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Feb. 26, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Having already clinched the No.1 seed in the conference tournament and at least a tie for the regular-season league title, the Western Washington University women's basketball team closes out its regular season this week, traveling to Saint Martin's University on Thursday, Feb. 28 (7 p.m.), and to Western Oregon University on Saturday, March 2 (2 p.m.), for Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests.

THE LAST MEETING Saint Martin's 51 Western Washington 75 December 1, 2012 BELLINGHAM Vikings roll over Saint Martin's, 75-51 Forward Sarah Hill came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points, nine during a decisive opening-game run, as nationally ranked Western Washington University defeated Saint Martin's University, 75-51, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball contest Saturday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Western Oregon 54 Western Washington 77 November 29, 2012 BELLINGHAM Vikings open GNAC play with 77-54 win over Western Oregon Forward Sydney Donaldson led a balanced attack with a game-high 16 points, helping nationally ranked Western Washington University claim a 77-54 victory over Western Oregon University in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener for both schools Thursday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus. Recap

A victory in either contest would give the WWU program 900 victories all-time, one of just a handful of schools at any level to reach that mark.

The Vikings, 21-3 overall and leading the GNAC at 15-1, moved up one spot to No.7 in this week's USA Today Sports/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll after rolling to home victories over Northwest Nazarene, 81-51, on Thursday and Central Washington, 81-56, on Saturday. They have now won 17 straight games at Sam Carver Gymnasium over the last two years and are 13-0 at home this season.

The regular-season GNAC championship is the second in the last three years for WWU, which also won conference titles in 2002 and 2006 when they weren't separated into regular season and tournament.

Last week's win over Northwest Nazarene gave head coach Carmen Dolfo her 17th 20-win season in 22 years at WWU, and it was the program's 31st time reaching that plateau in 42 seasons.

WWU has scored 80 or more points in each of its last three games after doing that only twice previously this season.

Senior center Britt Harris tops the team in scoring with a 15.1 points per game average, and is third in rebounding at 5.3. She is shooting 60.3 percent (141-of-234) from the field, which ranks second nationally and in the GNAC.

Harris, who ranks seventh among league leaders in points and eighth in blocked shots (1.0), has scored a team-best double-figure points 21 times this season, including the last nine.

Harris scored a buzzer-beating layup in a 59-57 win over Simon Fraser, currently ranked No.10 nationally and second in the GNAC standings.

Senior point guard Corinn Waltrip is averaging 12.2 points, shooting 45.5 percent (55-of-121) from 3-point range, which ranks third nationally. She leads the GNAC in 3-point accuracy and is third in 3-point makes (2.3).

Waltrip, who has twice been named GNAC co-Player of the Week this season, scored a career-high 36 points in the overtime win at Seattle Pacific on Feb. 16, connecting on 11-of-19 field goals, 8-of-13 from 3-point range, and all six free throws. That was the fourth-highest point total ever by a Viking.

Waltrip has a four-year career point total of 954 and ranks 15th among WWU leaders in assists with 293. She is on school-record pace for career free-throw shooting at 83.2 percent (134-of-161).

Senior forward Trishi Williams is averaging 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds. She is second on the squad in rebounds and third in points, while leading in assists (4.4) and steals (2.9). She ranks second among conference leaders in steals, third in floor accuracy at 49.5 percent (101-of-204) and fifth in assists.

Against Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 2, Williams became just the third WWU player in school history to record a triple double, finishing with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. It was the Vikings' first triple double since Addy Johnson accomplished the feat in 1994-95.

Junior forward Sarah Hill leads the team in rebounds with a 6.4 average and is averaging 6.0 points. Completing the starting lineup is sophomore guard Katie Colard, who is averaging 7.5 points.

Top players off the bench have been sophomore forward Sydney Donaldson, who is averaging 6.1 points on 49.2 percent (64-of-130) floor accuracy and 4.3 rebounds, and sophomore center Kayla Bernsen, who is averaging 5.6 points and 1.1 blocks, fifth in the GNAC. Bernsen had a double-double against Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 21 with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well as blocking five shots.

Senior forward Erika Ramstead had her season and career end a few weeks ago because of a stress fracture in her right foot that required surgery. She started eight of the11 games she appeared in this season, averaging 2.7 points and 4.6 rebounds. In all, Ramstead played in 95 games for WWU, finishing her four-year career with 353 points, 320 rebounds and 105 assists.

Saint Martin's is 12-14 overall and 5-11 in GNAC play, losing seven of its last eight games.

The Saints, coached by Tim Healy (17th year, 215-248), are led by 6-1 junior forward Chelsea Haskey (14.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg), a preseason all-GNAC pick who has been the team's leading scorer 17 times this season.

WWU has a 58-10 series advantage, winning the last 10 meetings, the last 75-51 at Bellingham on Dec. 1.

Western Oregon is 8-18 overall and 3-13 in conference play, losing its last four games. It leads the GNAC in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (27.8 percent).

The Wolves, coached by Greg Bruce (7th year, 56-136), are led by 5-8 senior guard Lorrie Clifford (11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and 6-0 freshman forward Mariah Durian (11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

WWU holds a 41-9 series advantage, winning the last 20 meetings, the last 77-54 at Bellingham on Nov. 29.

