By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

LACEY, Wash. – Marcus Pavilion takes center stage this week as the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championships head to the campus of Saint Martin’s University.
 
Complete tournament information can be found on the GNAC Championships central page online here.
 
Quarterfinal 1 – No. 5 seed Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 4 seed Western Washington
Thursday, March 6 – 5:15 p.m. Pacific – Watch Live – Live Statistics
 
2024-25 Meetings
Game 1 – NNU 63, WWU 51 (Jan. 9 at Bellingham, Wash.) | Box Score | NNU Recap | WWU Recap
Game 2 – WWU 67, NNU 64 (Feb. 8 at Nampa, Idaho) | Box Score | NNU Recap | WWU Recap
 
This will be the fourth time NNU and WWU have done battle at the GNAC Championships, with the Vikings holding a 3-1 edge in the all-time tournament series. The most recent contest was a 66-63 win by WWU in the quarterfinals of the 2020 GNAC Championships, making it five years since the teams have met in the postseason. Each team won on the road in a head-to-head split this season, setting the stage for what figures to be an intriguing matchup to kick off Session 2 on Thursday evening.
 
NNU Wins If: The threes are falling. Sharp shooter Madeline Gebers made 6 of 9 treys – her highest single-game 3-point total this season – when the Nighthawks walked away with a 12-point victory at Sam Carver Gym. That wasn’t the case in a narrow defeat in the rematch at Johnson Sports Center, as Gebers was held to just 2-for-3 from the arc and the Nighthawks made just 4 of 16 long-range shots in the game. First-team all-league pick Kendall Clark hauled in 13 rebounds in the win, proving to be more impactful in that game than her six points as NNU won the boards 40-38. Although Clark scored 22 points the second time the teams met, it was in a losing effort as NNU was out-rebounded 38-31.
 
NNU Head Coach Steve Steele: “Obviously, we split the two previous games with each visiting team winning. Western is never an easy out. They have so much history and a tradition of winning that seems to translate well to tournament games. I think one of the biggest factors will be who shoots the three well. Both teams have inside and outside threats, but if someone gets hot from outside that could be the difference.”
 
WWU Wins If: It protects the arc and shoots well. WWU made just 19 of 64 shots (29.7%) in the loss – its second-worst shooting performance of the season. The Vikings were much better the second time around at 22-for-50 (44.0%), but still had to withstand being out-scored 20-14 in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win. Alyson Deaver had strong showings in both games, with 13 points and seven boards in the defeat and 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win.
 
WWU Head Coach Carmen Dolfo: “NNU is a great team who works tirelessly, full court for 40 minutes. They also have a lot of balance offensively and can score from many different positions. They are a great team and we know we will have to be at our best on Thursday.”
 
What’s At Stake: The Nighthawks are back in the tournament for the first time since 2022 and are in pursuit of their second tournament title after winning it all in 2019. Western Washington is trying to become the second school in conference history to win three straight tournaments, as the Vikings get set to defend their back-to-back tourney crowns in 2023 and 2024.
 

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Quarterfinal 2 – No. 6 seed Saint Martin’s vs. No. 3 seed Central Washington
Thursday, March 6 – 7:30 p.m. Pacific – Watch Live – Live Statistics
 
2024-25 Meetings
Game 1 – CWU 77, SMU 72 (Jan. 23 at Lacey, Wash.) | Box Score | CWU Recap | SMU Recap
Game 2 – CWU 81, SMU 74 (Feb. 22 at Ellensburg, Wash.) | Box Score | CWU Recap | SMU Recap
 
Just two weeks removed from their most recent meeting, CWU’s 81-74 triumph in Ellensburg, Wash., on Feb. 22 will still be fresh in the minds of the players. The Wildcats managed to out-pace the Saints in a pair of high-scoring affairs each time they met in the regular season, as they prepare for their first-ever meeting at the GNAC Championships.
 
SMU Wins If: It can slow down the Wildcat offense. No one in GNAC Country has forgotten what happened on Saturday night, when the Saints stunned No. 15 Alaska Anchorage winning 57-53 in the regular-season finale. It was a statement that the tournament hosts can hang with anybody in the field, and they’ll need to repeat some of the successes against the Seawolves in order to beat CWU for the first time this year. The Saints are 14-4 when they hold an opponent below 70 points in a game this season, so they’ll have to find a way to limit CWU’s offensive efficiency to advance to the semifinals. CWU shot a solid 44.6% (25-for-56) in its home win and a blistering 57.4% (27-for-47) – its second-best mark of the year – the first time the teams met this winter. Of note was a 21-point effort by SMU’s Keeli Jade Smith in the five-point loss in January, marking the senior guard’s highest scoring output of the season.
 
SMU Head Coach Natalie Marlowe: “If you want to be the best, you have to play the best. We get to face the Player of the Year five days after playing the best team in the conference; what more can you ask for? As a team, we’ve got to be locked in on details. They scored 25 points from the free throw line a couple weeks ago. We missed opportunities down the stretch that ultimately put us too far behind. Central is a great team that is well coached. If we can execute our game plan and have a sixth man in our fans, I like our chances.”
 
CWU Wins If: The skies are Sunny. GNAC Player of the Year Sunny Huerta scored 25 points in the January win and 26 in the February win, shooting a combined 18-for-27 (66.7%) in the two head-to-head matchups. Of note – Huerta, who leads the GNAC in 3-point shooting at 44.3% this season, did not attempt a single trey in either meeting. Even if the Saints successfully take away her threat from the arc, she has proven twice this season to have no issue scoring from other areas. Add in an average of 20 points in the two games from first-teamer Asher Cai and you’ve got more than 50% of the scoring that propelled the Wildcats to their wins over the Saints this season.
 
What’s At Stake: This is just the second GNAC Championships appearance in the last 10 seasons for Saint Martin’s, as they look to use home-court advantage to upset this week’s opponents. The Saints have reached the semifinals of the conference tournament just one time – in 2014 when the event was also at Marcus Pavilion. The Wildcats meanwhile have been to the semifinals in each of the last two seasons, where they have fallen just short of returning to the title game. CWU ran the table at the 2022 championships for its lone GNAC conference tournament title, and Thursday marks the 10th straight appearance in the event for the Wildcats.
 

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No. 1 Seed – University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves                                                                                                                              
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 25-4, 16-2 GNAC (1st place)
Home: 13-0 Away: 10-4 Neutral Site: 2-0
Head Coach: Ryan McCarthy, 13th season | 305-65 (.824)
Regular-Season Titles: 8 (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2025)
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Emilia Long, 5-9, Sr.
G – Elaina Mack, 5-8, Jr.
F – Jaisa Gamble, 6-0, Jr.
F – Ashlyn Rean, 6-2, Fr.
C – Tori Hollingshead, 6-3, Sr.
 
UAA At The GNAC Championships
Semifinals: Friday, March 7 – 5:15 p.m. (PT) vs. Winner of No. 5 NNU vs. No. 4 WWU
Appearances: 14 (2011-25)
Overall Record: 16-7
Tournament Wins: 6 (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020)
GNAC Championships MVPs: 6 (Kaitlin McBride, 2011; Haley Holmstead, 2012; Kiki Robertson, 2015-16; Autummn Williams, 2017; Safiyyah Yasin, 2020).
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings	1-1	1-0
Vs. No. 3 Central Washington	2-0	2-1
Vs. No. 4 Western Washington	2-0	5-1
Vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene	2-0	1-2
Vs. No. 6 Saint Martin’s	1-1	0-1

 
SEAWOLVES IN A NUTSHELL: It’s hard to raise a 13-year career winning percentage that sits at .821, but that’s just what six-time GNAC Coach of the Year Ryan McCarthy did by piloting his program to a 25-4 regular-season record and picking up his 300th-career victory along the way. UAA is the only program to make it to all 14 of the GNAC Championships tournaments since the event began in 2011, and the Seawolves will be in pursuit of their record seventh tournament crown. The Seawolves will await the winner of the 4/5 matchup between NNU and Western Washington. UAA is fueled by GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Emilia Long, who leads Division II with 4.3 steals per game and broke the GNAC single-season record with 124 and counting this season. First-team all-league center Tori Hollingshead leads the conference with 1.4 blocked shots per game and is 10th in the GNAC in scoring at 13.9 points per game.
   

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No. 2 Seed – Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets                                                                                                                   
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 25-6, 14-4 GNAC (Tie-2nd place)
Home: 15-2 Away: 6-3 Neutral Site: 4-1
Head Coach: Kevin Woodin, 21st season | 369-233 (.613)
Regular-Season Titles: 2 (2014, 2024)
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Aspen Giese, 5-8, Sr.
G – Kortney Nelson, 5-10, Sr.
G – Chloe Williams, 5-10, Sr.
F – Kaitlin Grossman, 5-11 Jr.
F – Dyauni Boyce, 6-0, Sr.

Read More: Montana State Billings Tournament Preview
 
MSUB At The GNAC Championships
Semifinals: Friday, March 7 – 7:30 p.m. (PT) vs. Winner of No. 6 SMU vs. No. 3 CWU
Appearances: 12 (2011-14, 2016, 2018, 2020-25)
Overall Record: 9-9
Tournament Wins: 1 (2018)
GNAC Championships MVPs: 1 (Alisha Breen, 2018)
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage	1-1	0-1
Vs. No. 3 Central Washington	1-1	3-0
Vs. No. 4 Western Washington	2-0	1-5
Vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene	1-1	3-1
Vs. No. 6 Saint Martin’s	2-0	1-0

 
YELLOWJACKETS IN A NUTSHELL: Veteran head coach Kevin Woodin is in his 21st season and led the team to back-to-back GNAC Championships finals appearances in 2023 and 2024. The Yellowjackets lost by the thinnest of margins both times, falling 76-71 to WWU in 2023 and falling 54-52 to the Vikings on the final possession last year. MSUB is making its fifth straight GNAC Championships appearance and is in search of its second tournament trophy after winning it all on the way to the Elite Eight in 2018. All four Yellowjacket senior starters were all-conference picks, in first-teamer Dyauni Boyce, second-teamers Kortney Nelson and Aspen Giese and honorable mention pick Chloe Williams. With two fifth-year and two fourth-year seniors, the Yellowjackets are the most experienced ballclub at this year’s tournament.
   

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No. 3 Seed – Central Washington University Wildcats                                                                                                                   
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 21-6, 14-4 GNAC (Tie-2nd place)
Home: 12-1 Away: 8-5 Neutral Site: 1-0
Head Coach: Randi Richardson, 8th season | 136-72 (.654)
Regular-Season Titles: 0
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Sunny Huerta, 5-5, Sr.
G – Malia Smith, 5-5, Sr.
G – Asher Cai, 5-9, Jr.
F – Shelby Blodgett, 5-9, Jr.
F – Capri Sims, 6-0, So.
 
Read More: Central Washington Tournament Preview
 
CWU At The GNAC Championships
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 6 – 7:30 p.m. (PT) vs. No. 6 Seed Saint Martin’s.
Appearances: 10 (2015-25)
Overall Record: 8-8
Tournament Wins: 1 (2022)
GNAC Championships MVPs: 1 (Samantha Bowman, 2022)
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage	0-2	1-2
Vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings	1-1	0-3
Vs. No. 4 Western Washington	1-1	1-2
Vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene	2-0	0-0
Vs. No. 6 Saint Martin’s	2-0	0-0

 
WILDCATS IN A NUTSHELL: Huerta is putting the finishing touches on one of the finest careers in GNAC history, as she enters the championships fourth in league history with 1,876 career points. Huerta is the lone Wildcat on the roster who played in the team’s 2022 championship-game win over Western Washington, as she looks to deliver the school’s second conference tournament title in its history. Cai, the Wildcats’ other first-team pick, gives the team the best 1-2 scoring punch in the conference with Huerta at 18.8 ppg and Cai at 17.6 ppg. Add in the league’s top rebounding in Sims, at 8.4 rpg, and CWU certainly has the resume to make a run at the tournament title. If they make it past quarterfinal opponent Saint Martin’s on Thursday, it would set up a rematch of last year’s heartbreaking 62-60 loss to Montana State Billings in the GNAC semifinals.
   

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No. 4 Seed – Western Washington University Vikings                                                                                                                   
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 17-10, 12-6 GNAC (4th place)
Home: 7-3 Away: 7-4 Neutral Site: 3-3
Head Coach: Carmen Dolfo, 34th season | 703-270 (.723)
Regular-Season Titles: 6 (2002, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2023)
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Mason Oberg, 5-5, Jr.
G – Demi Dykstra, 5-9, So.
G – Maddy Grandbois, 5-9, Sr.
F – Alyson Deaver, 6-0, Jr.
F – Olivia Wikstrom, 6-1, Sr.

