Tuesday, December 3, 2019

ROAD IS WHERE THE WINS ARE FOR FALCONS: After dropping four straight games, including three at home, Seattle Pacific seems to have found the winning formula on the road. In California to be specific.

The Falcons have now won three straight games, including a 96-89 win at defending national runner-up Point Loma on Saturday. That performance, coupled with a 75-55 rout of Sonoma State in the Bay Area on Tuesday, earned the Falcons selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

Picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Falcons are outscoring opponents by an average of seven points per game and outrebounding foes by six per game away from Royal Brougham Pavilion. Seattle Pacific is shooting 50 percent from the field on the road and just 39 percent at home.

Part of that momentum came this week from sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt, who was named the GNAC Player of the Week. Moffitt scored 43 points on 63.6 percent from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line along with nine rebounds, 10 assists and five steals.

Seattle Pacific hopes that road momentum will hold with the start of GNAC play. The Falcons travel to Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. They don’t play another counting game at home until welcoming Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 2.

WOLVES REMAIN UNDEFEATED: After being picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll, Western Oregon will open conference play with the GNAC’s only undefeated record.

The Wolves improved to 5-0 on the season by sweeping its games at the San Francisco State Gator Invitational, collecting an 88-76 win from San Francisco St. on Friday and a 75-72 win over Stanislaus State on Saturday. Junior guard Darius Lubom was named the tournament MVP after he finished with 44 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, shooting 66 percent from the field.

Western Oregon has established itself as one of the top offensive teams in the league. The Wolves are second in the GNAC with 83.6 points per game and lead the conference in free throw percentage (.797), field goal percentage (.542) and three-point percentage (.457).

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).
SF State Gator Invitational (Nov. 29-30, San Francisco): Darius Lubom (WOU, Most Valuable Player), Dalven Brushier (WOU).
Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 29-30, Bellingham): D’Angelo Minnis (WWU, Most Valuable Player), Luke Lovelady (WWU), Jasdeep Singh (SFU), Wilfried Balata (SFU).
Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 29-30, Anchorage): Niko Bevens (UAA), Tyler Brimhall (UAA), Oggie Pantovic (UAA).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Divant’e Moffitt
Seattle Pacific
G • 6-2 • So. • Spanaway, Wash.

Moffitt led the Falcons to a pair of road wins in California with 43 points on 63.6 percent from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line along with nine rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. Moffitt opened the week with 14 points in Tuesday’s 75-55 win at Sonoma State, making 6 of 8 from the field. He then erupted for a career-high 29 points to lead SPU in a 96-89 win at defending national runner-up Point Loma. He shot 8 of 14 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line in the game to go along with seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Also Nominated: Niko Bevens (Alaska Anchorage), Hunter Sweet (Concordia), Brendan Howard (Montana State Billings), Jasdeep Singh (Simon Fraser), Demonte Malloy (Saint Martin’s), Darius Lubom (Western Oregon), D’Angelo Minnis (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both of its games at the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic, falling to Northern Michigan, 95-45, on Friday before dropping a 65-57 decision to Michigan Tech on Saturday.

• Junior guard Shadeed Shabazz led the Nanooks with 27 points, five assists and five steals in the two games. Shabazz scored seven points against Northwest Michigan before breaking out for 20 against Michigan Tech to go with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and five steals against Michigan Tech. Shabazz is seventh in the GNAC with 18.1 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 3.14 steals per game. Shabazz is also seventh in Division II with 22 total steals and 23rd with a .943 free throw percentage.

• Junior guard Koby Huerta scored 15 points, all in Saturday’s game against Michigan Tech, on 5 of 11 from the field and 5 of 7 from three-point range. Huerta is averaging 8.5 points per game.

• Freshman forward/center Mawich Kachjanni scored 13 points and had 14 rebounds in the tournament, topped by his seven points and seven rebounds against Northern Michigan. Kachjanni is sixth in the GNAC with 8.1 rebounds per game and second with six defensive rebounds per game.

• Alaska is averaging 67.2 points and 31.9 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are fifth in the GNAC with 6.38 steals and 10.13 offensive  rebounds per game.