WWU GETS TOP RATING IN FIRST WEST REGION POLL: WWU earned the top ranking in the inaugural NCAA II West Regional poll released on Feb. 20. The poll will eventually help determine which five at-large teams join the GNAC, Pacific West Conference and California Collegiate Athletic Association champions in the West Regional playoffs. The regional begins Friday, March 15, at a site to be determined.

NATIONAL AND GNAC TEAM STAT RANKINGS: WWU ranks sixth nationally in assists (18.2), eighth in both field-goal percentage (44.8) and assist to turnover ratio (1.14). The Vikings lead the GNAC in scoring offense (72.8), field-goal percentage defense (36.4) and are second in scoring defense (60.4), scoring margin (12.4), field-goal percentage (44.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (35.3) and assists.

THREE-DOT NOTES: Waltrip has twice received GNAC Player of the Week honors this season, and Harris and Williams once each ... Harris was MVP at both the West Region Crossover Classic and South Point Holiday Hoops Classic. She also was picked to the Lynda Goodrich Classic all-tournament team ... Williams was the Goodrich Classic MVP, Hill being named all-tourney at the CCAA/GNAC Classic, sophomore forward Sydney Donaldson at the West Region Crossover Classic, and Waltrip at South Point ... WWU earned GNAC Team of the Week honors for its performance at South Point, prevailing over both No.6 Washburn KS, 64-62, and No.15 Grand Canyon, 72-68 in overtime.

Last year, WWU finished 22-8 and reached the semifinal round at the West Regional. Four starters and 10 letter winners return from that squad ... WWU was rated No.12 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll ... Waltrip was a second-team conference all-star last year and was named to three all-tournament teams. She also is a two-time GNAC Academic all-star. Williams was named to two all-tournament teams during the 2011-12 campaign.

ER PATCH: The ER patch on the Viking uniforms is in honor of Erik Ramstead, father of WWU player Erika Ramstead. Erik Ramstead, who served for 28 years in the Everson police department, 25 as chief, passed away on Jan. 15 at age 50 from a rare form of cancer that was discovered in October of 2008.

TOUGH EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: WWU prepared for the season with three exhibition games, two against NCAA I opponents. The Vikings began with a 71-51 home win over British Columbia on Oct. 27, before falling at Seattle U., 100-93 in double overtime, on Nov. 3, and 71-59 at Oregon State on Nov. 10 after leading by four at halftime. Seattle is vying for the Western Athletic Conference title this season. Harris averaged 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in the three games and Waltrip scored at a 13.7 clip.

PRE-SEASON HONORS: Three Vikings - Harris, Waltrip and Williams - were named to the GNAC preseason all-conference team.

VIKINGS FIRST IN GNAC COACHES POLL: WWU received seven of 10 first-place votes as it was picked to win the GNAC title in the coaches' preseason poll. The Vikings previously won GNAC championships in 2002, 2006 and 2011 (regular season).

HOME COURT DOMINANCE: The Vikings are 435-72 (85.8 percent) in 42 seasons at Carver Gym. Their longest home court win streak was 29 from 1983 to 1986.

COACH DOLFO: Carmen Dolfo is in her 22nd year as head coach at WWU. She has a 467-172 (73.1 percent) record and prior to the season ranked No.12 among active NCAA II coaches in winning percentage and No.13 in victories. Her winning percentage in NCAA II all-time ranks No.24 and her victory total No.31. Dolfo's teams have reached post-season play 21 times and have won 20 or more games 17 times. She was named GNAC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2006 and 2011; Northwest small college Coach of the Year in 2000 and Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Dolfo was the top Viking assistant for four seasons (95-28, 77.2) and earned All-America honors as a player at WWU.

TRADITION OF SUCCESS: With 899 victories (307 losses, 74.5 percent) in its 42-year history, WWU is looking to become one of just a handful of colleges in all divisions of the NCAA to reach the 900-plateau... The Vikings have made 40 post-season appearances, including one stretch of 28 straight, with one national semifinal and three quarterfinal finishes ... They have made 13 West Regional appearances in their 14 seasons as a NCAA II member, and also have had 31 20-win seasons ... WWU has had 22 winning streaks of 10 or more games with its longest being 21 ... Former WWU coach Lynda Goodrich, now the Vikings' director of athletics, is a member of the NAIA National Hall of Fame. She coached WWU for 19 seasons, winning more than 400 games (411-127, 76.4 percent). Another Viking NAIA Hall of Famer is forward Jo Metzger (1977-81), who earned first-team All-America honors in 1980 and 1981 ... WWU has had 13 first, second or third-team All-Americans.

COLLEGIATE FIRST: WWU became the first college in the country to boast two 400-win women's basketball coaches. Lynda Goodrich, now in her 26th year as the Vikings' director of athletics, posted 411 victories from 1971 to 1990, and current coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 22nd season with 467.

