Tuesday, November 26, 2019

WOLVES OFF TO HOT START: Despite making a surprise run to the GNAC Championships final last March, nobody expected much of Western Oregon.  The Wolves were picked eighth of 11 teams in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll thanks to the loss of nine players, three starters and head coach Jim Shaw.

Early on, though, the Wolves appear ready to prove the pollsters wrong. Western Oregon is 3-0 in non-conference play under first-year head coach Wes Pifer. Last weekend, the Wolves picked up two wins in the Concordia Oxford Suites Portland Classic, collecting a 91-80 win over Notre Dame de Namur on Friday and a 90-69 win over Regis on Saturday.

After three games, Western Oregon is second in the GNAC in scoring at 85 points per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC in field goal shooting (.534), free throw shooting (.805) and three-point shooting (.436) and rank in the NCAA Division II top-30 in all three.

Western Oregon will play San Francisco State on Friday and Stanislaus State on Saturday in the San Francisco State Gator Invitational before opening conference play next week in Alaska.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PERFORMERS: The following GNAC players have earned all-tournament team honors during the 2019-20 season...

GNAC/CCAA Challenge (Nov. 8-9, Bellingham): Jalen Green (WWU), Logan Schilder (WWU), Wilfried Balata (SFU).
Alaska/Hawaii Challenge (Nov. 9-10, Anchorage): Tobin Karlberg (UAA), Oggie Pantovic (UAA), Shadeed Shabazz (UAF).
Otter Classic (Nov. 15, 16, Seaside, Calif.): Shadeed Shabazz (UAF).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dalven Brushier
Western Oregon
G • 6-3 • Sr. • Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brushier led Western Oregon with 42 points and eight assists in two wins at the Concordia Oxford Suites Portland Classic, shooting 64 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range as the Wolves improved to 3-0 on the season. Brushier played all but one minute in Friday’s 91-80 win over Notre Dame de Namur, finishing with 20 points on 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range to go with three rebounds and five assists. He finished the week with 22 points in Saturday’s 90-69 win over Regis, connecting on 9 of 13 from the field to go with three assists and two rebounds.

Also Nominated: Shadeed Shabazz (Alaska), Matt Poquette (Central Washington), Hunter Sweet (Concordia), Alex Schumacher (Saint Martin’s), Jasdeep Singh (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska lost both of its games at the Westminster Tournament in Salt Lake City, falling 89-77 to the host Griffins on Friday and 90-78 to Dixie State on Saturday.

• Junior guard Shadeed Shabazz led the Nanooks with 47 points in the two games on 53 percent shooting from the field. Against Westminster, Shabazz came off the bench for 19 points and four steals on 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Against Dixie State, Shabazz finished with 28 points on 9 of 18 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Shabazz is fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 19.7 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with 2.83 steals per game.

• Senior guard Spencer Sweet scored 31 points in Salt Lake City. He scored 15 points against Westminster on 5 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. Sweet then scored 16 points against Dixie State. Sweet is tied for seventh in the GNAC with 15.5 points per game.

• For the second straight week, freshman forward/center Mawich Kachjanni led the Nanooks on the boards once again with 15 rebounds. He pulled down 11 against Dixie State. Junior guard Markel Banks had 11 rebounds, seven of those against Westminster. Kachjanni is tied for first in the GNAC with 8.5 rebounds per game.

• Alaska is averaging 72.7 points and 32 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are fourth in the GNAC with 7.17 steals per game.

• The Nanooks play in the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic this weekend, facing Northern Michigan on Friday and Michigan Tech on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not play last week. The Seawolves will host the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic this weekend with games against Michigan Tech on Friday and Northern Michigan on Saturday.

• In its last competition, Alaska Anchorage won both of its games at the Ron Logston Classic in Rohnert Park, Calif., beating San Francisco State on Nov. 15 and the host Seawolves on Nov. 16 by identical 81-69 margins.

• Senior guard Niko Bevens led UAA with 31 points in the two games on 7 of 19 from the field. He scored 14 points against San Francisco State with two rebounds and three assists. He then scored 17 points against Sonoma State on 6 of 11 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range. Bevens is averaging 13.3 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is 25th in Division II with 3.67 three-pointers made per game.

• Senior guard Jack Macdonald scored 27 points and eight assists and went a perfect 13 of 13 from the free throw line. He came alive for 20 points against San Francisco State and then scored seven points and had three rebounds and eight assists against Sonoma State. Macdonald is averaging 8.7 points per lead and is among the Division II leaders with a 1.000 free throw percentage (15-15).

• Alaska Anchorage is third in the GNAC in scoring at 77.2 points per game and is averaging 34.6 rebounds per contest. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank 16th in Division II with 19.7 assists per game. They are also 22nd in Division II with 11 three-pointers made per game.

• The Seawolves moved up two spots in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington improved to 4-1 in its only game of the week, collecting a 65-57 victory from Evergreen State on Friday in Ellensburg.

• Sophomore forward Matt Poquette led the Wildcats with 14 points to go along with five rebounds. He made 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Poquette is averaging 10 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 1.4 blocks per game.

• Senior guard Gamaun Boykin scored 11 points and had five rebounds and four assists. He is averaging 9.4 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Tariq Woody added seven points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. He is third in the GNAC with a .645 field goal percentage and fifth with a .909 free throw percentage (10-11).

• Central Washington is averaging 76.4 points and 34.6 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.500), three-point defense (.333) and rebounding defense (31 allowed per game). Central is also 12th in Division II with 13.2 personal fouls per game.

• Central Washington plays just once over Thanksgiving week, hosting Corban on Tuesday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its games in its own Concordia Oxford Suites Portland Invitational. The Cavaliers dropped an 80-49 decision to Regis on Friday and then beat Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday, 71-70.

• Junior guard/forward Hunter Sweet led the Cavaliers with 28 points in the two games to go with eight rebounds and four steals. After a quiet eight points against Regis, Sweet led the Cavaliers with 20 points against Notre Dame de Namur on 7 of 13 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range with six rebounds. Sweet is tied for seventh in the GNAC with 15.5 points per game.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith finished with 22 points. Smith also came alive against Notre Dame de Namur as he finished with 16 points to go with an assist and four steals. Smith is 10th in the GNAC with 15 points per game and is tied for fourth in the league with 2.25 steals per game.

• Senior guard El-roi Butler led the Cavaliers defensively with 13 rebounds in the tournament, 10 of which came in the win over Notre Dame de Namur. Butler is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 72 points and 33.2 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are fifth in the GNAC in three-point defense (.353), rebounding defense (32.3 allowed per game) and assists (12.83 per game).

• The Cavaliers play this week at the San Francisco St. Gator Invitational, facing Stanislaus State on Friday and the host Gators on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split a pair of contests last week, beating Northwest (Wash.) on Thursday, 83-79, before taking a 79-70 exhibition loss to crosstown rival Rocky Mountain on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Brendan Howard led MSUB in the victory over Northwest with 28 points and 10 rebounds on 12 of 17 from the field. He then added 24 points and eight rebounds at Rocky Mountain on 10 of 19 from the field. Howard leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II with 23.5 points per game.

• Senior guard Tyler Green scored 19 points against Northwest as he connected on 5 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He then contributed 12 points and three rebounds at Rocky Mountain. Green is averaging 13.5 points per game and is sixth in the GNAC with 2.50 three-pointers made per game.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 69.2 points per game and ranks second in the GNAC with 38.8 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets lead the GNAC with 4.5 blocks per game. In addition, MSUB is 15th in Division II with 13.3 personal fouls per game and 19th in fewest fouls with 53.

• Montana State Billings will host Adams State for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks played just once last week, taking their first loss of the season with a 90-69 defeat at College of Idaho on Tuesday.

• Junior guard Ezekiel Alley came off the bench to lead NNU with 18 points, connecting on 6 of 9 from the field and 6 of 9 from the free throw line. Alley is ninth in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game.

• Senior forward Adalberto Diaz led the starters with 15 points as he connected on 6 of 11 from the field to go along with six rebounds. Diaz enters the week averaging 11.5 points per game and is tied for 10th in the GNAC with 6.8 rebounds per contest.

• Freshman guard Jaylen Fox had five assists against College of Idaho. He is ranked 11th in Division II with a 5.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 73.5 points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 38.2 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC in field goal percentage defense (.401) and are 10th in Division II in fewest turnovers with 36.

• Northwest Nazarene plays once during Thanksgiving week, traveling to Cal State LA on Tuesday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints have not played since a stretch of four games over eight days that ended on Nov. 19. Saint Martin’s went 1-3 in that stretch, taking an 88-55 loss to UC San Diego on Nov. 11, an 80-77 loss to Westminster (Utah) on Nov. 16 and a 75-71 loss to Dixie State on Nov. 17 at the Dixie State Classic. The first win came last Tuesday, 99-76, over Capilano in Lacey.

• Junior guard Demonte Malloy scored 62 points and had 27 rebounds over the four games on 47 percent from the field. After scoring 16 points against Westminster, Malloy finished just short of a double-double with 26 points and nine rebounds against Dixie State, making 10 of 19 from the field. Malloy is tied for seventh in the GNAC with 15.5 points per game.

• Freshman guard Alex Schumacher scored 56 points and had 21 rebounds over the four games, which included 78 percent from the free throw line. He finished with a pair of 22-point contests, finishing with that total against Westminster on 7 of 17 from the field and 5 of 11 from the three-point line. He had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds against Capilano. Schumacher is averaging 14 points per game, tying him for 11th in the GNAC.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 75.5 points per game and leads the conference with 41.5 rebounds per game. The Saints are third in the GNAC with 10.25 three-pointers made per game and are 29th in Division II in fewest fouls with 60.

• The Saints return to play this week, hosting Cal State East Bay on Wednesday and Evergreen State on Sunday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons have not played since splitting two games at the Aramark GNAC/PacWest Challenge on Nov. 15 & 16. The Falcons lost on Nov. 15 to Azusa Pacific, 72-57, before taking an 80-66 win on Nov. 16 from host Concordia Irvine.

• Sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt led Seattle Pacific with 23 points in the tournament games. He connected for 13 against Azusa Pacific on 5 of 9 from the field and 10 points against Concordia Irvine to go with five rebounds. Moffitt is averaging 9.8 points per game.

• Freshman forward Filip Fullerton finished with 19 points in the two games on 53 percent from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. His best game came against Concordia Irvine with 16 points on 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Fullerton is averaging 5.4 points per game.

• Senior guard Gavin Long finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the tournament. He opened the GNAC/PacWest Challenge with 13 points and six rebounds against Azusa Pacific and then scored six against Concordia Irvine. Long leads the Falcons with 11.2 points and six rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 63.8 points and 29.8 rebounds per game. The Falcons are third in the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing 70.4 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific is in California for games at Sonoma State on Tuesday and at defending national runner-up Point Loma on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser has won three games in a row after beating Douglas on Saturday in its only game of the week, 97-75.

• Junior forward Jasdeep Singh led SFU with 27 points, connecting on 12 of 19 from the field and 2 of 5 from three-point range to go with five rebounds. Singh is fifth in the GNAC with 18 points per game and is seventh with 3.5 steals per game.

• Sophomore guard Wilfried Balata finished just short of a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds, shooting 10 of 18 from the field to go with two assists and a steal. Balata is sixth in the GNAC with 17.8 points per game and tied for first with 8.5 rebounds per contest.

• Senior guard Michael Provenzano continued his tear in assists with nine more against Douglas along with 11 points. Provenzano is second in the GNAC with 5.5 assists per game and is tied for third with a .556 three-point percentage.

• Simon Fraser enters the week leading the GNAC with 86.8 points per game while averaging 37.8 rebounds per game. The Clan leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 11.3 steals per game and is 10th nationally with a 7.3 turnover margin. The Clan is also 23rd in Division II in fewest turnovers with 57.

• Simon Fraser will play in the Chuck Randall Classic this weekend in Bellingham, taking on Langara on Friday and Colorado Christian on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon is now 3-0 after winning both of its games at the Concordia Oxford Suites Portland Classic. The Wolves scored a 91-80 win over Notre Dame de Namur on Friday and a 90-69 win over Regis on Saturday.

• Senior guard Dalven Brushier was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he scored 42 points on 64 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range in the two wins. Brushier scored 20 points against Notre Dame de Namur on 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from the arc along with three rebounds and five assists. He then added 22 points against Regis on 9 of 13 from the field and three assists. Brushier is third in the GNAC in scoring with 21 points per game.

• Sophomore forward Cameron Cranston scored 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in the tournament. He opened with 17 points and eight rebounds against Notre Dame de Namur, adding two assists, a block and a steal. Cranston then had 14 points and six rebounds against Regis with four steals. Cranston is averaging 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Darius Lobom scored 29 points and shot 64 percent from the field in the two games, scoring 15 with nine assists against Notre Dame de Namur and 14 points with six assists against Regis. Lubom is averaging 11.3 points per game. He leads the GNAC with 5.67 assists per game and is 23rd in Division II with a .652 field goal percentage.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC with 85 points per game and is averaging 28.7 rebounds per contest. The Wolves lead the GNAC in free throw percentage (.805), field goal percentage (.534) and three-point percentage (.436). They rank seventh in Division II in field goal percentage, 13th in three-point percentage and 25th in free throw shooting.

• The Wolves play this weekend at the San Francisco State Gator Invitational, facing the host Gators on Friday and Stanislaus State on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not play last week. The Vikings will host the Chuck Randall Classic this weekend, playing Colorado Christian on Friday and Stanislaus State on Saturday.

• Western Washington went 1-2 the previous week, taking an 86-65 loss to Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 12 before splitting at the Aramark GNAC/PacWest Challenge in Irvine, California. The Vikings collected a 79-72 win over the host Eagles on Nov. 15 before taking a 90-80 loss to Azusa Pacific on Nov. 16.

• Senior forward Trevor Jasinsky averaged 26 points and six rebounds per game over the three games and connected on 89 percent from the free throw line. Jasinsky opened the week with 24 points and four rebounds against Cal Poly Pomona and then had 24 points and eight rebounds with a perfect 9 for 9 from the free throw line against Concordia Irvine. He ended the week with 30 points against Azusa Pacific on 7 of 15 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line. Jasinsky is second in the GNAC in scoring at 21.6 points per game and seventh with a .886 free throw percentage. He is ninth in Division II with 39 free throws made and 19th with 44 attempted.

• Senior forward Cameron Retherford scored 40 points and had 15 rebounds in the three games, shooting 60 percent from the arc and 80 percent from the free throw line. He came off the bench to score 17 points on 5 of 7 from the field against Concordia Irvine to go with eight rebounds. Retherford closed with 18 points against Azusa Pacific. He enters the week averaging 10.6 points per game.

• The Vikings enter the week averaging 77 points and 38 rebounds per game. They lead the GNAC and rank 18th in Division II with 14.60 offensive rebounds per game.

• Western Washington is ranked ninth in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.