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March 5, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - With the No.1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional on the line, Western Washington University is the top seed at this week's third annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament being held at Lacey and Marcus Pavilion on the campus of host Saint Martin's University.

All contests involving WWU can be heard on KPUG Radio (1170 AM-1170kpug.com) with Doug Lange and Mark Scholten calling the action. Webcasts and live stats are also available at www.wwuvikings.com.

Saturday's championship game will be televised by ROOT Sports with Brad Adam handling the play by play and Bill Kreuger the color commentary.

The 23-3 Vikings won the regular-season GNAC title with a 17-1 record, posting road victories last week over Saint Martin's, 57-48, and Western Oregon, 78-54. The win over Saint Martin's was the 900th in the program's 42-year history.

The GNAC appearance is WWU's third straight and its first as a No.1 seed.

The Vikings reached the GNAC championship game in both 2011 and 2012, losing to Alaska Anchorage each time. They were the No.2 seed last year.

On Friday (2:!5 p.m.), WWU faces No.5 Northwest Nazarene (20-7), which defeated No.4 Alaska Anchorage (17-10), 65-60, in quarterfinal action Wednesday. Earlier Friday (12 noon), No.2 Simon Fraser (22-4) meets the No.6 Seattle Pacific (17-10), which defeated No.3 Montana State Billings (17-10) 63-60.

The two semifinal winners advance to Saturday's championship game, which tips off at 5:15 p.m. The GNAC tourney champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA II West Regional on March 15-16 and 18 at a site to be determined.

WWU was again the top team for the third straight week in the West Region rating released Wednesday. The Vikings already are assured of a regional tourney berth. They are battling Chico State and Simon Fraser for the top seed needed to host.

The Vikings moved up one spot to No.6 in this week's USA Today Sports/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll.

Senior center Britt Harris, who was named a first-team GNAC all-star, tops the team in scoring with a 14.4 points per game average, and is third in rebounding at 5.3. She is shooting 59.1 percent (146-of-247) from the field, which ranks third nationally and second in the GNAC.

Harris, who is tied for seventh among league leaders in blocked shots (1.1. 28) and eighth in points, has scored double-figure points a team-best 22 times this season.

Harris scored a buzzer-beating layup in a 59-57 win over Simon Fraser on Jan. 12.

Senior point guard Corinn Waltrip, also a first-team all-conference pick, is averaging 11.2 points, shooting 43.5 percent (57-of-131) from 3-point range, which ranks sixth nationally. She is second in the GNAC in 3-point accuracy and third in 3-point makes (2.2).

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 966 and ranks 15th among WWU leaders in assists with 304. She is on school-record pace for career free-throw shooting at 82.6 percent (138-of-167).

Senior forward Trishi Williams, a second-team GNAC all-star, is averaging 10.5 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, fourth in floor accuracy at 48.2 percent (107-of-222) 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 6.5 average and is scoring points at a 5.9 clip. Completing the starting lineup is sophomore guard Katie Colard, who is averaging 7.9 points.

Top players off the bench have been sophomore forward Sydney Donaldson, who is averaging 6.3 points on 51.1 percent (72-of-141) floor accuracy and 4.3 rebounds, and sophomore center Kayla Bernsen, who is averaging 6.2 points and 1.3 blocks, fourth in the GNAC. Bernsen scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-12 floor accuracy against Western Oregon on March 2 as well as grabbing nine rebounds and blocking four shots.

Senior forward Erika Ramstead had her career end midway through the season because of a stress fracture in her right foot that required surgery. She started eight of the11 games she appeared in this year, 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.

Northwest Nazarene is 20-7 overall and finished third in the league standings at 11-7. The Crusaders had dropped four of their last five regular-season games following an 18-3 start.

The Crusaders return two starters for coach Kelli Lindley (12th year, 203-130), from last year's 18-10 team - 5-9 junior guard Megan Hingston (18.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg), a first-team GNAC all-star, and 5-9 junior guard Chelsie Luke (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg).