ON THE WEB: All Viking home games are being video streamed live and are available at www.stretchinternet.com. For up-to-date statistics, box scores of every game, records, stories, etc., see the WWU Athletics web page at www.wwuvikings.com. Up-to-date league standings and statistics can be found on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web page at www.gnacsports.com

RADIO BROADCASTS: Selected WWU games are being broadcast this season on KBAI Radio (930 AM) with Doug Lange handling the play-by-play and Mark Scholten providing the color commentary. They also can be heard on the internet at www.wwuvikings.com.

PROBABLE WESTERN STARTERS & TOP RESERVES:

F Sarah Hill, 6-3, *Jr., Richmond, VA/Lloyd C. Bird/ Maryland-Baltimore County
F Trishi Williams, 5-9, *Sr., Mabton, WA/Mabton/Columbia Basin CC
C Britt Harris, 6-2, ***Sr., Marysville, WA/Marysville-Pilchuck
G Corinn Waltrip, 5-6, ***Sr., Tigard, OR/Tigard
G Katie Colard, 5-9, *So., McCleary, WA/Elma
F Sydney Donaldson, 6-0, *So., Edmonds, WA/Edmonds-Woodway
C Kayla Bernsen, 6-3, *So., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake
G Jenni White, 5-5, *So., Spokane, WA/East Valley
G Marcel Pounds, 5-8, *R-So., Bonney Lake, WA/Bonney Lake
F Aleisha Hathaway, 5-9, Fr., Spokane, WA/Shadle Park
INJ F Erika Ramstead, 6-0, ***Sr., Everson, WA/Nooksack Valley

MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIES:

Feb. 21 - WWU 81, Northwest Nazarene 51at Bellingham

Keyed by a stellar defensive effort, WWU jumped out to an early lead and went on to an 81-51 triumph over Northwest Nazarene in a GNAC contest at Carver Gym. Waltrip had a game-high 19 points as the Vikings, ranked No.8 nationally and No.1 in the West Region rating, improved to 20-3 overall and retained their two-game lead in the GNAC at 14-1. NNU, No.7 in the region, fell to 18-5 overall and 10-5 in conference play. Guard Heather Adams led the Crusaders with 14 points, and forward Megan Hingston added 11 points and nine rebounds. The Vikings held NNU to 23.1 percent field-goal shooting (15-of-65) and forced 20 turnovers. That defense helped WWU jump to a 16-6 lead after eight minutes and pull away from there. WWU held a 38-21 lead at the half, and it never led by less than 18 in the second half. Harris had 17 points for the Vikings, and Bernsen came off the bench to contribute 13 points and game highs of 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. WWU shot 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from the field and had a 45-34 advantage in rebounds. It was the 16th straight home victory for the Vikings, who are 12-0 at Carver Gym this season. The triumph marked WWU's 17th 20-win season in Carmen Dolfo's 22 years as head coach, and the 31st in the program's 42 seasons.

Feb. 23 - WWU 81, Central Washington 56 at Bellingham

Guard Katie Colard scored a game-high 15 points to lead a balanced attack as WWU defeated Central Washington, 81-56, in a GNAC contest at Carver Gym. The Vikings, ranked No.8 nationally and No.1 regionally, improved to 21-3 overall and clinched at least a share of first place in the GNAC regular-season standings at 15-1. CWU fell to 9-15 overall and 4-12 in the GNAC with its eighth loss in the last nine games. Courtney Johnson, Daisy Burke and Ally Schmitt each had 12 points for the Wildcats. The Wildcats hit six of their first 11 shots from the field and opened up a 12-6 lead just over four minutes into the game, but WWU responded with a run of seven straight points to take a 13-12 lead. The Vikings still led by just one, 24-23, with 5:42 remaining in the first half, but closed the period with an 18-4 run and held a 42-27 lead at halftime. WWU then opened the second half with an 11-3 charge in the first four minutes to grab a 53-30 lead, and the margin was never less than 20 after that. Harris had 13 points for WWU and Williams added 12. Six players had eight points or more for the Vikings, who were also effective at the defensive end, holding the Wildcats to 34.4 percent (21-of-61) shooting from the field and 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from 3-point range. The contest was the final regular-season home game for four WWU seniors - Harris, Williams, Waltrip and Ramstead. The Vikings concluded the regular season undefeated at home at 13-0, and have won 17 straight games at Carver Gym over the last two seasons. WWU has won the last 11 series meetings with CWU and 19 of the last 20.

USA TODAY Sports DIVISION II TOP 25 COACHES' POLL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes to the right, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.

Rank	Institution - First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Total Points
1	Clayton State Univ. (Ga.) -30	2	25-0	797
2	Ashland University (Ohio) -1	3	27-1	757
3	Bentley University (Mass.) -1	1	24-1	733
4	Colorado Mesa University	4	23-1	688
5	Washburn University (Kan.)	5	21-3	645
6	Holy Family University (Pa.)	6	24-2	613
7	Western Washington University	8	21-3	603
8	Gannon University (Pa.)	        9	25-3	569
9	Limestone College (S.C.)	10	22-2	526
10	Simon Fraser University (BC)	11	20-4	461
11	Stonehill College (Mass.)	14	21-3	459
12	Glenville State College (W.Va.)	12	26-2	431
13	University of Central Missouri	7	21-3	425
14	Dowling College (N.Y.)	        15	21-3	343
15	California State Univ. - Chico	13	20-4	286
16	Shaw University (N.C.)	        20	22-4	281
17	Minnesota State Univ. - Mankato	21	22-4	245
18	Edinboro University (Pa.)	22	20-5	207
19	University of Findlay (Ohio)	25	21-4	171
20	Concordia University (Minn.)	24	21-5	165
21	Univ. of South Carolina- Aiken	16	19-5	162
22	Fayetteville State Univ. (N.C.)	18	22-4	152
23	New York Institute of Tech	17	22-3	138
24	Grand Canyon University (Ariz.)	19	21-6	97
25	Truman State University (Mo.)	NR	19-5	66

Dropped Out: Augustana College (S.D.).

