For the sixth-straight season with a conference championship, Northwest Nazarene is headed to the GNAC Tournament this week after finishing the regular season at 12-6 in conference play and 18-8 overall and earning the four-seed for the postseason.

As the four-seed, NNU will battle the five-seed Montana State Billings, who the Nighthawks just defeated in the regular season finale last Saturday at home, 86-76. NNU and MSUB will square off in the quarterfinals on Thursday at noon at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash.

With the conference shifting to including all 10 teams in the tournament due to multiple regular season games not contested, the tournament will be played over four days instead of three and will take place at two sites, the original host of Saint Martin's in Lacey along with the addition of Seattle Pacific in Seattle.

The GNAC Women's Basketball Championships begin on Wednesday with first-round games starting at 2:15 p.m. No. 7 Seattle Pacific will play No. 10 Alaska at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle while No. 8 Western Oregon will play No. 9 Saint Martin's at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey.

Quarterfinal games will be played on Thursday, with two games in Lacey and two games in Seattle. The Lacey site will feature No. 4 NNU playing No. 5 Montana State Billings at noon, followed by No. 1 Western Washington playing the WOU/SMU winner at 2:15 p.m. The Seattle site will have No. 3 Central Washington play No. 6 Simon Fraser at noon and No. 2 Alaska Anchorage play the SPU/UAF winner at 2:15 p.m.

The semifinal games will be played at noon and 2:15 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion with the championship game taking place on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. All games at the GNAC Basketball Championships will be streamed live at GNAC.tv.

Tickets for the GNAC Basketball Championships are on sale as of Sunday. Single-session tickets will be available for $13 for general admission seats and $18 for reserved seats. General admission tickets for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $8. Children five and under are admitted free.

Tournament passes for all games, regardless of venue, will be available for $48 for general admission seats and $65 for reserved seats. General admission tournament passes for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $30.

County health and safety protocols will be in place for fans attending tournament contests at Seattle Pacific (King County) and Saint Martin's (Thurston County). Per current protocols at both venues, all fans attending the tournament are required to wear facemasks regardless of vaccination status.

GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Mar. 2 - First Round
No. 8 Western Oregon vs. No. 9 Saint Martin's (at Lacey), 2:15 p.m.
No. 7 Seattle Pacific vs. No. 10 Alaska (at Seattle), 2:15 p.m.

Thursday, Mar. 3 - Quarterfinals
No. 4 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 5 Montana State Billings (at Lacey), Noon
No. 3 Central Washington vs. No. 6 Simon Fraser (at Seattle), Noon
No. 1 Western Washington vs. Western Oregon or Saint Martin's (at Lacey), 2:15 p.m.
No. 2 Alaska Anchorage vs. Seattle Pacific or Alaska (at Seattle), 2:15 p.m.

Friday, Mar. 4 - Semifinals (at Lacey)
Semifinal Game 1, Noon
Semifinal Game 2, 2:15 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 5 - Championship (at Lacey)
Championship Game, 5:15 p.m.