Thursday, November 15, 2018

One week of play in women's basketball is in the books with over half of the conference remaining undefeated. Seven teams in all enter the second week of the season without a loss, with five of those teams posting 2-0 records.

The GNAC's two representatives in the D2SIDA preseason poll (No. 7 Alaska Anchorage and No. 16 Northwest Nazarene) emerged unscathed as well.

The Seawolves went on the road in week one, blowing out Holy Names and San Francisco State in the Bay Area to get their season started off on the right foot. The Nighthawks, meanwhile, stayed home, dispatching Stanislaus State and Cal State Monterey Bay for a pair of easy victories.

20 contests are on tap this weekend as regular-season play continues across the league.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser, G, 5-9, So., Richmond, B.C.)

Jones led the Clan to a season-opening split at the Cal State San Marcos Tournament with 36 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the two games. Jones finished with 23 points in Friday’s 75-70 loss to UC San Diego, making 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range to go with five rebounds. Jones was then among four SFU players to score in double figures with 13 on 5 of 11 from the field in Saturday’s 67-58 win over the host Cougars.

Also Nominated: Taylor Shaw (Central Washington), Keesha Sarman (Concordia), Hannah Collins (Montana State Billings), McKenna Walker (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin's), Olivia Denton (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks took to the Bay Area over the weekend and returned home with a pair of victories in hand.

• Behind a 19-point outburst by guard Sabrina Ungaro and a late three-pointer from senior Emily Evans, Alaska was able to topple San Francisco State, 68-65, in its season opener. The team then parlayed some of that momentum into another winning performance one day later, edging Holy Names for a 79-72 victory.

• It’s Petersburg, Alaska product Kylie Wallace who leads the team in scoring after one week of play. The junior guard is averaging 18.5 points per game to go along with 8.5 rebounds per game.

• Alaska now travels south to Anchorage for a pair of contests on Friday and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Nanooks will face Cal State Dominguez Hills to open the week before putting a lid on the Seawolf Hoops Classic against Cal State East Bay.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage got its 2018-19 campaign started off on the right foot with two wins in San Francisco. Both victories came in dominant fashion, winning both contests by at least 30 points.

• The Seawolves got their season underway with a 94-52 blowout of Holy Names, then followed that up a day later with an 86-54 victory at San Francisco State. A balanced offensive attack helped keep both opponents at bay as the team had four players score in double figures in each contest.

• Alaska Anchorage ranked No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, which was published prior to the start of the season.

• The Seawolves lead the GNAC and are sixth nationally in Assist Turnover Ratio (1.67). Senior Sydni Stallworth is ranked No. 24 in Division II in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage at a clip of 66.7 percent. Stallworth is averaging 11 points and 3.5 steals per game heading into the second week of the season.

• The team returns to Anchorage for its first two games of the season inside the Alaska Airlines Center. The home opener will be on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Cal State East Bay before it hosts Cal Stare Dominguez Hills on Saturday night.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats remained perfect to start the season, traveling to Nampa for the CCAA-GNAC Crossover and blowing out both Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State.

• Forward Taylor Shaw led the way, averaging 23 points and seven rebounds per game over the weekend. The junior’s 28 points in Saturday’s victory over the Warriors led all scorers.

• Also shining on opening week for CWU was fellow junior Alexis Pana. The guard is scoring at a clip of 13 points per game while dishing out a total of nine assists in the two victories.

• Central Washington will return to Ellensburg to host St. Cloud State and Cal State San Bernardino this week. The Huskies enter the round robin tournament still undefeated, while the Coyotes sit at an even 1-1 on the season. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts on Friday and Saturday night.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia won both games in its return to action in the 2018-19 season.

• A dominant, 92-62 victory against Academy of Art got the year started on a good note, and the team followed that up with a 35-point win at Cal State East Bay one day later.

• Guard Kizzah Maltezo led the Cavaliers, averaging 13 points and three assists per game over the trip to California. The junior topped all scorers with 14 points while also leading her team’s stout defensive effort in the 61-26 victory against the Pioneers.

• The Cavaliers will be up in Ellensburg for a pair of contests this week. They will battle Cal State San Bernardino on Friday at 5 p.m. before closing the weekend against St. Cloud State on Saturday evening.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets won their only counting game in opening week, topping the University of Providence for a 73-65 victory on Friday night.

