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Nov. 20, 2012

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University hosts the 16th Annual Lynda Goodrich Women's Basketball Classic this weekend at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

The tournament is named in honor of WWU Director of Athletics Lynda Goodrich, who was a hall of fame basketball coach for the Vikings, winning 411 games in 19 seasons. Goodrich, who has been inducted into five hall of fames is in her 26th year as head of the WWU sports program.

The Vikings are riding an eight-game winning streak at the Goodrich Classic, and have won 27 of 30 overall, tying or winning 13 of the previous 15 titles.

WWU meets Carroll College MT on Friday (5 p.m.), Nov. 23, and The Evergreen State College on Saturday (7:30 p.m.), Nov. 24. Saint Martin's University completes the four-team field, playing Evergreen on Friday (12 noon) and Carroll on Saturday (12 noon).

Live stats for all games and video streaming for WWU contests can be found at wwuvikings.com. Friday's contest can also be heard on KPUG Radio (1170 AM - Bellingham) with Doug Lange and Mark Scholten doing the broadcast.

WWU holds a 3-1 series advantage over Carroll and has not lost in six meetings with Evergreen.

Two Vikings, point guard Corinn Waltrip and guard Trishi Williams (Sr., Mabton), were both all-tournament picks last year.

WWU opened its season last week by winning the championship as host of the West Region Crossover Classic. The Vikings defeated Azusa Pacific, 73-49, and UC San Diego, 69-51.

WWU center Britt Harris earned tourney MVP honors, averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Sydney Donaldson, who averaged 12.5 points on 73.3 percent field-goal shooting for the Vikings, also was named all-tourney. Harris, Waltrip and Williams were all named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason all-conference team.

WWU, ranked No.9 in the latest USA Today Sports/ESPN Division II Top 25 Poll, received seven of 10 first-place votes in being picked to win the GNAC title in the coaches' preseason poll

Last year, the Vikings finished 22-8 and reached the semifinal round at regionals. Four starters and 10 letter winners return from that squad for head coach Carmen Dolfo (22nd year, 448-169), who needs two more wins to reach No.450.

Dolfo ranks No.12 nationally among active Division II coaches in winning percentage (.726) and No.13 in victories. Her winning percentage all-time is No.24 and her victory total No.31.

Carroll is off to a 2-1 start. The Fighting Saints are led by two returnees from last year's 13-16 team. They are 5-11 senior guard Torrie Cahill (13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg), a second-team all-conference pick, and 5-6 sophomore point guard Bailey Snelling (13.7 ppg).

Head coach Rachelle Sayers (15-17), who is in her second season at Carroll, was an assistant at NCAA Division I Weber State for 14 seasons.

Evergreen lost its season opener 72-65 at Puget Sound on Nov. 17. The Geoducks, coached by Monica Heuer (12th year, 90-230) are led by all-Cascade Conference 6-0 junior center Danielle Swain, who averaged 15.0 points and 9.6 rebounds last year as well as blocking a school-record 49 shots. She scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the UPS game.

Saint Martin's is 1-2 and coached by Tim Healy (17th year, 198-230). The Saints are led by 6-1 junior forward Chelsea Haskey (12.5 ppg), a preseason all-GNAC pick, and 5-10 sophomore forward Brooke Paulson (15.5 ppg).

THREE-DOT NOTES: Last year, WWU finished 22-8 and reached the semifinal round at regionals. 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.

TOUGH EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: WWU readied 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. 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 Great Northwest Athletic Conference 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.

HOME COURT DOMINANCE: The Vikings are 424-72 (85.5 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 448-169 (72.6 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 20 times and have won 20 or more games 16 times. She has been 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 880 victories (304 losses, 74.3 percent) in its 42-year history, WWU is one of just 15 colleges in all divisions of the NCAA to reach the 850-plateau... The Vikings have made 39 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 30 20-win seasons ... WWU has had 21 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 448.

ON THE WEB: All Viking home games are being video streamed live and are available free at http://wwu.nmtvsports.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 Erika Ramstead, 6-0, ***Sr., Everson, WA/Nooksack Valley
F Sydney Donaldson, 6-0, *So., Edmonds, WA/Edmonds-Woodway
C Britt Harris, 6-2, ***Sr., Marysville, WA/Marysville-Pilchuck
G Corinn Waltrip, 5-6, ***Sr., Tigard, OR/Tigard
G Trishi Williams, 5-9, *Sr., Mabton, WA/Mabton/Columbia Basin CC

C Sarah Hill, 6-3, *Jr., Richmond, VA/Lloyd C. Bird/ Maryland-Baltimore County
G Katie Colard, 5-9, *So., McCleary, WA/Elma
C Kayla Bernsen, 6-3, *So., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake
G Jenni White, 5-5, *So., Spokane, WA/East Valley
*letters won

