Tuesday, November 26, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jessica Jones
Simon Fraser
G • 5-9 • Jr. • Richmond, B.C.

Jones led Simon Fraser to two home wins with 40 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. She shot 46 percent from the field and 7 of 10 from the free throw line in the two games. Jones scored 32 points in Friday’s 81-79 overtime win over UC-Colorado Springs, making 11 of 20 from the field and 6 of 13 from three-point range while adding four assists and three steals. She then scored eight points in Saturday’s 77-58 win over Western Colorado.

Also Nominated: Jocelyn Gandara (Alaska), Yazmeen Goo (Alaska Anchorage), Olivia Vezladenos (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Janealle Sutterlict (Saint Martin’s), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska is coming off a 1-1 week with a 84-64 loss to Westminster (Utah) on Friday and a 73-66 win over Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday.

• Three Nanooks scored in double digits in the loss to Westminster. Sam Tolliver led the team with 16 points, shooting 6 of 13 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range. Tolliver also recorded 17 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block in the win over Wisconsin-Parkside.

• Jocelyn Gandara was the top scorer in the Nanooks’ win over the Rangers with 18 points, seven rebounds and an assist while shooting 3 of 5 from three-point range.

• Kylie Wallace registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Sabrina Ungaro also contributed with 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals in the win over the Rangers.

• Alaska is now 3-3 on the season. Up next, Alaska will face Chadron State, Converse and Lake Erie as the Nanooks host the Mt. McKinley State Bank North Star Invitational.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage went 2-0 at its own Seawolf Hoops Classic with an 86-57 win over Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday and a 69-56 win over Westminster (Utah) on Saturday.

• Tennae Voliva registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Safiyyah Yasin led the Seawolves with 19 points, connecting on 6 of 12 from the field, to add to four rebounds, four assists and a steal in the win over the Rangers.

• Defense was key for the Seawolves in Saturday’s win over the Griffins. The Seawolves forced 19 turnovers for 26 points while also picking up 11 steals and four blocks to hand the Griffins their first loss of the season.

• Yazmeen Goo led all scorers with 14 points while Amelia Motz grabbed 11 rebounds to add to six points in 15 minutes off the bench.

• The Seawolves rank fourth in Division II with 91 points per game while also ranking sixth with a 30.6 scoring margin.

• Alaska Anchorage remains unbeaten with a 5-0 record. Up next, the Seawolves will head down to Florida to play at Lynn on Wednesday and Barry on Friday before playing Nova Southeastern in Miami Shores on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington remained idle last week after going 1-1 at Northwest Nazarene’s Fairfield Inn Tournament on Nov. 15-16.

• Alexis Pana ranks 12th in Division II with 6.5 assists per game while also ranking 24th with 7.8 defensive rebounds per game and 37th with three steals per game.

• Samantha Bowman leads the GNAC and ranks seventh in Division II with a 68.6 field goal percentage. She also ranks 28th with two blocks per game and has registered two double-doubles four games this season.

• The Wildcats entered the week ranked No. 10 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Poll.

• Central Washington is 2-2 on the season. Up next, the Wildcats will play in an exhibition game at Division I Seattle on Tuesday before heading to Denver, Colorado, to face Colorado Christian on Friday and host Metro State on Saturday in the Holiday Inn Denver Cherry Creek Classic.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 1-1 at Seattle Pacific’s Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. The Cavaliers picked up their first win of the season with a 76-65 victory over Regis on Friday. The Cavs then dropped a 69-57 game to Colorado Mines on Saturday.

• The Cavs shot 42.9 percent from the field and made nine three-pointers to top the Rangers on Friday. The Cavs top the GNAC and rank 18th in Division II with a .397 three-point field goal percentage.

• Olivia Vezaldenos connected on 5 of 10 shots from the field to put up 18 points while also adding four steals, three rebounds and three assists. She ranks 14th in Division II with 20 three-pointers made.

• Riley Friauf also helped to lead the offensive charge with 15 points, six rebounds and an assist against the Rangers.

• Dorcas Wu led the Cavs with 17 points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist in Saturday’s loss to the Orediggers.

• Concordia is now 1-5 on the season. Up next, the Cavs will open their home schedule as they host Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and Point Loma on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings won both of its games at home last week with a 75-49 victory over Corban on Monday and a 68-54 victory over Chadron State on Saturday.

• The Yellowjackets limited Corban to just 18 total points in the second half and forced 19 turnovers for 28 points in the rout of the Warriors.

• Four Yellowjackets scored in double digits against the Warriors. Shayla Montague scored 14 points to add to eight rebounds while Emily St. John and Jeanann Lemelin put up 12 points apiece.

• Taryn Shelley led the Yellowjackets with a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds while adding two assists, a steal and a block against the Warriors. Shelley also registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Eagles.

• Hannah Collins connected on 8 of 14 from the field to score 22 points to lead the Yellowjackets in the win over the Eagles.

• Montana State Billings improved to 3-4 on the season. Up next, the Yellowjackets await conference play as they face Simon Fraser on Dec. 5 in Burnaby.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene went 1-1 at last week’s Dixie State Tournament. The Nighthawks lost to the host Trailblazers, 79-70, on Friday then bounced back to top Colorado Mesa, 56-52, on Saturday.

• Avery Albrecht went off for 29 points, six rebounds, three steals and an assist in the loss to the Trailblazers. She ranks sixth in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game.

• It was all defense for NNU in its win over Colorado Mesa. The Nighthawks scored 25 points off of 28 turnovers by the Mavericks while also registering 21 steals. The Nighthawks outscored the Mavericks, 15-6, in the fourth quarter to secure the come-from-behind victory.

• Erin Jenkins had a game-high 16 points while Marina Valles picked up 10 steals. Valles leads the GNAC and ranks second in Division II with 29 steals and 4.83 steals per game while also ranking 27th with 30 assists.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 3-3 on the season. Up next, the Nighthawks will return home to host Division III Whitworth on Tuesday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped both of its games at the Dixie State Tournament with a 56-31 loss to Colorado Mesa on Friday and a tough 74-71 loss to Dixie State on Saturday.

• Claire Dingus just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds in the loss to the Mavericks. Dingus also scored 11 points against the Trailblazers. She leads the GNAC and ranks 26th in Division II with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game.

• Janealle Sutterlict had a game-high of 25 points to go with six rebounds and two assists while Mallory Vivola came off the bench to score 19 points against the Trailblazers. Vivola leads the GNAC and ranks 21st in Division II with a .545 three-point field goal percentage.

• Saint Martin’s is now 2-2 after the two losses. The Saints will look to bounce back as they host Texas A&M-International on Sunday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific is still looking for its first win of the season as the Falcons dropped two games at their own Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. The Falcons fell 66-55 to Colorado Mines on Friday then lost to Regis, 62-53, on Saturday.

• Abril Rexach Roure led the Falcons with 19 points, connecting on 5 of 8 shots from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range while also shooting 77.8 percent from the free throw line in the loss to the Orediggers. She also scored 13 points in the loss to the Rangers.

• Ashlynn Burgess came up just short of a double-double against Regis as she put up 12 points and nine rebounds. She is 14th in the conference with 13 points per game and 13th with 6.2 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific fell to 0-6 after the two losses. The Falcons will now await conference play as they head to Ellensburg to take on Central Washington on Dec. 5.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser continued its homestand with a pair of wins. The Clan topped UC-Colorado Springs, 81-79, in overtime on Friday then beat Western Colorado, 77-58, on Saturday.

• Jessica Jones was selected as the GNAC Player of the Week after leading the Clan with 40 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. She shot 46 percent from the field and 7 of 10 from the free throw line in the two games. In her best performance of the week, Jones scored 32 points in Friday’s 81-79 overtime win over UC-Colorado Springs.

• The Clan leads Division II in free throw attempts (218), free throws made (151) and three-pointers made (76).

• Simon Fraser improved to a 5-5 record after the pair of home victories. Up next, the Clan will open GNAC play as it hosts Western Washington on Dec. 3.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon remained idle last week after going 1-1 in Rohnert Park, California, on Nov. 15 and 16.

• The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank 38th in Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 55.8 points per game. The Wolves also top the conference in rebounding defense (30.8 allowed per game).

• Shariah Green ranks 10th in the conference in three-point percentage (.462) and second in free throw percentage (.889).

• With a 2-2 record, the Wolves return home to host Texas A&M International on Friday and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington picked up a pair of wins at home last week with a 69-66 win over Western Colorado on Friday and a 62-41 rout of UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday.

• Maddison Coleman scored 17 points and added three rebounds, a steal and a block off the bench in the Vikings’ win over the Mountaineers.

• The Vikings shot 42.9 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free throw line in the win over the Mountain Lions.

• Anna Schwecke registered a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and added two assists and two steals against the Mountain Lions. She connected on 9 of 14 shots from the field.

• The Vikings are now 4-2 on the season and rank No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings. The Vikings will open conference play as they play at Simon Fraser on Dec. 3.