• The Nanooks play their first home games of the season this week, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage split its games at its own Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic, losing to Michigan Tech on Friday, 83-80, before beating Northern Michigan on Saturday, 84-76.

• Senior guard Niko Bevens was named to the All-Tournament Team after he led the Seawolves with 28 points in the two games, shooting 60 percent from the field and 66 percent from three-point range. He opened with 12 points against Michigan Tech, going 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from outside, and then scored 16 against Northern Michigan on 5 of 9 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range. Bevens is averaging 13.5 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 40 three-pointers made. He is also 20th in Division II with 3.75 three-pointers made per game and 21st with a .517 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward Oggie Pantovic also earned All-Tournament Team honors after scoring 28 points, pulling down 11 rebounds and shooting 64 percent from the field. Pantovic scored 16 against Michigan Tech on 8 of 11 from the field with nine rebounds. He then scored 10 points against Northern Michigan. Pantovic is averaging 10.4 points per game and is 10th in the GNAC with 6.5 rebounds per game.

• Senior guard/forward Tyler Brimhall also earned All-Tournament Team honors for his 25 points and 11 rebounds. He finished with eight points and three rebounds against Michigan Tech before posting numbers of 17 points and eight boards against Northern Michigan. Brimhall is averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 78.4 points and 33.4 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank ninth in Division II with 20.6 assists per game while also ranking ninth in Division II with 92 three-pointers made.

• The Seawolves are No. 9 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings, down one spot from the previous week.

• Alaska Anchorage opens the GNAC season at home, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington won its only game last week, an 82-67 game over Corban on Tuesday, to extend its win streak to four games.

• Senior guard Davon Bolton led four CWU players to score in double figures with 18 points, connecting on 7 of 13 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range. Bolton is averaging 8.2 points per game.

• Junior guard Amari Stafford came off the bench to finish with 15 points and six rebounds on 7 of 9 from the field. Seeing action in all six games this season, Stafford is averaging 5.2 points per game.

• Central Washington is averaging 77.3 points and 34.7 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.502). Central is also 22nd in Division II with 14 personal fouls per game. Individually, sophomore Tariq Woody is third in the GNAC with a .641 field goal percentage.

• Central Washington begins conference play at home, opening a six-game homestand against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia dropped both of its contests at the San Francisco St. Gator Invitational, falling 62-58 to Stanislaus State on Friday and 91-55 to the host Gators on Saturday.

• Junior guard/forward Hunter Sweet led the way once again with his 27 points and 11 rebounds in the tournament, shooting 47 percent from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Sweet led the way with 18 points against Stanislaus State, connecting on 5 of 9 from the field and hitting 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Sweet then finished with nine points and six rebounds against San Francisco St. Sweet is averaging 15 points per game.

• Senior guard David Wheeler added 20 points in the two games as he connected on 63 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. After a quiet three points against Stanislaus State, Wheeler poured in 17 points against San Francisco State on 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 8 from outside. Wheeler is averaging six points per game and is second in the GNAC with a .579 three-point percentage.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 67.9 points and 32.6 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are sixth in the GNAC with 8.75 three-pointers made per game.

• The Cavaliers open conference play up north, facing Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings swept its back-to-back meetings with Adams State over the weekend, collecting an 86-75 win on Friday and a 95-82 win on Saturday.

• Senior guard Tyler Green led the offense with 55 points and nine assists in the two games, shooting 52 percent from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Green led all scorers with 28 points on Friday, connecting on 9 of 18 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line along with four assists. He then scored 27 on Saturday, going 9 of 16 from the field, 6 of 13 from three-point range and 3 of 4 from the free throw line with five assists. Green is sixth in the GNAC with 18.2 points per game and is second with 3.33 three-pointers made per game.

• Sophomore forward Brendan Howard had double-doubles in both contests, finishing with 44 points and 21 rebounds over the two games as he shot 54 percent from the field and 66 percent from three-point range. Howard scored 17 points and had 11 boards on Friday. He then scored 27 and had 10 rebounds on Saturday, shooting 11 of 16 from the field and 3 of 4 from outside. Howard leads the GNAC in and is 23rd in Division II scoring at 23 points per game. He is also tied for 30th in Division II with three double-doubles on the season.

