To win its first national championship, Western Washington University’s women’s basketball team will have to stop the most prolific Division II offense in the country.
The No. 5 Vikings are set to play No. 3 Glenville State (West Virginia) Friday in the Division II women’s national championship in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s the first title-game appearance for both programs.
As a team, the Pioneers average 95.9 points per game. Glenville State has scored more than 100 points in 12 of its 35 games this season.
Glenville State boasts a 34-1 record and is led by Zakiyah Winfield, who averages 17.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The Pioneers have three other players who average double-figure scoring a game in Re’Shawna Stone (16.5), Dazha Congleton (12.1) and Taychaun Hubbard (11.2).
On the flip side, Western’s defense has carried the team to the last day of the season. The Vikings have given up an average of only 57.3 points per game.
Something has got to give Friday night when the two teams clash.
In a pre-national championship game press conference, Western head coach Carmen Dolfo said defense is what the team takes pride in.
“When things aren’t rolling for us offensively, and we’ve honestly had a number of games where they weren’t, and we certainly weren’t shooting as well as we hoped last night, but we were able to count on our defense,” Dolfo said.
After Wednesday’s semifinal win over No. 1 North Georgia, Western’s record this season now sits at 25-5.
As usual, senior Emma Duff will play a big part in whether or not the Vikings return to Bellingham with the national championship trophy. Sophomore Brooke Walling will also look to continue her postseason heroics.
Duff said postgame Wednesday that the depth of this Vikings’ squad is what makes the team special. Western got critical minutes and effort out of its bench not only in the semifinals, but all season.
That depth played big in the second half Wednesday. Western was able to stretch its lead to as many as 12 points in the win while North Georgia started to tire out.
Glenville State head coach Kim Stephens said both teams have depth and use it differently.
“We both play a lot of players. We just do it wholesale and they do it a little more subtle,” Stephens said. “We might be a tad more aggressive there, but I think that’s unique and think that’s going to be a very good thing for Division II basketball.”
Also worth noting is 31-year head coach Dolfo. She’ll be coaching in the national title game for the first time in her career.
“I’m pretty excited, but I’m more about ‘we’ and that’s what our team is about and our program is about,” Dolfo said. “I’m really excited for this program, I’m excited for our team, I’m excited for alumni and our community, and we just want to go out and play the hardest we can and the best we can.”
Dolfo is one of the most-decorated coaches in the country. She’s amassed more than 600 wins in her coaching career and, arguably, the only thing missing from her resume is a national title.
Western and Glenville State will take the court at 5 p.m. (Pacific) Friday for the NCAA Division II Women’s National Championship. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