Another solid returnee in 5-7 senior guard Heather Adams (9.7 ppg).

Two top newcomers are 5-10 junior forward Kylee Schierman (5.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg), a transfer from College of Southern Idaho who was named GNAC Newcomer of the Year, and 5-8 freshman guard Taylor Simmons (5.7 ppg).

WWU leads the series, 22-9, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. The Vikings prevailed 70-66 at Nampa, Id., on Jan. 26 and 81-51 at Bellingham on Feb. 21.

Simon Fraser, ranked No.10 nationally, is 22-4 overall and placed second in the GNAC at 15-3. The Clan have won 13 of its last 15 games, the losses being 59-57 at WWU on Jan. 12 and 60-59 at Northwest Nazarene on Jan .24. All four of its setbacks have been on the road.

The Clan leads the GNAC in four team statistical categories. They are scoring defense (55.0), scoring margin (15.9), field-goal percentage (45.9, No.4 nationally), and blocked shots (4.6).

SFU is led by GNAC Player of the Year 6-3 senior center Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe. She is averaging 16.9 points and ranks first nationally in field-goal percentage at 66.1, No.3 in rebounds at 12.7 and No.3 in double-doubles with 18.

Raincock-Ekunwe already is the GNAC career leader in double-doubles for points and rebounds with 61. Her career totals are 1,413 points and 984 rebounds and 117 blocked shots.

All five starters from last year's 17-11 team return for coach Bruce Langford (12th year, 302-68). Among them are 6-1 sophomore forward Erin Chambers (13.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and 5-10 senior guard Katrina Collins (10.2 ppg, 5.2 apg). Collins was a second-team GNAC all-star and Chambers earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. WWU holds a 39-32 series advantage, winning 59-57 at Bellingham on Jan. 12 and losing 74-59 at Burnaby, B.C., on Feb. 9.

GNAC TOURNAMENT

Lacey, Wash. (Marcus Pavilion) - host Saint Martin's University

March 6 - Wednesday
#6 Seattle Pacific (17-10) 63 vs. #3 Montana State Billings (17-10) 60
#5 Northwest Nazarene (20-7) 65 vs. #4 Alaska Anchorage (17-10) 60

March 8 - Friday
Winner 3/6 vs. #2 Simon Fraser (22-4), 12 noon
Winner 4/5 vs. #1 Western Washington (23-3), 2:15 p.m.

March 9 - Saturday
Championship game, 5:15 p.m. (televised live on ROOT Sports)

WWU LOOKING FOR TOP RATING IN THIRD WEST REGION POLL: WWU is expected to have the top rating for the third time in this week's NCAA II West Regional poll. 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 No.5 nationally in assists (18.2), No.7 in field-goal percentage (44.8) and No.9 in assist to turnover ratio (1.12). The Vikings lead the GNAC in scoring offense (72.8) and field-goal percentage defense (36.4). They 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 three-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 41 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 469-172 (73.2 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, 2011 and 2013; 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 901 victories (307 losses, 74.t percent) in its 42-year history, WWU is 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 469.

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

*letters won

MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIES:

Feb. 28 - WWU 57, Saint Martin's 48 at Lacey

WWU picked up the 900th win in its program's 42-year history, defeating Saint Martin's, 57-48, in a GNAC contest at Marcus Pavilion on the SMU campus. The win clinched the regular-season conference title outright for the Vikings, ranked No.7 nationally and No.1 regionally. They improved to 22-3 overall and 16-1 in GNAC play with their fifth straight win. WWU was led by the 11 points of Harris, who had her 10th straight double-figure scoring game, and White came off the bench with 10, eight of them in the second half. Hill grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Vikings, who had a 40-28 advantage on the boards and a 17-9 edge on the offensive glass. Saint Martin's fell to 12-15 overall and 5-12 in league action, losing for the eighth time in its last nine games. The Saints got a game-high 12 points from reserve Krista Stabler and guard Jordyn Richardson had 10. WWU did not allow the Saints to score in the first seven minutes as it took an 11-0 lead. Saint Martin's missed its first 11 shots and had three turnovers during that stretch. SMU got back to within two points twice before the Vikings scored the last eight of the period for a 31-21 advantage at halftime. The Saints scored the first six points of the second half to close to within three, 31-28, with 17:43 to go and were still down by just six, 40-34, at 11:28. But WWU used a 12-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 52-36, with 8:39 to go. SMU never got closer than double figures until the final seconds. WWU's Williams finished with eight points, all of them in the first half, eight rebounds and five steals; and Waltrip had a game-high six assists. The win was the 11th straight for the Vikings over SMU, upping its series advantage to 59-10.

March 2 - WWU 78, Western Oregon 54 at Monmouth, OR

Bernsen came off the bench to score a game and career-high 25 points as WWU defeated Western Oregon, 78-54, in a GNAC contest at the New P.E. Building. The Vikings, ranked No.7 nationally and No.1 regionally, finished their regular season 23-3 with a sixth straight win. They won the conference regular-season crown with a 17-1 record. Western Oregon fell to 8-20 overall and 3-15 in the GNAC with its sixth straight loss and the 16th in the last 19 contests. Melissa Fowler led the Wolves with 15 points on 7-of-11 field-goal shooting. The Vikings took control quickly, jumping to an 11-0 lead. Colard, who finished with 16 points on 5-of-5 field-goal shooting, all 3-pointers, had seven in the charge. WWU held a 41-24 advantage at halftime, and led by as much as 29 points in the second half. Bernsen, who also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and blocked four shots, hit her first 10 shots from the field before missing two shots in the final four minutes. The Vikings shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field, and held WOU to 33.3 percent (19-of-57). WWU shot a season-best 75.0 percent on 3-pointers, going 9-of-12. It was WWU's 21st straight win in the series, upping its overall advantage to 42-9.

USA TODAY Sports DIVISION II TOP 25 COACHES' POLL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:March 5, 2013

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 University (Ga.) - 29	1	26-0	725
2	Ashland University (Ohio)	2	28-1	688
3	Bentley University (Mass.)	3	26-1	666
4	Colorado Mesa University	4	25-1	640
5	Holy Family University (Pa.)	6	25-2	561
6	Western Washington University 	7	23-3	550
7	Gannon University (Pa.)	8	26-3	539
8	Limestone College (S.C.)	9	24-2	514
9	Washburn University (Kan.)	5	22-4	506
10	Simon Fraser University (BC)	10	22-4	467
11	Dowling College (N.Y.)	14	23-3	403
12	Stonehill College (Mass.)	11	23-4	339
13	University of Central Missouri 	13	22-4	338
14	California State University - Chico	15	22-4	330
T15	Glenville State College (W.Va.)	12	26-3	303
T15	Shaw University (N.C.)	16	25-4	303
17	Minnesota State University - Mankato	17	24-4	281
18	Edinboro University (Pa.)	18	21-5	236
19	University of Findlay (Ohio)	19	22-4	224
20	Concordia University (Minn.)	20	23-5	182
21	Lewis University (Ill.)	NR	21-5	103
22	Fayetteville State University (N.C.)	22	24-5	100
23	New York Institute of Technology	23	22-4	83
24	Augusta State University (Ga.)	NR	22-6	57
25	University of South Carolina - Aiken	21	20-6	45

Dropped Out: Grand Canyon University (Ariz.); Truman State University (Mo.).

Others Receiving Votes: Augustana College (S.D.) 41; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 37; Assumption College (Mass.) 25; Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) 17; Abilene Christian University (Texas) 14; Fairmont State University (W.Va.) 12; Midwestern State University (Texas) 12; Arkansas Tech University 8; Millersville University of Pennsylvania 8; Fort Hays State University (Kan.) 7; Indiana University of Pennsylvania 7; Southwestern Oklahoma State University 7; Elizabeth City State University (N.C.) 6; Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 6; Delta State University (Miss.) 5; Truman State University (Mo.) 5; California State University - Monterey Bay 4; Anderson University (S.C.) 3; Northeastern State University (Okla.) 3; Pfeiffer University (N.C.) 3; University of Texas of the Permian Basin 3; Lenoir-Rhyne University (N.C.) 2; University of Indianapolis (Ind.) 2; Wayne State University (Mich.) 2; Harding University (Ark.) 1; Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) 1.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

2012-13 Women's Basketball Report Week 17 (Mar. 10, 2013)

		        Conference	All
	                W	L	W	L	H	A	N
Western Washington      17	1	23	3	13-0	8-2	2-1
Simon Fraser            15	3	22	4	12-0	7-3	3-1
Northwest Nazarene      11	7	19	7	9-3	8-4	2-0
Alaska Anchorage        11	7	17	9	11-6	6-3	0-0
Montana State Billings  11	7	17	9	11-2	6-6	0-1
Seattle Pacific         10	8	16	10	10-2	4-7	2-1
Saint Martin's          5	13	12	16	8-6	2-8	2-2
Central Washington      4	14	9	17	4-9	3-6	2-2
Western Oregon          3	15	8	20	5-10	2-10	1-0
Alaska Fairbanks        3	15	5	21	4-11	1-10	0-0

LAST WEEK: Thursday - Seattle Pacific 71 at Central Washington 65; MSU Billings 76 at Northwest Nazarene 63; Western Washington 57 at Saint Martin's 48; Simon Fraser 62 at Western Oregon 45. Saturday - Alaska Anchorage 76 at Alaska Fairbanks 71; MSU Billings 85 at Central Washington 65; Seattle Pacific 67 at Northwest Nazarene 82; Simon Fraser 74 at Saint Martin's 51; Western Washington 78 at Western Oregon 54 (end-of-regular-season).

GNAC Championships (Mar. 6-9 at Lacey): Wednesday - #3 MSUB Billings (17-9) vs. #6 Seattle Pacific (16-10), 5:15 p.m.; #4 Alaska Anchorage (17-9) vs. #5 Northwest Nazarene (19-7), 7:30 p.m. Friday - 3/6 winner vs. #2 Simon Fraser (22-4), 5:15 p.m.; #4/5 winner vs. #1 Western Washington (23-3), 7:30 p.m. Saturday - Championship game at 5:15 p.m. (ROOT Sports)

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. 27) - 1. Western Washington (19-3); 2. Simon Fraser (19-4); 3. Chico State (20-4); 4. Cal State Monterey Bay (17-6); 5. Grand Canyon (20-6); 6. UC San Diego (18-9); 7. Northwest Nazarene (15-6); 8. Hawaii Pacific (16-6); 9. Alaska Anchorage (15-8); 10. Academy of Art (18-8). Note: Records are versus Division II opponents.