• Freshman point guard Chrishon Dixon added 24 points, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds on Friday and 11 points on Saturday. Dixon enters the week averaging 9.5 points per game.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 76.3 points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 39.5 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets lead the GNAC with 4.33 blocks per game. In addition, MSUB is seventh in Division II with 12.3 personal fouls per game and 19th in fewest fouls with 74.

• Montana State Billings is on the road for the opening of the GNAC schedule, playing at Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene lost its only game last week, dropping a close 74-70 decision at Cal State LA.

• Junior guard Ezekiel Alley posted his second-straight 18-point performance off the bench to lead the Nighthawks. He connected on 8 of 18 from the field to go with six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Alley is currently ninth in the GNAC with 16 points per game and ranks fifth with two steals per contest.

• Freshman guard George Reidy led the five starters with 14 points. connecting on 5 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Reidy is averaging 13.2 points per game.

• Junior guard Sam Roth pulled down a GNAC season-high 16 rebounds in the loss. He enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 8.6 rebounds per game and leads the conference with 7.2 defensive rebounds per game.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 72.8 points per game and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 39.2 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC in field goal percentage defense (.398) and defensive rebounds (29.40 per game).

• The Nighthawks open GNAC play at home, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints split a pair of home non-conference games last week, taking an 89-83 loss to Cal State East Bay on Wednesday before collecting an 88-83 victory over Evergreen State on Sunday.

• Junior guard Demonte Malloy led Saint Martin’s with 36 points and 22 rebounds in the two games. He registered a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State East Bay before coming alive for 22 points and 12 rebounds against Evergreen State. Malloy is eighth in the GNAC in scoring with 16.3 points per game and fifth with 8.2 rebounds per game.

• Junior center Marky Adams also collected double-doubles in both games with totals of 30 points and 23 rebounds on the week on 71 percent shooting from the field. Adams finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds against Cal State East Bay. He added 18 points and 10 boards on 9 of 12 from the field against Evergreen State. Adams leads the GNAC with nine rebounds per game. He also leads the league and ranks 15th in Division II with four offensive rebounds per game and ranks 13th in Division II with his .689 field goal percentage.

• Freshman guard Alex Schumacher matched Malloy with 36 points last week to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Schumacher finished with 16 points and five rebounds against Cal State East Bay and had 20 points against Evergreen State. Schumacher is averaging 15.3 points per game.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 78.8 points per game and leads the league with 40.7 rebounds per game. The Saints are second in the GNAC with 6.83 steals per game.

• The Saints take to the road to open conference play, competing at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• After losing its first four games of the season, Seattle Pacific has now won three straight, all on the road. The Falcons last week posted a 75-55 win at Sonoma State on Tuesday and a 96-89 win at defending national runner-up Point Loma on Saturday.

• For their turnaround and road winning ways, the Falcons were selected as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he scored 43 points and had 10 assists, nine rebounds and five steals in the two wins. Moffitt finished with 14 points on 6 of 8 from the field at Sonoma State. He then led the Falcons with 29 points at Point Loma with seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He shot 8 of 14 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Moffitt leads the Falcons with 13.1 points per game.

• Freshman forward Shaw Anderson had 29 points and 10 rebounds in the two games, making 62 percent from the field. He made his biggest impact at Sonoma State with 20 points on 6 of 8 from the field, 3 of 4 from three-point range and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Anderson then had nine points and six rebounds at Point Loma. Anderson is averaging 8.6 points per game.

• Junior guard Harry Cavell came up with 26 points and 17 rebounds last week. Cavell had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds at Sonoma State and then scored 16 to go with seven rebounds at Point Loma. Cavell is averaging 10 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 70 points and 31.4 rebounds per game. The Falcons are third in the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing 70.9 points per game, and fourth in field goal percentage (.460).

• Seattle Pacific remains on the road for its GNAC openers, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser improved to 5-1 on the season by sweeping its games at the Chuck Randall Classic in Bellingham. The Clan scored a 111-59 win over Langara on Friday and an 89-80 win over Colorado Christian on Saturday.

