with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Hodges entered the game ranked second in NCAA II in rebounds per game and double-doubles, adding to both statistical categories. The Cal State LA transfer reached the 900-rebound mark for her collegiate career (908 in 105 games) and continues to close in on the 1,000-point milestone (988 points).

Senior forward Aspen Garrison recorded her first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and junior guard Demi Dkystra scored 13 points in 39 minutes. 

Behind Hodge's fifth game with 17-or-more rebounds, the Vikings held a commanding 46-28 advantage in rebounds.

Elaina Mack led UAA (13-9, 5-8 GNAC) with 15 points as the only Seawolf to score in double-digits. UAA was held to a season-low 53 points (averaging 76.8 points per game) and season-low .317 shooting percentage (19-for-60).

The Vikings (19-6, 11-3 GNAC) closes out their Alaska road trip on Saturday facing Alaska Fairbanks with tip-off scheduled for 3 pm AKT/4 pm PT. All links to follow the Vikings at home and on the road will be posted at WWUVikings.com.

Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and Alaska Anchorage:

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:

The Vikings swept the regular season series against UAA also winning 81-65 on January 17 in Bellingham. The Seawolves swept the series last season, going 3-0 against the Vikings including a win in the GNAC Semifinal. WWU leads the all-time series 38-33 with a 16-15 record on the road. Over the last 13 meetings the Vikings are 8-5 against UAA.

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2025-26 schedule and results:

Here is a look at the GNAC standings and schedule following Thursday's games. Updated conference statistics and postseason information 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 5-7 in Carver Gym in Bellingham.