Center Britt Harris scored a team-high 16 points to lead a balanced attack as Western Washington University defeated defending West Region and league champion University of Alaska Anchorage, 70-60, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball contest Thursday, Jan. 3, in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Vikings, ranked No. 20 in the latest USA Today Sports/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, improved to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in the GNAC with their third straight win. Guards Corinn Waltrip and Katie Colard each had 13 points for WWU and forward Sydney Donaldson added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.

UAA, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play despite game highs of 26 points and eight rebounds by Alysa Horn. Her point total was a career high.

The Vikings led wire-to-wire, jumping to a 12-3 lead in the first 4:30 behind a trio of Colard 3-pointers. The Seawolves pulled within one at 18-17, but a pair of Waltrip 3-pointers triggered a 12-2 run that gave WWU a 30-19 advantage with 5:10 left in the first half, and the Vikings held a 36-29 lead at halftime.

UAA got as close as six in the second half, trailing 45-39 with 12:32 remaining. But WWU's Marcel Pounds scored nine points in less than a minute, with two treys and a 3-point play, then fed Harris for a layup that gave the Vikings a 56-39 advantage with 10:47 left. The margin was never less than eight after that.

WWU shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field and held UAA to 34.0 percent (17-of-50). The Vikings also had a 41-31 advantage in rebounds.

WWU is at Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (7 p.m. AT), Jan. 5, for a GNAC counter.

WESTERN WASHINGTON 70, ALASKA ANCHORAGE 60

WESTERN WASHINGTON (9-2, 3-0 GNAC): Harris,Britt 6-12 4-6 16; Waltrip,Corinn 4-13 3-4 13; Colard,Katie 4-8 2-2 13; Donaldson,Sydney 5-7 0-0 10; Pounds,Marcel 3-3 1-3 9; Hill,Sarah 2-4 0-1 5; Bernsen, Kayla 1-5 0-0 2; Williams,Trishi 1-7 0-2 2; Hathaway,Aleisha 0-0 0-0 0; White,Jenni 0-0 0-0 0; Benner,Brandi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 10-18 70.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE (7-3, 1-1 GNAC): Horn,Alysa 9-18 5-5 26; Madison,Alli 4-12 5-6 14; Madison,Jessica 2-5 5-6 11; Buchanan,Jenna 2-6 2-2 6; King,Sasha 0-3 2-2 2; Burns,Kylie 0-4 1-2 1; Martin,Jordan 0-0 0-0 0; Hutchins,Alyssa 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-50 20-23 60.

Halftime: WWU 36, Alaska Anchorage 29

3-point goals--Western Washington 8-17 (Colard,Katie 3-5; Pounds,Marcel 2-2; Waltrip,Corinn 2-7; Hill,Sarah 1-2; Williams,Trishi 0-1), Alaska Anchorage 6-20 (Horn,Alysa 3-5; Madison,Jessica 2-5; Madison,Alli 1-1; Burns,Kylie 0-4; Hutchins,Alyssa 0-1; King,Sasha 0-1; Buchanan,Jenna 0-3). Fouled out--Western Washington-Bernsen, Kayla, Alaska Anchorage-None. Rebounds--Western Washington 41 (Williams,Trishi 6; Donaldson,Sydney 6; Hill,Sarah 6; Harris,Britt 6), Alaska Anchorage 31 (Horn,Alysa 8). Assists--Western Washington 21 (Williams,Trishi 6), Alaska Anchorage 10 (Hutchins,Alyssa 3). Total fouls--Western Washington 14, Alaska Anchorage 14. Technical fouls--Western Washington-TEAM, Alaska Anchorage-Madison,Jessica. A-648