• Junior forward Jasdeep Singh was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 41 points and 13 rebounds in the two games, shooting 60 percent from the field. Singh scored 19 points on 8 of 10 from the field and had four rebounds and six assists against Langara. He was just short of a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds against Colorado Christian. Singh is second in the GNAC in scoring at 18.8 points per game and ranks sixth with 3.83 assists per contest.

• Sophomore guard Wilfried Balata also earned All-Tournament Team honors for his 40 points and 17 rebounds. Balata opened with 13 points and seven rebounds against Langara with four steals. He then had a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds against Colorado Christian with six assists. Balata is fourth in the GNAC with 18.5 points and 2.17 steals per game.

• Junior center Julian Roche was also big with his 33 points and 20 rebounds, shooting 64 percent in the tournament. He was short of a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds against Langara, but notched one with 21 points and 12 rebounds against Colorado Christian. Roche is averaging 11.8 points per game and is seventh in the GNAC with eight rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 19th in Division II in scoring with 91.2 points per game. The Clan also leads the conference in scoring margin (+14.2), rebounding margin (+9), steals (12 per game), turnover margin (+10.17) and offensive rebounds (14.67 per game). Simon Fraser is second in Division II in turnover margin.

• Simon Fraser is home for the start of GNAC play, hosting Western Washington on Tuesday and Montana State Billings on Thursday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon improved  to 5-0 on the season with two wins at the San Francisco St. Gator Invitational, taking an 88-76 win from the host Gators on Friday and a 75-72 win from Stanislaus State on Saturday.

• Junior guard Darius Lubom was named the tournament MVP after he finished with 44 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, shooting 66 percent from the field. Lubom opened the tourney with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals against San Francisco St., making 10 of 14 from the field. He then tallied 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals against Stanislaus State. Lubom is 10th in the GNAC with 15.6 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with a .644 field goal percentage.

• Senior guard Dalven Brushier was also named to the All-Tournament Team for his 28 points in the two games. Brushier finished with 17 points on 5 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line with four rebounds and four assists against San Francisco St. He then scored 11 points and had three rebounds against Stanislaus State. Brushier is fifth in the GNAC 18.2 points per game and third with 2.4 steals per game.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC in scoring with 83.6 points per game and is averaging 28.7 rebounds per contest. The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II with a .542 field goal percentage. The Wolves also lead the league and are 20th in Division II with a .797 free throw percentage.

• Western Oregon is fifth in this week’s D2SIDA West Region Rankings, moving up from No. 10 a week ago. The Wolves also received votes in this week’s NABC Men’s Basketball Rankings.

• The Wolves head to the Last Frontier to open the GNAC schedule, playing at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington swept its games in its own Chuck Randall Classic over the weekend, taking a 91-69 win over Colorado Christian on Friday and a 90-51 win over Langara on Saturday.

• Redshirt freshman guard D’Angelo Minnis was named the tournament MVP after he finished with 38 points, eight assists and six steals in the two games, shooting 60 percent from both the field and three-point range. Minnis opened with 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and five steals against Colorado Christian, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from outside. He then added 17 points and four assists against Langara on 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range. Minnis is averaging 12.4 points per game.

• Junior forward Luke Lovelady also earned All-Tournament Team honors after finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 68 percent from the field. He scored 14 points and seven rebounds in each game, shooting 70 percent from the field against Colorado Christian. Lovelady is averaging 7.7 points and six rebounds per game.

• Sophomore forward Jalen Green finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six blocks in the tournament. He opened with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks against Colorado Christian before adding totals of 14 points and four blocks against Langara. Green is eighth in the GNAC with 6.7 rebounds per game while averaging 11.4 points per game.

• The Vikings enter the week third in the GNAC with 80.9 points per game while averaging 38.7 rebounds per game. The Vikings are second in the GNAC in three-point percentage (.391), rebounding margin (+5), blocked shots (3.86 per game) and offensive rebounds (13.86 per game).

• Western Washington is ranked 10th in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• The Vikings open GNAC play at Simon Fraser on Tuesday before returning home to welcome Montana State Billings on Saturday.