GAME SUMMARIES:

Oct. 27 - WWU 71, British Columbia 51 at Bellingham (Exhibition)

Harris had game highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds, leading WWU to a 71-51 victory over British Columbia in an exhibition game at Carver Gym. Hill came off the bench to score 11 points for the Vikings. UBC got 16 points and eight rebounds from center Leigh Stansfield, and guard Kris Young had 13 points. WWU held the Thunderbirds to 33.3 percent field-goal shooting (17-of-51), including just 2-of-13 from 3-point range, and forced 19 turnovers. The Vikings scored the first eight points and led 21-7 with 7:10 left in the first half before UBC rallied to get within six, 33-27, at halftime. UBC trailed by just four, 37-33, with 15:38 remaining. The Vikings then scored 14 of the next 16 points over a span of 4:19 to lead 51-35 at 11:19. Harris, who scored 14 points in the second half, had six during that stretch. The Thunderbirds never got closer than 15 after that and WWU's biggest lead was 24 points, 71-47, with 2:33 to play.

Nov. 3 - Seattle U. 100, WWU 93 (2 OT) at Seattle, WA (Exhibition)

WWU took NCAA I Seattle U. to double overtime before falling, 100-93, in an exhibition at Connolly Center. The Vikings were led by Colard and Waltrip with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Seattle got a game-high 28 points from guard Sylvia Shephard, and center Kacie Sowell and forward Ashley Ward each had 27. Ward, who shot 9-of-14 from the field, also grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Colard's 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining in regulation gave WWU an 81-79 lead as the Vikings overcame an 11-point second-half deficit. But Ward hit a jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. WWU led by five, 91-86, with 1:03 left in the first extra period following a jumper by Waltrip with 1:03 to go. But Shephard hit a trey and Ward again scored at the buzzer to tie the game at 92-all and send it into a second overtime. Seattle outscored the Vikings 8-1 in the second five-minute period. Harris scored 12 points for WWU and Ramstead had 10 points and six assists. WWU led 37-35 at halftime.

Nov. 10 - Oregon State 71, WWU 59 at Corvallis, OR (Exhibition)

WWU gave a strong accounting of itself in a 71-59 loss at NCAA I Oregon State at Gill Coliseum on the OSU campus. The contest was an exhibition for the Vikings and the season and home opener for OSU, picked to place fifth in the Pac-12 Conference. WWU, which led 31-27 at halftime, was led by Harris, who finished with team highs of 14 points and nine rebounds. Waltrip had 13 points for the Vikings and Donaldson came off the bench with 12 points and five assists. Guard Alyssa Martin led OSU with a game-high 20 points. The Beavers got standout efforts from three reserves. Khadidja Toure scored 13 points, Jamie Weisner 11, and Deven Hunter had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. WWU held OSU to 33.3 percent (10-of 30) field-goal accuracy in the first half, but the Beavers shot 47.1 percent (16-of-34) in the second half. The Vikings shot just 29.4 percent (10-of-24) in the final period and 34.9 percent (22-of-63) for the game. They were able to connect on just 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) from 3-point range, WWU scored the first five points and did not trail in the opening half, leading by as many as 10, 17-7, midway through the period, and by nine, 31-22, with 1:37 left. Martin scored 12 straight points, the last five of the first half and the first seven of the second half, to give OSU its first lead, 34-31, on a 3-pointer with 18:34 remaining. The game was tied at 40-all with 14:30 to go after a 3-pointer by WWU's Erika Ramstead (Sr., Everson/Nooksack Valley). But the Beavers scored the next 10 points, for a 50-40 advantage at 11:56. WWU never got closer than eight after that and OSU's biggest lead was 14, 63-49, with 3:08 left.

Nov. 16 - WWU 73, Azusa Pacific 49 at Bellingham (WRCC)

Donaldson scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-11 field-goal shooting as WWU defeated Azusa Pacific, 73-49, in first-day action at the West Region Crossover Classic at Carver Gym. It was the season and home opener for the Vikings. Freshman forward Kelly Hardeman led Azusa Pacific, which fell to 0-2, with 14 points. Center Hannah Kenny added 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds. APU used back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 16-13 lead with 12:56 left in the first half, but the Vikings responded with a 19-2 run, with Donaldson scoring seven of the points, to open up a 32-18 margin with 6:32 to go in the period and led the rest of the way. The Vikings held a 37-30 advantage at halftime. The Cougars pulled within four, 41-37, on a 3-pointer by Hardeman with 17:27 to play, and were still down by just six, 46-40, with under 12 minutes remaining. But WWU then put the game away, going on a 16-2 run and holding APU without a field goal for more than seven minutes to take a 62-42 advantage with 6:15 left. APU shot just 14.3 percent (4-of-28) from the field in the second half, and 26.3 percent (15-of-57) for the game. Harris had 14 points for the Vikings, and Bernsen came off the bench to add 11.