Others Receiving Votes: Lewis University (Ill.) 63; Augustana College (S.D.) 59; Abilene Christian University (Texas) 50; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 34; Augusta State University (Ga.) 31; Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) 22; Assumption College (Mass.) 11; University of Wisconsin - Parkside 11; Millersville University of Pennsylvania 10; Fort Hays State University (Kan.) 9; Wayne State University (Mich.) 9; Anderson University (S.C.) 8; Indiana University of Pennsylvania 8; Pittsburg State University (Kan.) 8; Rollins College (Fla.) 7; Southwestern Oklahoma State University 7; University of Texas of the Permian Basin 7; Arkansas Tech University 6; Pfeiffer University (N.C.) 6; Michigan Technological University 5; Midwestern State University (Texas) 3; Elizabeth City State University (N.C.) 2; University of Indianapolis (Ind.) 2; Harding University (Ark.) 1; Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho) 1.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

2012-13 Women's Basketball Report Week 16 (Feb. 26, 2013)

		        Conference      All
	                W	L	W	L	H	A	N
Western Washington      15	1	21	3	13-0	6-2	2-1
Simon Fraser            13	3	20	4	12-0	5-3	3-1
Northwest Nazarene      10	6	18	6	8-2	8-4	2-0
Alaska Anchorage        10	7	16	9	11-6	5-3	0-0
Montana State Billings  9	7	15	9	11-2	4-6	0-1
Seattle Pacific         9	7	15	9	10-2	3-6	2-1
Saint Martin's          5	11	12	14	8-4	2-8	2-2
Central Washington      4	12	9	15	4-7	3-6	2-2
Western Oregon          3	13	8	18	5-8	2-10	1-0
Alaska Fairbanks        3	14	5	20	4-10	1-10	0-0

LAST WEEK: Thursday - Saint Martin's 58 at Alaska Anchorage 76; Western Oregon 40 at Alaska Fairbanks 55; Central Washington 60 at Simon Fraser 67; Northwest Nazarene 51 at Western Washington 81. Saturday - Western Oregon 41 at Alaska Anchorage 61; Saint Martin's 65 at Alaska Fairbanks 67 (ot); Central Washington 56 at Western Washington 81; MSU Billings 71 at Seattle Pacific 76; Northwest Nazarene 52 at Simon Fraser 73.

THIS WEEK: Thursday - Seattle Pacific at Central Washington, 5:15 p.m.; MSU Billings at Northwest Nazarene, 5:15 p.m.; Western Washington at Saint Martin's; Simon Fraser at Western Oregon. Saturday - Alaska Anchorage at Alaska Fairbanks; MSU Billings at Central Washington, 5:15 p.m.; Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene, 5:15 p.m.; Simon Fraser at Saint Martin's; Western Washington at Western Oregon, 2 p.m. (end-of-regular-season).

ALL-TOURNAMENT: Seattle Pacific (Nov. 9-10) - Rachel Murray, SPU (MVP); Mechela Barnes, SPU; Ally Schmitt, CWU; Jessica VanDyke, CWU. Western Oregon (Nov. 9-10) - Mariah Durian, WOU; Brooke Paulson, SMU, Western Washington (Nov. 16-17) - Britt Harris, WWU (MVP); Sydney Donaldson, WWU; Katie Benson, SPU. Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 20-21) - Alysa Horn, UAA; Kylie Burns, UAA. UAF Mt. McKinley North Star (Nov. 22-24) - Taylor Altenburg, UAF. MSUB Yellowjacket (Nov. 23-24) - Bobbi Knudsen, MSUB (MVP); Brooke Tolman, MSUB; Kayleen Goggins, MSUB. WWU Lynda Goodrich (Nov. 23-24) - Trishi Williams, WWU (MVP); Britt Harris, WWU; Brooke Paulson, SMU; Chelsea Haskey, SMU. Corban Capital City Classic (Nov. 23-24) - Dana Goularte, WOU (MVP); Lorrie Clifford, WOU. Chico State West Regional Classic (Dec. 7-8) - Katie Benson, SPU; Sarah Hill, WWU. UAA AT&T Hoops Classic (Dec. 17-19) - Alysa Horn, UAA (MVP); Sasha King, UAA; Jordan Martin, UAA. South Point Holiday Hoop Classic (Dec. 18-19 at Las Vegas) - Britt Harris, WWU (MVP); Corinn Waltrip, WWU.

POLLS: WBCA (Feb. 26) - 7. Western Washington; 10. Simon Fraser; 49. Northwest Nazarene. NCAA West Regional (Feb. 20) - 1. Western Washington (17-3); 2. Chico State (19-3); 3. Simon Fraser (17-4); 4. Cal State Monterey Bay (17-4); 5. Grand Canyon (20-5); 6. UC San Diego (17-8); 7. Northwest Nazarene (15-4); 8. Montana State Billings (14-8); 9. Academy of Art (16-8); 10. Hawaii Pacific (14-6). Note: Records are versus Division II opponents.

NATIONAL STATISTICS (Through Feb. 25): Team (Top 30): Scoring Offense - 26. Western Washington 72.8; 29. Seattle Pacific 72.3. Scoring Defense - 28. Simon Fraser 55.6. Scoring Margin - 12. Simon Fraser 15.6; 25. Western Washington 12.4. Field Goal PCT. - 4. Simon Fraser 45.6; 8. Western Washington 44.8; 21. Seattle Pacific 43.7. Free Throw PCT. - 1. Seattle Pacific 79.8; 9. Alaska Anchorage 76.1; 11. Northwest Nazarene 75.9. Rebound Margin - 9. Seattle Pacific 8.1; 26. Northwest Nazarene 6.0. Three-Point FGs - 10. Alaska Anchorage 8.1; 12. Central Washington 7.7; 15. Simon Fraser 7.5. Three-Point PCT. - 5. Seattle Pacific 38.5; 26. Western Washington 35.3. Assists - 5. Simon Fraser 18.3; 6. Western Washington 18.2. Fewest Turnovers - 2. Montana State Billings 11.5. Fewest Fouls - 12. Montana State Billings 13.6; 15. Simon Fraser 13.8. Assist Turnover Ratio - 3. MSU Billings 1.19; 5. Simon Fraser 1.16; 8. Western Washington 1.14; 28. Alaska Anchorage 1.02. Turnover Margin - 7. Montana State Billings 6.65. Individuals (Top 30): Scoring - 26. Megan Hingston, NNU, 18.4. Rebounds - 3. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 12.8. Assists - 4. Sasha King, UAA, 6.0; 5. Bobbi Knudsen, MSUB, 5.8; 16. Kristina Collins, SFU, 5.2. Blocked Shots - 13. Jasmine Parker, CWU, 2.50. Steals - 24. Sasha King, UAA, 3.05. Field Goal PCT. - 1. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 65.5; 2. Britt Harris, WWU, 60.3. Free Throw PCT. - 6. Erin Chambers, SFU, 89.7; 8. Suzanna Ohlsen, SPU, 89.6; 13. Aubree Callen, SPU, 88.0; 15. Chelsie Luke, NNU, 87.3. Three-Point PCT. - 3. Corinn Waltrip, WWU, 45.5. Assist/Turnover Ratio - 8. Bobbi Knudsen, MSUB, 2.38. Double-Doubles - 5. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 16; 21. Megan Hingston, NNU, 11. Triple-Doubles - 2. Trishi Williams, WWU, 1.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES (Through Feb. 17): 16 - Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU. 11 - Megan Hingston, NNU. 8 - Alysa Horn, UAA. 6 - Katie Benson, SPU. 5 - Janiel Olson, MSUB; Dana Goularte, WOU. 4 - Chelsea Haskey, SMU. 3 - Jasmine Parker, CWU. 2 - Jessica VanDyke, CWU; Kylie Burns, Alaska Anchorage; Sasha King, UAA; Trishi Williams, WWU; Samantha Thornton, UAF. 1 - 16 with. TRIPLE-DOUBLE: 1 - Trishi Williams, WWU.

GNAC RED LION PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: Samantha Thornton, Alaska Fairbanks (F, 5-11, Jr., Bremerton, WA - Umpqua) and Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser (G, 5-10, Sr., Port Coquitlam, BC) ... Thornton led the Nanooks to their second and third consecutive wins after starting the conference season with 14 straight losses. She scored 27 points and also had 14 rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots in home wins over Western Oregon (55-40) and Saint Martin's (67-65). In the latter game, she scored six of the Nanooks' 10 points in the overtime period ... Collins led the Clan to wins over Central Washington (67-60) and Northwest Nazarene (73-52) as SFU clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament. In the two wins, she had 27 points and a team-high 14 assists while being charged with just a single turnover. She also was a standout defensively as SFU limited the Wildcats and Crusaders to a 56.0 point per game average and a 22.2 shooting percentage (6 of 27) from the three-point arc.

HONORABLE MENTION: Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage; Britt Harris, Western Washington; Chelsea Haskey, Saint Martin's.

AROUND THE GNAC: Western Washington (13-0) and Simon Fraser (12-0) extended their home win streaks last weekend. The Vikings' streak is now 17 dating back to their final four home games of the 2011-12 season. Simon Fraser's streak is 12, all during the 2012-13 campaign ... SFU head coach Bruce Langford recorded his 300th career win Saturday The victories have all come in his 12 years at SFU. The run has included five Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championships before the program shifted to the NCAA.

GNAC TEAM NOTES:

Alaska Anchorage: Alysa Horn scored 33 points and also had 27 rebounds as the Seawolves ran their win streak to six games. Horn also had four assists, three steals and blocked five shots.

Alaska Fairbanks: In addition to Thornton (See Player of the Week notes), the Nanooks also got 23 points from Kelly Logue and 16 points and 15 assists from Benissa Bulaya in their home wins over Western Oregon and Saint Martin's.

Central Washington: Ally Schmitt led the Wildcats with 27 points and nine assists in road losses at Simon Fraser and Western Washington. Jasmine Parker had a team-high 15 rebounds.

MSU Billings: Bobbi Knudsen had 22 points and six assists in the Yellowjackets' five-point road loss at Seattle Pacific. MSUB also got 18 points from Kayleen Goggins in the loss.

Northwest Nazarene: The Crusaders were outshot 47.5 percent to 28.9 percent in their road losses at Western Washington and Simon Fraser. Megan Hingston led NNU with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Heather Adams had 21 points and eight assists.

Saint Martin's: Chelsea Haskey scored one-third of the Saints' points (41 of 123) in losses at Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. Haskey had 22 points against the Seawolves recording her fourth 20-point game of the season. She also led SMU in rebounds with 11.

Seattle Pacific: Aubree Callen scored 25 points and Katie Benson had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Falcons clinched a playoff berth with a five-point home win over MSU Billings. SPU, which outrebounded the Yellowjackets 41-23, shot 51.9 percent from the floor (27-52), including six of 12 from the arc.

Simon Fraser: Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe scored 42 points and also had 20 rebounds and 11 assists in wins over Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. Raincock-Ekunwe now ranks third in career rebounding in GNAC history with 961.

Western Oregon: Mariah Durian paced the Wolves with 24 points and Dana Goularte had 15 points, 15 rebounds and nine steals during WOU's road trip to Alaska. WOU made just eight of 23 foul shots in the two contests. Western Washington: Britt Harris scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds and Corinn Waltrip had 28 points and six assists in the Vikings' home wins against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. Waltrip now has 954 career points and needs 46 more to become the 54th member of the GNAC 1000-Point Club.

PERFECT STARTS: Western Washington is the ninth women's team in GNAC history to finish the first half of its conference schedule unbeaten, but the first to do it in the same year their men accomplished the same feat. The Vikings have done it four times. Seattle Pacific has also accomplished that feat four times and Alaska Anchorage has done it once. Six teams have gone through the second half of the schedule unbeaten. Here is the complete list:

Team (Year)	1st	2nd	Fin.
Alaska Anchorage (2008-09)	8-0		14-2
Seattle Pacific (2002-03)	9-0	9-0	18-0
Seattle Pacific (2003-04)	9-0	9-0	18-0
Seattle Pacific (2004-05)	9-0		17-1
Seattle Pacific (2007-08)	9-0	9-0	18-0
Seattle Pacific (2008-09)		8-0	14-2
Seattle Pacific (2009-10)		8-0	15-1
Western Washington (2005-06)	9-0	9-0	18-0
Western Washington (2009-10)	8-0		14-2
Western Washington (2010-11)	9-0		17-1
Western Washington (2012-13)	9-0		TBA

GNAC .690 IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: GNAC teams finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 58-26 record. Its winning percentage of .690 is the second best in conference history, topped only by a .708 percentage in 2007-08. Its record against non-conference Division II opponents was 36-22, including 18-8 against PacWest foes, 6-5 with CCAA opponents and 8-6 in games that count as regional contests under the NCAA "contiguous" state rule.

GNAC (18) vs. PacWest (8): NNU 4-0, MSUB 3-0, SPU 3-0, WWU 2-0, SFU 2-0, UAA 1-0, CWU 1-2, SMU 1-2, WOU 1-3, UAF 0-1. PacWest (8) vs. GNAC (18): Cal Baptist 2-0, Academy of Art 3-1, Hawaii Pacific 2-1, Hawaii Hilo 1-1, BYU-Hawaii 0-1, Azusa Pacific 0-2, Notre Dame de Namur 0-2, Fresno Pacific 0-2, Dominican 0-2, Grand Canyon 0-2, Dixie State 0-4.

GNAC (6) vs. CCAA (5): SFU 3-0, UAA 1-0, WWU 1-2, SPU 1-2, UAF 0-1. CCAA (5) vs. GNAC (6): Chico State 2-0, CSU East Bay 1-0, Sonoma State 1-1, UC San Diego 1-2, CSLA 0-1, CSU Stanislaus 0-2.

		Playoff	Reg.	Elite 8
Year	Non-Conference	Berths	W-L	W-L
2001-02	60-32 (.652)	2	1-2
2002-03	58-29 (.667)	4	3-4
2003-04	48-40 (.545)	2	5-1	0-1
2004-05	53-37 (.589)	3	5-2	2-1
2005-06	50-37 (.575)	4	3-4
2006-07	61-38 (.616)	3	2-3
2007-08	68-28 (.708)	4	5-3	1-1
2008-09	65-36 (.644)	4	5-3	1-1
2009-10	60-41 (.594)	3	4-2	0-1
2010-11	46-32 (.590)	3	1-3
2011-12	54-38 (.587)	2	4-1	0-1
2012-13	58-26 (.690)	???	???	???
Totals (12 years)	34	38-28	4-6

GNAC CAREER LEADERS (Through Feb. 24)

Scoring
	1.	Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage (2005-09)	1752
	12.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	1372
	22.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Billings (2010-13)	1201
	40.	Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage (2009-13)	1097
	44.	Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene (2010-13)	1063
	46.	Katie Benson, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	1060
	58.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	954

Three-Pointers
	1.	Amanda Dunbar, Western Washington (2007-11)	256
	8.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	172
	12.	Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	162
	20.	Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (2009-13)	145
	28.	Jessica VanDyke, Central Washington (2011-13)	128

Rebounds
	1.	Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage (2006-09)	1181
	2.	Carli Grant, Seattle Pacific (2002-06)	1083
	3.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	961
	27.	Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage (2009-13)	624

Assists
	1.	Beth Christensen, Seattle Pacific (2005-07)	501
	12.	Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	345
	16.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Bilings (2010-13)	313
	17.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	293
	19.	Sasha King, Alaska Anchorage (2010-13)	290
	21.	Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (2009-13)	282

Steals
	1.	Alysson Kollman, Northwest Nazarene (2000-03)	326
	44.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Billings (2010-13)	142
 		Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	142

Blocks
	1.	Brittney Kroon, Seattle Pacific (2003-06)	419
	9.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	114
	19. 	Rebecca Langmead, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	76

PREVIOUS RED LION PLAYERS-OF-THE-WEEK

Week of Nov. 5-11: Erin Chambers, Simon Fraser (F, 6-1, So., Mission, BC) scored 51 points and also had 15 rebounds in leading the Clan to three victories, including wins over nationally eighth-ranked UC San Diego (61-58) and No. 13 Grand Canyon (69-60). Chambers connected on 14 of 25 field goals attempts (eight of 13 from beyond the arc) and also was perfect from the foul line making 15 of 15.

Week of Nov. 12-18: Sasha King, Alaska Anchorage (G, 5-6, Sr., Norman, OK - Hutchinson) scored 35 points and also had 16 assists leading the Seawolves to 85-76 and 70-67 victories over Regis. King, who made six of 16 three-pointers, also had five steals.

Week of Nov. 19-25: Bobbi Knudsen, Montana State Billings (G, 5-8, Jr., Malta, MT) scored 44 points to lead the Yellowjackets to a pair wins in the MSUB Yellowjacket Classic. Knudsen, who was selected as the tournament MVP, scored a career and GNAC season-high 33 points in a 91-87 overtime win over Dixie State Friday, then had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 80-44 win over Notre Dame de Namur. She played just 24 minutes in the latter contest.

Week of Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Janiel Olson, Montana State Billings (F, 5-10, So., Billings, MT) scored 21 points and grabbed 26 rebounds leading the Yellowjackets to 66-59 and 69-68 home wins over Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene, respectively. She also led MSUB in steals with seven. Olson had 13 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's win against CWU, then had a career-high 15 rebounds, 10 at the offensive end in Saturday's one-point victory against Northwest Nazarene. Her final rebound came on a three-point miss by Monica Grimsrud with 24 seconds left. She then fed Grimsrud, who scored on a layup for the decisive basket.

Week of Dec. 3-9: Suzanna Ohlsen, Seattle Pacific (G, 5-7, So., Monroe, WA) scored 29 points as the Falcons split two games in the Chico West Regional Classic. Ohlsen had an outstanding 9-1 assist to turnover ratio and also was deadly from the three-point arc (making 5 of 7) and from the foul line (converting on all eight of her attempts). She also had seven rebounds and a steal. Twenty-four of her points (a career high) came in Saturday's 89-77 loss at Chico. Twenty-one of those points came in the second half of the contest. Ohlsen currently ranks second nationally in assist/turnover ratio with a 3.56 mark.

Week of Dec. 10-16: Ally Schmitt, Central Washington (G, 5-8, Jr., Snohomish, WA - Montana State) set a GNAC single-game record with 16 assists in a 79-57 home win against Evergreen State. Schmitt also led the Wildcats in the contest with four steals.

Week of Dec. 17-23: Britt Harris, Western Washington (C, 6-2, Sr., Marysville, WA - Marysville-Pilchuck) and Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage (F, 6-0, Sr., Kodiak, AK) ... Harris earned MVP honors in the South Point Holiday Hoop Classic in Las Vegas as she scored 42 points and also had 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals leading the Vikings to wins over nationally sixth-ranked Washburn (64-62) and No. 15 Grand Canyon (72-68 in overtime). Harris converted on 14 of 30 field goal attempts and 14 of 19 free throws ... Horn was selected the Most Outstanding Player in the AT&T Hoops Classic in Anchorage. She scored 62 points and also had 27 rebounds, eight blocked shots, eight steals and five assists leading the Seawolves to wins over BYU-Hawaii (100-68), Eastern New Mexico (82-40) and Cal State L.A. (66-56).