NATIONAL STATISTICS (Through Mar. 3): Team (Top 30): Scoring Offense - 26. Western Washington 72.4; 30. Seattle Pacific 72.0. Scoring Defense - 23. Simon Fraser 55.0. Scoring Margin - 12. Simon Fraser 15.9; 21. Western Washington 12.7. Field Goal PCT. - 4. Simon Fraser 45.9; 6. Western Washington 44.8; 14. Seattle Pacific 43.7. Free Throw PCT. - 1. Seattle Pacific 80.0; 10. Northwest Nazarene 76.3; 14. Alaska Anchorage 76.1. Rebound Margin - 10. Seattle Pacific 8.0. Three-Point FGs - 9. Alaska Anchorage 8.2; 12. Central Washington 7.8; 18. Simon Fraser 7.3. Three-Point PCT. - 7. Seattle Pacific 37.4; 18. Western Washington 35.8. Assists - 5. Western Washington 18.2; 6. Simon Fraser 18.1. Blocked Shots - 30. Simon Fraser 4.6. Fewest Turnovers - 2. Montana State Billings 11.5. Fewest Fouls - 11. Montana State Billings 13.5; 18. Simon Fraser 13.7. Assist Turnover Ratio - 3. MSU Billings 1.20; 7. Western Washington 1.13; 11. Simon Fraser 1.12; 29. Alaska Anchorage 1.02. Turnover Margin - 11. Montana State Billings 6.21. Individuals (Top 30): Scoring - 13. Megan Hingston, NNU, 18.9. Rebounds - 3. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 12.7. Assists - 3. Bobbi Knudsen, MSUB, 6.1; 5. Sasha King, UAA, 5.9; 15. Kristina Collins, SFU, 5.2. Blocked Shots - 17. Jasmine Parker, CWU, 2.31. Steals - 27. Sasha King, UAA, 2.95; 29. Trishi Williams, WWU, 2.88. Field Goal PCT. - 1. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 66.1; 3. Britt Harris, WWU, 59.1. Free Throw PCT. - 7. Suzanna Ohlsen, SPU, 89.3; 12. Erin Chambers, SFU, 88.9; 14. Aubree Callen, SPU, 88.3. Three-Point PCT. - 6. Corinn Waltrip, WWU, 43.5. Assist/Turnover Ratio - 6. Bobbi Knudsen, MSUB, 2.43. Double-Doubles - 3. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU, 18; 30. Megan Hingston, NNU, 11. Triple-Doubles - 2. Trishi Williams, WWU, 1.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES (Through Mar. 3): 18 - Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, SFU. 11 - Megan Hingston, NNU. 7 - Janiel Olson, MSUB. 6 - Katie Benson, SPU. 5 - 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 - 19 with. TRIPLE-DOUBLE: 1 - Trishi Williams, WWU.

GNAC RED LION PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (F, 6-2, Sr., Toronto, ON) scored 41 points and had 23 rebounds as the Clan rolled to road wins at Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. She missed just six shots converting on 16 of 22 raising her GNAC career-record percentage to 60.5 percent.

HONORABLE MENTION: Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene; Bobbi Knudsen, Montana State Billings; Janiel Olson, Montana State Billings; Krista Stabler, Saint Martin's.

WINNING AND LOSING: Western Washington (13-0) and Simon Fraser (12-0) ended their regular-seasons unbeaten at home. 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 ... Western Washington joined Seattle Pacific as the only GNAC school to win both the men's and women's basketball titles outright in the same season. The Falcons accomplished that feat during the 2009-10 season. WWU shared the men's title and won the women's title in 2002, a feat SPU also duplicated in 2007. WWU's combined men's and women's conference record of 34-2 bettered the previous best of 28-4 by SPU's 2009-10 teams.

GNAC TEAM NOTES

Alaska Anchorage: The Seawolves ran their win streak to seven games, the longest current streak in the GNAC with a 76-61 road win at Fairbanks. Kyle Burns led UAA with 21 points and seven rebounds, making seven of nine field goal attempts, including three of four treys.

Alaska Fairbanks: Taylor Altenburg, Benissa Bulaya and Brianna Kirk all had 13 points in the Nanooks' 15-point home loss to Alaska Anchorage. Kirk also had 10 rebounds.

Central Washington: Jessica VanDyke and Courtney Johnson had career-best point totals in losses to Seattle Pacific and MSU Billings. VanDyke made five of 12 treys in tying her career high of 27 in Thursday's loss to SPU. Johnson established a career-high of 29 Saturday against MSUB making five of seven treys.

MSU Billings: Bobbi Knudsen scored 39 points and also had 18 assists and Janiel Olson was credited with 21 rebounds, 30 percent of MSUB's total in wins over Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington.

Northwest Nazarene: Megan Hingston scored 50 points shooting 67.7 percent (21 of 31) as the Crusaders split two games, earning the No. 5 seed in the GNAC post-season tournament. She also had 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Saint Martin's: Krista Stabler had 28 points as the Saints closed out their season with home losses to Western Washington and Simon Fraser. Stabler, MacKenzie Taylor and Ciara Pedroni all had eight rebounds for the Saints.

Seattle Pacific: Katie Benson shot at a 65.2 percent clip (15-23) and had 43 points and 11 rebounds as the Falcons split two road games. Benson made 15 of 23 field goal attempts, four of six from the three-point line. She also made nine of 10 free throws and had five steals.

Simon Fraser: Krista Collins scored 28 points and also had a team-high 11 assists in wins at Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. She also had six rebounds and four steals.

Western Oregon: Dana Goularte lead the Wolves with 30 points in home contests with Simon Fraser and Western Washington. Katie Goddard converted on 10 of 10 free throws to account for 10 of her 13 points.

Western Washington: Kayla Bernsen came off the bench to lead the Vikings in points (27) and blocked shots (7). She also had 15 rebounds, including a team-high six off the offensive glass. Katie Colard had 25 points, 18 from the arc as she made six of eight three-pointers.

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		17-1

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 Mar. 3)

Scoring
	1.	Rebecca Kielpinski, Alaska Anchorage (2005-09)	1752
	11.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	1413
	20.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Billings (2010-13)	1240
	38.	Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage (2009-13)	1114
	39.	Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene (2010-13)	1113
	41.	Katie Benson, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	1103
	57.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	966

Three-Pointers
	1.	Amanda Dunbar, Western Washington (2007-11)	256
	8.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	174
	11.	Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	166
	19.	Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (2009-13)	149
	25.	Jessica VanDyke, Central Washington (2011-13)	135

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)	984
	26.	Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage (2009-13)	632

Assists
	1.	Beth Christensen, Seattle Pacific (2005-07)	501
	11.	Kristina Collins, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	356
	15.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Bilings (2010-13)	331
	17.	Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (2009-13)	304
	18.	Sasha King, Alaska Anchorage (2010-13)	294
	21.	Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (2009-13)	289

Steals
	1.	Alysson Kollman, Northwest Nazarene (2000-03)	326
	42.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	145
	43.	Bobbi Knudsen, MSU Billings (2010-13)	144

Blocks
	1.	Brittney Kroon, Seattle Pacific (2003-06)	419
	8.	Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	117
	19. 	Rebecca Langmead, Simon Fraser (2010-13)	79

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.

Week of Feb. 12-18: Corinn Waltrip, Western Washington (G, 5-6, Sr., Tigard, OR) and Katie Benson, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-1, Jr., Snohomish, WA) ... Both Waltrip and Benson netted 50 points in a pair of contests. Waltrip had a GNAC season-high 36 points in a 80-76 overtime win over Seattle Pacific Saturday. She made 11 of 19 shots against the Falcons, including eight of 13 three-pointers. Her eight treys equaled the fourth highest single-game total in GNAC history. In her two contests, she shot 59.3 percent (16 of 27), converting on 10 of 15 three-pointers and was perfect from the foul line (8 of 8). She also had 10 assists ... Benson made 17 of 30 shots and 13 of 14 free throws as SPU nearly pulled off a sweep of two nationally Top 10 ranked teams. Benson had a career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds Thursday in a 70-60 win over No. 8 Simon Fraser. She then tallied 18 points and had nine rebounds in an overtime loss to No. 9 Western Washington. Benson, who joined the 1,000-point club Thursday, also had five steals and was perfect from the three-point line (3 of 3) in the two contests. She now ranks 49th in GNAC history with 1,040 points.

Week of Feb. 19-25: 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. Week of Feb. 26-Mar. 3: Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, Simon Fraser (F, 6-2, Sr., Toronto, ON) scored 41 points and had 23 rebounds as the Clan rolled to road wins at Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. She missed just six shots converting on 16 of 22 raising her GNAC career-record percentage to 60.5 percent.

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). Feb. 18-24 - Alaska Fairbanks (Men's Basketball). Feb. 25-Mar. 3 - MSU Billings (Women's Basketball).