Nov. 17 - WWU 69, UC San Diego 51 at Bellingham (WRCC)

Tournament MVP Harris had 12 of her game-high 16 points in the second half as WWU defeated UC San Diego, 69-51, in the championship game of the West Region Crossover Classic at Carver Gym. No.8 rated UC San Diego fell to 1-4. Daisy Feder and Emily Osga each had 11 points for the Tritons, who shot just 32.1 percent (17-of-51) from the field. WWU held a 34-30 lead early in the second half, then broke the game open with a 16-2 run to take a 50-32 advantage with 12:38 to play. Harris had eight points in the charge. The lead was never less than 16 after that. Waltrip and Williams each had 14 points for the Vikings, who shot 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the field in the second half. WWU opened the game by hitting three of its first four 3-point attempts and jumped to a 14-4 lead less than six minutes into the contest, but the Tritons chipped away at the margin and eventually pulled within one, 27-26, at halftime. Both teams were cold from the field in the opening half, with the Vikings shooting 25.9 percent (22-of-51) and the Tritons 30.8 (8-of-26).

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

2012-13 Women's Basketball Report Week 2 (Nov. 21, 2012)

	        Conference      All
	                W	L	W	L	H	A	N
Central Washington      0	0	3	0	1-0	0-0	2-0
Northwest Nazarene      0	0	3	0	0-0	3-0	0-0
Western Washington      0	0	2	0	2-0	0-0	0-0
Simon Fraser            0	0	4	1	0-0	1-0	3-1
Seattle Pacific         0	0	3	1	2-0	0-0	1-1
Alaska Anchorage        0	0	3	1	3-1	0-0	0-0
Montana State Billings  0	0	2	2	0-0	2-1	0-1
Western Oregon          0	0	2	2	2-2	0-0	0-0
Saint Martin's          0	0	1	2	1-0	0-0	0-2
Alaska Fairbanks        0	0	0	3	0-1	0-2	0-0

EXHIBITIONS: October: 26 - Douglas 40 at Simon Fraser 101. 27 - British Columbia 51 at Western Washington 71. 30 - Simon Fraser 52 at Washington State 67. 31 - Lewis-Clark State 58 at Northwest Nazarene 81. November: 1 - Simon Fraser 69 at Seattle 72. 2 - Great Falls 52 at MSU Billings 64; Montana Tech 67 at Northwest Nazarene 81; Western Oregon 64 at Idaho 90. 3 - Western Oregon 30 at Washington State 93; Western Washington 93 at Seattle 100 (2ot). 4 - Alaska Anchorage 42 at Arizona State 72; Seattle Pacific 55 at Oregon State 80. 10 - Western Washington 59 at Oregon State 71. 13 - Saint Martin's 47 at Evergreen State 37.

LAST WEEK: Tuesday - Northwest Nazarene 65 at College of Idaho 62; Friday - Regis 76 at Alaska Anchorage 85; Alaska Fairbanks 71 at Academy of Art 91; Dixie Tipoff Classic (Colorado Mesa 62, Simon Fraser 45; MSU Billings 74, Dixie State 71); WWU West Region Crossover (UC San Diego 86, Seattle Pacific 67; Western Washington 73, Azusa Pacific 49). Saturday - Regis 67 at Alaska Anchorage 70; Alaska Fairbanks 48 at Cal State East Bay 84; Northwest 52 at Central Washington 89; Dixie Tipoff Classic (Colorado Mesa 69, MSU Billings 47; Simon Fraser 74, Dixie State 52); WWU West Region Crossover (Seattle Pacific 76, Azusa Pacific 74 (ot); Western Washington 69, UC San Diego 51); Pacific Lutheran 62 at Western Oregon 74.

