Tuesday, December 11, 2018

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Olivia Vezaldenos
Concordia
G • 5-7 • So. • Manteca, Calif.

Vezaldenos scored a season-high 26 points in 25 minutes of action to lead the Cavaliers to an 87-54 win over Warner Pacific on Saturday. She connected on 9 of 16 from the field and 6 of 10 from three-point range to go with two rebounds, five steals and an assist.

Also Nominated: Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene), Makenna Schultz (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks were off last week, breaking in preparation for final exams after an 0-2 start to conference play.

• Both of those contests came on the road against teams who entered the week previously undefeated. Alaska led 6-1 Central Washington at the end of the first quarter in Ellensburg but were unable to hang on to the advantage, ultimately falling 76-61.

• Senior Marian Wamsley leads the team in scoring after five weeks of play. The forward is averaging 13.8 points per game, with guard Kylie Wallace following at 13.3 points per game.

• Alaska is off for the rest of the month. The Nanooks will return to the court on Jan. 3 against Western Washington in Fairbanks.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not play last week, fresh off a split in its first two GNAC games of the season. The team blew out undefeated Central Washington in Ellensburg before falling at No. 5 Northwest Nazarene.

• The highlight of the road trip came in a 74-60 victory over then 6-0 Central Washington. Four Seawolves finished the game scoring in double figures, led by a 17-point outburst from center Hannah Wandersee.

• Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring. She is averaging 14 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

• The Seawolves lead the GNAC and are 13th nationally in steals per game with 12.6 per game. Senior Kian McNair is second in the conference in steals per game (2.63).  

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 13 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and tied for 15th in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team is off this week, with its next action coming Dec. 18-19 in Hilo, Hawaii. Its first contest on the islands will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. (HST) against Holy Names, with a battle against Hawaii Hilo coming the next night at 5:30 p.m.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats were off last week after splitting their first games of GNAC play, falling to then-undefeated Alaska Anchorage before a 15-point victory against Alaska.

• Guard Alexis Pana shined in the victory, pouring in 19 points while dishing out six assists in the 76-61 win. Sadie Mensing helped provide a nice one-two punch for CWU, adding 13 points against the Nanooks. Mensing is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game through the first month of the season.

• The team is shooting at one of the hottest clips in the country, making 50.9 percent of its field goal attempts thus far. That has Central Washington ranked first in the GNAC and third nationally.  

• The Wildcats are ranked No. 25 in the latest D2SIDA Poll, their first entry into the national rankings this season.

• Central Washington is in action once this week, traveling to Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday at 2 p.m.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia emerged victorious in its only game of the week, rolling Warner Pacific for an 87-54 win. The contest marked the team’s first home game of the 2018-19 campaign.

• Sophomore Olivia Vezaldenos shined for the Cavaliers, leading all scorers with 26 points in just 25 minutes of action. The guard’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week.

• Guard Kizzah Maltezo leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 per game through five weeks of play. On the glass, junior Iraide Juez tops CU with 7.3 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers are off this week as they prepare for a cross-country trip to Fort Lauderdale. They will be in action on Dec. 17-18, meeting Drury and Nova Southeastern in the Sunshine State.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets took to the court once last week, falling to No. 18 (NAIA) Rocky Mountain in an exhibition contest in Billings.

• Guard Hannah Collins led Montana State Billings, totaling 13 points to finish as one of two Yellowjackets in double figures. Forward Vanessa Stavish joined her with 12 points to go along with three rebounds.

• Collins has made 32 free throws in just six games so far this season. That mark leads the conference.

• Montana State Billings is off this week, returning to action on Dec. 18-19 at the NCAA D2 Daytona Beach Shootout. The team will face Maryville and Angelo State in its trip to Florida.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene picked up another victory last week to remain perfect on the season.

• The Nighthawks are the only unbeaten remaining in the GNAC. Their latest win came against Cal State LA, where they erased a 10-point deficit en route to the 86-72 victory.  

• The backcourt duo of Marina Valles and Ellie Logan shined for NNU, leading their team with 13 points apiece. The pair were two of five Nighthawks to finish the night scoring in double figures.

• The Nighthawks continue to climb in the national rankings and are now No. 5 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and 7th in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll. Their five first-place votes in the D2SIDA rankings was just one fewer than the leading first-place vote recipients.

• Northwest Nazarene will not play this week, returning to the floor on Dec. 18 against Whitworth in its final game of the month. That game will tip-off at 1 p.m. in Nampa.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s won its only game of the week, exploding for a 81-36 victory over Northwest Christian on Friday.

• The win featured a historic second quarter for SMU. The Saints held the Beacons scoreless for all 10 minutes, the first time the program had done so against an opponent since the NCAA adopted a four-quarter format (2015-present).

• Freshman Makenzie Kaech led all scorers in the victory, compiling 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. She was one of four Saints to finish scoring in double figures.  

• Guard Makenna Schultz has led Saint Martin’s this season, averaging 16.5 points per game as non-conference play winds to a close. Schultz is fourth in the GNAC in scoring average.

• Saint Martin’s will be in action twice this week, starting its tropical swing with a pair of road games against Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade. The trip to Hawaii will tip-off on Saturday at 11 a.m. (HST).

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was off last week, fresh off a pair of victories against GNAC opponents to cap a five-game homestand. The two wins have SPU tied at the top of the conference standings.

• The Falcons were led by a pair of explosive nights from guard Riley Evans, who finished the first week of conference play averaging with 23 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

• Evans leads the team in scoring through five weeks of play at a clip of 18.9 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific will not play this week, returning to the floor on Dec. 17 at Cal State LA. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan was off last week after splitting a pair of contests against Western Washington and Montana State Billings. The team dropped a tight battle against the Vikings before returning to action with an 81-74 victory over the visiting Yellowjackets.

• The seven-point win was made possible in part by a 26-point showing from senior Sophie Swant. The explosion led all scorers and was one of four double-figure performances.  

• Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after five games, averaging a clip of 16.7 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is following closely behind at 14.3 per game.

• Simon Fraser is on break until Dec. 17, when it will take on Stanislaus State at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic in Bellingham.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon returned to action on Monday night in Monmouth, blowing out Northwest Christian for a 79-62 victory.

• Center Natalie DeLonge led her team to the victory, scoring 14 points and grabbing sevens rebounds in the 17-point win. Forward Ali Nelke finished with a double-double, pouring in 10 points while pulling down 11 boards.

• Sophomore Keyonna Jones leads the Wolves with an average of 11.4 points per game. DeLonge is next on the team with 10.9 points per game.

• The Wolves will return to the floor on Dec. 19 in Monmouth, battling Notre Dame de Namur in their final non-conference game.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings were off last week, fresh off a sweep in their first two games of GNAC play.  

• Center Anna Schwecke shined in her first two conference contests of the season, averaging 22 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Her performance earned her GNAC Player of the Week honors, the second award of the season for Western Washington.

• It’s sophomore Kelsey Rogers who leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game after five weeks of action. Two other Vikings, Schwecke (14.0 points per game) and Dani Iwami (12.1), are scoring in double figures as the second month of the season rolls on.

• The Vikings will be back in action on Dec. 17, hosting Lubbock Christian at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic.