Sunday, March 5, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since 2013, Western Washington is in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament field as the GNAC’s automatic qualifier confirmed its spot in the 64-team national tournament field Sunday evening.

The Vikings, selected as the No. 3 seed in the West Region, will travel to La Jolla, Calif., for the NCAA West Regional, which will be hosted by UC San Diego beginning on Friday. Western Washington will play No. 6 seed Chico State in the tournament's opening game at noon (Pacific). This is Western Washington’s seventh Division II Men's Basketball Tournament appearance.

UC San Diego, the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament champion, was awarded the No. 1 seed while Hawaii Pacific, the PacWest Conference champion, is the No. 2 seed. The CCAA received four selections to the tournament, including Chico State, No. 4 seed San Francisco State and No. 7 seed Sonoma State. No. 8 seed Dixie State joins Hawaii Pacific as PacWest representatives.

The Vikings are coming off a season in which they won both the GNAC championship and regular season title. They enter the tournament with a 25-5 overall record and 17-3 conference mark. Western Washington earned the GNAC’s automatic qualifier with a 71-69 victory over Western Oregon in the GNAC Championships final after beating Saint Martin’s in the tournament semifinals on Friday, 91-79. The Vikings are 5-0 against West Region teams outside the GNAC this season, which includes wins over UC San Diego and Sonoma State.

Western Washington is led by GNAC Player of the Year Taylor Stafford, who enters the NCAA West Regional ranked 15th in NCAA Division II in scoring at 22.7 points per game. As a team, the Vikings lead the GNAC and is among the top-30 in Division II in scoring at 88.3 points per game. They also lead the GNAC and are among the top in Division II in field goal percentage (.495), three-point percentage (.406) and free throw shooting (.778).

Chico State, WWU’s first round opponent, enters the tournament with a 23-7 overall record and finished third in the CCAA regular season standings at 15-5. The Wildcats lost to UC San Diego in the CCAA Tournament semifinals, 65-53, on Friday. The Wildcats average 74.4 points per game and have four players averaging over 12 points per game, led by Corey Silverstrom’s 12.7 points per game. Chico State is 1-0 against GNAC teams this season, having beat Northwest Nazarene 79-68 in Chico on Nov. 26.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL
at RMIAC Arena, UC San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
Fri., Mar. 10 - Quarterfinals
No. 6 Chico State vs. No. 3 Western Washington, noon
No. 7 Sonoma State vs. No. 2 Hawaii Pacific, 2:30 p.m.
No. 5 San Franciscos State vs. No. 4 Californai Baptist, 5 p.m.
No. 8 Dixie State vs. No. 1 UC San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 11 - Semifinals
Chico State/Western Washington vs. Sonoma State/Hawaii Pacific, 5 p.m.
San Francisco State/California Baptist vs. Dixie State/UC San Diego, 7:30 p.m.

Mon., Mar. 13
Championship Game, 7 p.m.