Read More: Western Washington Tournament Preview
 
WWU At The GNAC Championships
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 6 – 5:15 p.m. (PT) vs. No. 5 seed Northwest Nazarene
Appearances: 13 (2011-17, 2019-25)
Overall Record: 19-8
Tournament Wins: 4 (2013, 2014, 2023, 2024)
GNAC Championships MVPs: 4 (Trishi Williams, 2013; Jenni White, 2014; Brooke Walling, 2023 & 2024)
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage	0-2	1-5
Vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings	0-2	5-1
Vs. No. 3 Central Washington	1-1	2-1
Vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene	1-1	3-1
Vs. No. 6 Saint Martin’s	2-0	2-0

 
VIKINGS IN A NUTSHELL: The Vikings persisted through significant injuries all season long, and managed their way to a fourth-place finish to keep their hopes of a conference tournament three-peat alive. Veterans Mason Oberg and Maddy Grandbois each played in both of the Vikings’ previous two championship games, while Demi Dykstra and Olivia Wikstrom give WWU four starters who played in last year’s title tilt. The experience is there, and if any coach knows how to win it’s WWU’s Carmen Dolfo. On Jan. 11 she became just the 13th coach in NCAA Division II history to reach 700 career wins, and she holds a career winning percentage of .723. The Vikings’ four GNAC Championships titles, all under Dolfo’s leadership, are second-most in conference history.
   

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No. 5 Seed – Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks                                                                                                                           
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 16-11, 10-8 GNAC (5th place)
Home: 6-3 Away: 5-7 Neutral Site: 5-1
Head Coach: Steve Steele, 9th season | 146-88 (.624)
Regular-Season Titles: 1 (2018)
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Kate Clark, 5-7, Sr.
G – Shawnacee Davis, 5-8, Sr.
G/F – Kendall Clark, 5-10, So.
G/F – Madeline Gebers, 6-0, Sr.
F – Loy Waid, 6-0, Sr.
 
Read More: Northwest Nazarene Tournament Preview
 
NNU At The GNAC Championships
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 6 – 5:15 p.m. (PT) vs. No. 4 seed Western Washington
Appearances: 10 (2011-13, 2016-22, 2025)
Overall Record: 4-8
Tournament Wins: 1 (2019)
GNAC Championships MVPs: 1 (Ellie Logan, 2019)
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage	0-2	2-1
Vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings	1-1	1-3
Vs. No. 3 Central Washington	0-2	0-0
Vs. No. 4 Western Washington	1-1	1-3
Vs. No. 6 Saint Martin’s	1-1	0-0

 
NIGHTHAWKS IN A NUTSHELL: GNAC first-teamer Kendall Clark is one of the most dynamic players in the league, leading the GNAC in shooting at 56.8% on her way to 15.7 points per game. Add in the conference’s fifth-best rebounding average at 7.2, and Clark presents an immediate problem in the paint for all opponents. Complementing the sophomore’s inside presence is Gebers, whose career mark of 43.2% from 3-point range ranks her fourth in GNAC history. Fellow seniors Kate Clark (8.5 ppg) and Loy Waid (6.5 ppg) give NNU four seniors in its starting lineup.
   

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No. 6 Seed – Saint Martin’s University Saints                                                                                                                     
Roster | Statistics | Schedule
2024-25 Record: 16-10, 9-9 GNAC (6th place)
Home: 7-4 Away: 6-6 Neutral Site: 3-0
Head Coach: Natalie Marlowe, 2nd season | 24-27 (.471)
Regular-Season Titles: 0
 
Most Recent Starting 5
G – Jada Travis, 5-5, Fr.
G – Madelyn Brown, 5-8, Jr.
G – Kasey Booster, 5-8, Fr.
G – Kiana Rios, 5-9, Jr.
F – Avery Oaster, 6-1, So.
 
SMU At The GNAC Championships
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 6 – 7:30 p.m. (PT) vs. No. 6 seed Central Washington
Appearances: 5 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2025)
Overall Record: 2-4
Tournament Wins: 0
GNAC Championships MVPs: 0
 

Opponent	2024-25 Season	All-Time At GNAC Championships
Vs. No. 1 Alaska Anchorage	1-1	1-0
Vs. No. 2 Montana State Billings	0-2	0-1
Vs. No. 3 Central Washington	0-2	0-0
Vs. No. 4 Western Washington	0-2	0-2
Vs. No. 5 Northwest Nazarene	1-1	0-0

 
SAINTS IN A NUTSHELL: The Saints will look to ride the momentum of Saturday’s landmark victory over the Seawolves and they’ll sleep in their own beds this week in preparation for Thursday’s quarterfinal against the Wildcats. GNAC Freshman of the Year Jada Travis ranked seventh in the conference with 14.6 points per game and third in the league with 4.2 assists per game. SMU’s upset of the GNAC-champion Seawolves proved that the Saints could compete with any team in the league, and came at the perfect time as their final game before the conference tournament.