GNAC logo at Carver Gym. PHOTO: Doug Lange
WWU Hoops: Home & Away in GNAC Play Tonight
January 10, 2019
With game day upon them, the Western Washington University hoop squads are both looking to make a move in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, albeit from different routes. The Viking women will look to keep winning at home while the Western men will hit the road.
The women, currently tied for second place in the GNAC, just a game back of the conference leaders, play host to Concordia. The 3rd place men are in Nampa, Idaho to battle second place Northwest Nazarene.
Concordia at WWU Women
WHAT’S HAPPENING…the WWU women’s basketball team (8-4, 3-1) return home to Carver Gym to host a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games this week vs. Concordia (Thursday) and Western Oregon (Saturday)…both games feature 7 pm tip-offs on WECU Court…the Vikings are coming off a split during their annual road trip to Alaska and are 8-4 overall and tied for 2nd in the GNAC with a 3-1 conference record.
THE RECORD…WWU is 8-4 overall and tied for 2nd place in the GNAC with a 3-1 conference record…opened the GNAC schedule with three consecutive wins before dropping a road contest to No. 14 nationally-ranked Alaska Anchorage…have gone 5-2 at home, 2-1 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games…4-0 when leading at the half and have three victories after trailing at halftime…won season-high five consecutive games Nov. 17-Dec. 1 and have won 7 of last 9.
A LOOK AT LAST WEEK…the Vikings went 1-1 last week during the annual road trip to Alaska…defeated Alaska Fairbanks 59-57 and fell to No. 14 Alaska Anchorage 68-50…were within five points of the Seawolves early in the fourth quarter…Kelsey Rogers scored in double-digits in each game, averaging 18.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game…led WWU in scoring both games, including 22 points vs. UAF…freshman Katrina Gimmaka averaged 8.5 points per game during the road trip…overall WWU shot 40.7% from the field (44-108) and were 8-for-29 from 3-point range.
HOME SWEET HOME…WWU is 5-2 on WECU Court in Carver Gym this season, including a 1-0 mark in GNAC play…will play six of the next eight games at home beginning with this week’s games vs. Concordia and Western Oregon…WWU is 471-85 all-time in Carver Gym for a .847 winning percentage, with head coach Carmen Dolfo leading the Vikings to a 297-59 (.834) all-time mark in the on-campus facility.
-- @WWUWBB --
WWU Men at Northwest Nazarene
WHAT’S HAPPENING…the WWU men’s basketball team takes back to the road this week with Great Northwest Athletic Conference games at Northwest Nazarene (8-2, 3-1) on Thursday (7:30 pm MT/6:30 pm PT) and Central Washington (7-5, 1-3) on Saturday (7 pm)…the Vikings are coming off a 75-68 victory over No. 19 Saint Martin’s on Saturday.
THE RECORD…WWU is 8-6 overall and tied for 5th place in the GNAC with a 2-2 conference record…snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over Saint Martin’s…opened the season 6-1, but has dropped five of the last seven games…4-1 in Carver Gym, 1-2 on the road and 3-3 in neutral-site games.
A LOOK AT LAST WEEK…the Vikings went 1-1 last week, falling to Seattle Pacific 86-72 and defeated No. 19 Saint Martin’s 75-68…Trevor Jasinsky led the Vikings averaging 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two games, including a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double vs. SMU…Cameron Retherford averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, tying his season/career-high with 14 points vs. SMU…Jalen Green averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds and had a 11-point, 11-rebound double-double vs. SMU…overall WWU shot 42.7% from the field (50-for-117) and 29.8% from 3-point range (14-for-47)…connected at a 89.2% clip from the free throw line (33-for-37).
BACK ON THE ROAD…the Vikings return to the road this week, playing games in Nampa, ID and Ellensburg…including this week are in a stretch of 7 of 10 games away from Bellingham.
SERIES HISTORY…
Northwest Nazarene » WWU leads the all-time series 32-9, including a current 7-game winning streak vs. the Nighthawks…swept NNU last season winning 67-66 in Carver Gym and 95-84 in Nampa…13-6 all-time record in road games vs. NNU, including winning 5 of 6…NNU is off to a 8-2 start to the season and is tied for 1st in the GNAC with a 3-1 league record…junior transfer Adonis Arms leads the GNAC in scoring at 21.2 points per game and is the reigning GNAC Player of the Week.
-- @WWUHoops --
- Doug Lange
* information from WWU Athletics used in this article