THIS WEEK: Tuesday - UAA Great Alaska Shootout (Alaska Anchorage 73, North Dakota State 47); Northwest Christian 48 at Saint Martin's 62. Wednesday - UAA Great Alaska Shootout (Alaska Anchorage vs. Utah State, 5 p.m.). Thursday - UAF Mt. McKinley North Star (Winona State vs. Anderson, 5:15 p.m.; Upper Iowa vs. Alaska Fairbanks, 7:30 p.m.). Friday - UAF Mt. McKinley North Star (Winona State vs. Upper Iowa, 5:15 p.m.; Anderson vs. Alaska Fairbanks, 7:30 p.m.); NNU Hampton Inn Classic (Metro State vs. Central Washington, 4 p.m.; Academy of Art vs. Northwest Nazarene, 6 p.m.); MSUB Yellowjacket Classic (Notre Dame de Namur vs. Colorado Pueblo, 5 p.m.; Dixie State vs. MSU Billings, 7 p.m.); WWU Goodrich Classic (Evergreen State vs. Saint Martin's, noon; Western Washington vs. Carroll, 5 p.m.); Cal State Stanislaus at Simon Fraser; Corban Capital City Classic (Western Oregon vs. Willamette, noon). Saturday - UAF Mt. McKinley North Star (Anderson vs. Upper Iowa, 5:15 p.m.; Winona State vs. Alaska Fairbanks, 7:30 p.m.); NNU Hampton Inn Classic (Academy of Art vs. Central Washington, 4 p.m.; Metro State vs. Northwest Nazarene, 6 p.m.); MSUB Yellowjacket Classic (Dixie State vs. Colorado Pueblo, 5 p.m.; Notre Dame de Namur vs. MSU Billings, 7 p.m.); WWU Goodrich Classic (Carroll vs. Saint Martin's, noon; Western Washington vs. Evergreen State, 7:30 p.m.); Cal State Stanislaus at Simon Fraser; Corban Capital City Classic (Western Oregon vs. New Hope Christian or Corban, noon or 5:30 p.m.)

ALL-TOURNAMENT: Seattle Pacific (Nov. 9-10) - Rachel Murray, SPU (MVP); Mechela Barnes, SPU; Ally Schmitt, CWU; Jessica VanDyke, CWU. Western Washington (Nov. 16-17) - Britt Harris, WWU (MVP); Sydney Donaldson, WWU; Katie Benson, SPU.

POLLS: WBCA (Nov. 19) - 9. Western Washington; 17. Simon Fraser; 29. Alaska Anchorage.

GNAC RED LION PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: 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. Honorable Mention - Britt Harris, Western Washington; Mariah Durian, Western Oregon.

TEAM NOTES

Alaska Anchorage: King (See Player of the Week) was one of five players to average in double figures in the Seawolves two wins over Regis. Mariesha Harris netted 30 points. Jenna Buchanan and Kylie Burns each scored 23 points and Alysa Horn had 22 points. Burns led UAA with 18 rebounds.

Alaska Fairbanks: Teanna Boxley led the Nanooks with 25 points and April Fultz had 23 in road losses at Academy of Art and Cal State East Bay. UAF also got 19 points and 15 rebounds from Taylor Altenburg.

Central Washington: The Wildcats improved to 3-0 with a 89-52 home win over Northwest. Hannah Shine, a redshirt freshman, led the Wildcats in that contest with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Montana State Billings: Bobbi Knudson and Quinn Peoples each had 27 points as the Yellowjackets split two games in Dixie Tip Off Classic. Knudsen also had 11 assists. Janiel Olson led MSUB with 13 rebounds.

Northwest Nazarene: Chelsie Luke scored 17 points to lead Northwest Nazarene to a 65-62 road win at College of Idaho. The Crusaders also got 13 points from Megan Hingston and 11 from Kylee Schierman.

Saint Martin's: The Saints took the week off prior to playing three games this week including two in the Lynda Goodrich Classic at Western Washington.

Seattle Pacific: Katie Benson scored 35 points and had 14 rebounds to earn all-tournament honors in the WWU West Region Crossover Classic. In addition to leading SPU in scoring and rebounding she also had a team-high four steals.

Simon Fraser: Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe had 22 points and 19 rebounds as the Clan split two games in the Dixie Tip Off Classic. Raincock-Ekunwe also led SFU in blocks (4) and steals (6). Erin Chambers had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Western Oregon: Freshman Mariah Durian had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wolves to a 74-62 win over Pacific Lutheran. Durian made eight of 20 shots, including three of four treys. Lorrie Clifford had 17 points for the Wolves.

Western Washington: Britt Harris scored 30 points and also had 10 rebounds to earn MVP honors in the WWU West Region Crossover Classic. Harris made nine of 19 field goal attempts and 12 of 14 free throws. She also had nine assists and four block shots. Sydney Donaldson joined Harris on the all-tournament team. Donaldson had 25 points on 11 of 15 shooting, including three of five from the arc. She also had nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

TWO NEAR MISSES AGAINST SEATTLE UNIVERSITY: GNAC teams are 5-8 in exhibition games, including 5-0 against non-Division I opponents and 0-8 against D-1 schools. Simon Fraser and Western Washington had near misses against former GNAC member Seattle University, which is now fully eligible to compete in the Division I post-season. The Clan had a six-point lead late in the contest with the Redhawks before losing 72-69, while the Vikings dropped a double-overtime 100-93 decision to SU. Exhibition Records (5-8): Northwest Nazarene 2-0, MSU Billings 1-0, Western Washington 1-2, Simon Fraser 1-2, Alaska Anchorage 0-1, Seattle Pacific 0-1, Western Oregon 0-2.

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.

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).