Week of Dec. 24-30: Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (F, 6-2, Sr., Toronto, ON - Kalamalka) had 23 points and a GNAC-record 24 rebounds to lead the Clan to a 87-55 win over Trinity Western Saturday. She broke the GNAC single-game record of 23 set by Kristin Hein of Northwest Nazarene against Humboldt State on Dec. 12, 2009 and equaled by Nyesha Sims of Seattle Pacific against Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 14, 2012. Raincock-Ekunwe is the 10th player in GNAC history to record 20 or more rebounds in a single game, but the first to do it twice. She also had 22 rebounds against Colorado State Pueblo on Nov. 25, 2011.

Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6: Chelsea Haskey, Saint Martin's (F, 6-1, Jr., Olympia, WA) scored 18 points and also had eight rebounds and two steals as the Saints upset Seattle Pacific 70-66 Saturday to earn their first conference win of the season. In two games, Haskey scored 34 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. Over the past seven games, she has averaged 15.7 points and 7.6 rebounds and shot 44.4 percent from the foul line.

Week of Jan. 7-13: Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene (F, 5-9, Jr., Keizer, OR) scored 41 points and also had 19 rebounds as the Crusaders improved to 8-0 at home with 19 and 17-point victories over Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. Hingston, who has six double-doubles this season, made 16 of 29 shots. She also had four steals and three assists.

Week of Jan. 14-20: Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (G, 5-6, Sr., Tigard, OR) and Jasmine Parker, Central Washington (F, 6-2, Fr., Spokane, WA - Mead) ... Waltrip scored 35 points including a career-high 24 in a 78-76 home win against MSU Billings. Waltrip made 11 of 24 shots including 9 of 17 from the arc. She also had eight assists. Jasmine Parker had 25 points and 26 rebounds as the Wildcats swept Alaska Fairbanks (69-49) and Alaska Anchorage (74-64). She also had team highs for blocked shots (4) and steals (6).

Week of Jan. 21-27: Alli Madison, Alaska Anchorage (G, 5-8, So., Seattle, WA - Kennedy) had back-to-back career highs leading the Seawolves to road wins at Western Oregon (63-54) and Saint Martin's (48-45). Madison scored 15 points on six of 10 shooting and also had three assists and a career-high 10 rebounds at Monmouth, then had 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and a career-high four steals in playing all 40 minutes in Saturday's win at Lacey. She finished the road trip shooting 50 percent (12 of 24) from the floor and 60 percent (3 of 5) from the three-point line as UAA climbed into a three-way for fifth place at the midway point of the conference season.

Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 4: Trishi Williams, Western Washington (G, 5-9, Sr., Mabton, WA - CBC) had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 83-72 win against Alaska Anchorage posting just the third triple-double in school history and the first since 1994-95. She finished the weekend with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Vikings stayed unbeaten in the GNAC running their win streak to 11 games.

Week of Feb. 5-11: Kylie Burns, Alaska Anchorage (G, 5-9, Jr., Kansas City, KS - Bishop Ward) scored 33 points and also had 19 rebounds leading the Seawolves to home wins over Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings, the two teams directly ahead of them in the conference standings. Burns scored 20 of her career-high 22 points in the second half and also had eight rebounds as the Seawolves completed a regular-season series sweep from Seattle Pacific for the first-time in GNAC history with a 93-82 victory Thursday. She then recorded her second double-double of the season on Saturday (11 points, 11 rebounds) in a 61-55 win over Montana State Billings. Burns, who had three assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes, made the game-clinching free throws with 19 seconds remaining.

2012-13 GNAC TEAMS OF THE WEEK

Aug. 27-Sept. 2 - Montana State Billings (Women's Soccer). Sept. 3-9 - Western Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 10-16 - Northwest Nazarene (Men's Soccer). Sept. 17-23 - Central Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 24-30 - Central Washington (Football). Oct. 1-7 - Western Oregon (Women's Soccer). Oct. 8-14 - Simon Fraser (Men's Soccer). Oct. 15-21 - Alaska Anchorage (Men's & Women's Cross Country). Oct. 22-28 - Western Oregon (Volleyball). Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - Western Washington (Women's Soccer). Nov. 5-11 - Simon Fraser (Women's Basketball). Nov. 12-18 - Alaska Fairbanks (Men's Basketball). Nov. 19-25 - Alaska Anchorage (Men's Basketball). Nov. 26-Dec. 2 - Seattle Pacific (Men's Basketball). Dec. 3-9 - Northwest Nazarene (Men's Basketball). Dec. 10-16 - Northwest Nazarene (Women's Basketball). Dec. 17-23 -Western Washington (Women's Basketball). Dec. 24-30 - MSU Billings (Women's Basketball). Dec. 31-Jan. 6 - Western Washington (Men's Basketball). Jan. 7-13 - Alaska Fairbanks (Men's Basketball). Jan. 14-20 - Saint Martin's (Women's Basketball). Jan. 21-27 - Alaska Anchorage (Women's Basketball). Jan. 28-Feb. 3 - Western Washington (Men's Basketball). Feb. 4-10 - Simon Fraser (Women's Basketball). Feb. 11-17 - Alaska Anchorage (Women's Indoor) and Western Washington (Men's Indoor),