• Sophomore Hannah Collins exploded for 29 points in the victory. The guard made 10 of 16 field goals, including a four of seven shooting clip from beyond the arc.

• Forwards Taylor Cunningham and Vanessa Stavish also finished the contest scoring in double figures, adding 12 and 10 points a piece. The output from Cunningham matched a career high for the junior.

• Montana State Billings will return to action twice this week, taking on Chardon State and South Dakota Mines in a pair of road games. Both contests will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evening.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene picked up a pair of wins last week in the CCAA-GNAC Crossover.

• Picked as the preseason favorite by the conference coaches, the Nighthawks came out of the gates firing in a 88-59 victory over Stanislaus State in its season opener. The team then rolled to an 86-49 win against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

• Guard McKenna Walker shined for NNU, averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals per game. The senior was one of six Nighthawks who had at least one game scoring in double figures.

• Northwest Nazarene is ranked No. 16 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, which was published prior to the start of the season.

• The Nighthawks will be in Salt Lake City this weekend for a pair of contests away from home, starting with a date against Colorado Christian on Friday at 5 p.m. They will then take on Westminster on Saturday evening to close the week.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints prevailed in their only game of the week, topping Pacific Lutheran 71-63 in the GNAC’s first regular season game of the season.

• Up by just one with six minutes remaining, Saint Martin’s used a 17-10 run down the stretch to run away with the opening night victory.

• Guards Saniah Simpson and Makenna Schultz led the way for SMU, totaling 20 points and six rebounds a piece. Freshman Claire Dingus also finished scoring in double figures, contributing to a balanced Saints attack with 10 points in her first collegiate contest.

• Saint Martin’s is headed to St. George, Utah this weekend, where it will face Colorado Mesa and Dixie State in a 24-hour span.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped a pair of close contests in their first week of play, taking to Bellingham for the West Region Crossover Classic.

• The Falcons season opener ended in a 80-69 defeat against Fresno Pacific, one day before dropping a two-point decision to Humboldt State. The team started both games strong, leading at halftime in each.

• Guards Cici West and Hailee Bennett paced SPU, averaging 11.5 points per game. West added in 9.5 rebounds per game and earned a spot on the West Region Crossover Classic All-Tournament Team.

• The Falcons are headed back to Seattle this week for their first two home games of the 2018-19 campaign. The week will begin on Friday at 5 p.m. against Azusa Pacific and conclude one day later against UC San Diego.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan embarked on a trip to Southern California and returned home with a 2-1 record. This marks the third straight season in which the program has opened with a mark of 2-1.

• The wins came in true road games against Cal State San Marcos and Point Loma by nearly identical scores (67-58, 67-59).

• Senior Sophie Swant is at the top of the Simon Fraser scoring list after three games, averaging a clip of 16.3 per game. The forward led all scorers in Monday’s victory over the Sea Lions with 17 points.

• Sophomore Jessica Jones also shined for SFU, earning GNAC Player of the Week honors after totaling 36 points and eight rebounds in her first two contests of the season. Jones then added another 11 points against Point Loma.

• The Clan will take the rest of the week off before heading up to Anchorage on Nov. 23 and 24 for the UAA Thanksgiving Tournament.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped its first two games of the season in a competitive trip to California last week.

• The team led in its season opener at Cal State East Bay with just two minutes remaining but ultimately fell, 51-47. They then came out on the wrong end of a 77-65 decision one day later against Academy of Art.

• Sophomore Olivia Denton did a bit of everything for WOU in its first week of play, averaging a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

• Next up for the Wolves is a trip to St. George, where they will take on Dixie State on Friday night before meeting Colorado Mesa on Saturday for a 3 p.m tip-off.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings split their first two games of the season in thrilling fashion at the West Region Crossover Classic.

• After a tight, 76-66 defeat against Humboldt State on opening night, Western Washington bounced back to edge Fresno Pacific by a single point on Saturday.

• An Anna Schwecke layup with four seconds left proved to be the game-winner in the 66-65 win. Schwecke had 12 points on the night and was one of four Vikings to finish in double figures.

• Schwecke, Dani Iwami and Emma Duff each made the All-Tournament team for their standout performances. Iwami led the trio with 14 points per game, while Duff and Schweke averaged in double figures in both points and rebounds.

• Western Washington will head south to Seattle this weekend, taking on UC San Diego and Azusa Pacific at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic.