Tuesday, December 10, 2019

FIRST WEEK OF CONFERENCE PLAY PROVIDES INTRIGUE: The first week of GNAC play was a reminder that when it comes right down to it, all that matters is the outcomes on the court.

Five conference teams came out of the week with 2-0 records. Three of those performances would be considered expected. Simon Fraser, picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll, scored a 77-74 win over preseason favorite Western Washington on Tuesday and then added an 88-76 victory over Montana State Billings on Thursday.

Seattle Pacific, picked second, collected a solid pair of road wins at Central Washington on Thursday, 76-66, and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, 77-68. Alaska Anchorage went 2-0 in a pair of home games, registering an 81-74 win over Concordia on Thursday and an 88-86 overtime win over Western Oregon on Saturday.

The two unexpected members of the 2-0 club are Alaska and Saint Martin’s. The Nanooks handed Western Oregon its first loss of the season on Thursday, 72-66, and then outlasted Concordia in a double-overtime thriller on Saturday, 116-111. Picked to finish 10th, Alaska opened the season 1-7 before the two wins.

Saint Martin’s, meanwhile, took to the road for a pair of convincing wins. The Saints, picked 11th, collected an 84-63 win at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a 79-76 win at Central Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA EARNS TEAM OF WEEK STATUS: As frigid as Fairbanks was last week, the Alaska men’s basketball team got off to a hot start in GNAC play as the Nanooks won their first two conference games at home to snap a six-game skid and earn selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

The Nanooks opened their conference schedule with a 72-66 win over previously unbeaten Western Oregon on Thursday then edged out Concordia, 116-111, in a thrilling double-overtime game on Saturday at the Patty Center.

Down by seven points to Western Oregon at the half, the Nanooks turned things around and shot 59.3 percent from the field, outscoring the Wolves, 41-28, in the second half to run away with a win in their conference opener. The Nanooks finished the game with a .490 field goal percentage and scored 21 points off of 16 turnovers.

“We dug ourselves into a hole so we made some changes and some guys stepped up,” head coach Greg Sparling said. “We had an extremely challenging non-conference season with eight games on the road in three states but we got back home and the crowd was great.”

Alaska’s hot streak carried into Saturday’s win over the Cavaliers as the Nanooks shot 58.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range in a double-overtime game that consisted of 12 ties and 26 lead changes. The Nanooks scored 44 points in the paint and 24 points off of 17 turnovers by the Cavs.

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
Shadeed Shabazz
Alaska
G • 6-1 • Jr. • Seattle, Wash.

Shabazz led the Nanooks to a sweep of their opening GNAC games with 70 points, five assists and eight steals. He shot 63.4 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free throw line. In Thursday’s 72-66 win over Western Oregon, Shabazz poured in 27 points on 12 of 18 from the field to go with two rebounds, three assists and four steals. In Saturday’s 116-111 double-overtime win over Concordia, Shabazz exploded for 43 points on 14 of 23 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range and 11 of 15 from the free throw line to go with two rebounds, two assists and five steals. He became just the 15th player in GNAC history to score 43 or more in a game.

Also Nominated: Tyrus Hosley (Alaska Anchorage), Kevin Baker (Central Washington), Hunter Sweet (Concordia), George Reidy (Northwest Nazarene), Marky Adams (Saint Martin’s), Wilfried Balata (Simon Fraser), Dalven Brushier (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• After opening the season 1-7, Alaska stunned its first two GNAC opponents of the season. The Nanooks handed Western Oregon its first loss of the season, 72-66, on Thursday before winning a 116-111 double-overtime thriller over Concordia on Saturday.

• For their efforts to knock off the Oregon schools, Alaska was named the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Junior guard Shadeed Shabazz was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he averaged 35 points per game in the two contests, shooting 63 percent from the field. Shabazz opened with a 27-point performance against WOU to go along with two rebounds, three assists and four steals. He played all but three minutes against Concordia and finished with 43 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals. He is just the 15th player in GNAC history to score 43 or more points in a game. Shabazz is second in the GNAC with 23 points per game. He leads the league and is sixth in Division II with three steals per game.

• Junior guard Markel Banks had his own 30-plus point performance against Concordia, coming off the bench to score 33 points on 11 of 14 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Banks is averaging 9.5 points per game and is fourth in the GNAC with a .630 field goal percentage.

• Freshman forward/center Mawich Kachjanni added another 27 points and 11 rebounds in the two games, topped by his 19 points and nine rebounds against Western Oregon. Kachjanni is averaging 7.5 points per game and is sixth in the GNAC with 7.6 rebounds per game.

• Alaska is averaging 72.6 points and 30.9 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are fourth in the GNAC with 6.5 steals per game and rank 27th in Division II with 153 free throws made.

• The Nanooks are off until Thursday, Jan. 2 when they resume conference play at Saint Martin’s.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage opened its GNAC schedule with a 2-0 record, scoring an 81-74 win over Concordia on Thursday before using a buzzer-beating three-pointer by junior guard Jack Macdonald to beat Western Oregon on Saturday, 88-86.

• Senior guard Tyus Hosley led the Seawolves with 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the two wins, shooting 55 percent from the field and 61 percent from three-point range. Hosley scored 22 points against Concordia on 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from outside to go with seven rebounds, and three assists. He then scored 16 against Western Oregon to go with four rebounds and six assists. Hosley enters the week averaging 10.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

• Senior guard Niko Bevens finished with 30 points in the victories. Bevens scored 11 points against Concordia on 3 of 6 from the field, all three-pointers, before scoring 19 against Western Oregon on a night where he hit five from long range. Bevens is averaging 13.8 points per game and ranks 14th in Division II with a .500 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward Oggie Pantovic added 27 points and 14 rebounds, topped by his double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds against Western Oregon. Pantovic is averaging 11 points per game and is ninth in the GNAC with 6.6 rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is fourth in the GNAC with 79.6 points per game while also averaging 34.6 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank fifth in Division II with 21.1 assists per game and are 13th nationally with 11.8 three-pointers made per game.

• The Seawolves moved up three spots this week to No. 6 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Alaska Anchorage is off until traveling to the D2 Power Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii from Dec. 19-21.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington dropped both of its contests to open GNAC play at home, falling 76-66 to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and 79-76 to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior forward Kevin Baker led the Wildcats with 33 points and 12 rebounds in the two games off the bench, connecting on 81 percent from the field and 71 percent from three-point range. Baker opened with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists against Seattle Pacific and then scored 19 points with eight rebounds against Saint Martin’s. Baker leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.5 points per game.

• Senior guard Jeryn Lucas finished with 27 points in the two contests, connecting for 14 against Seattle Pacific and 13 against Saint Martin’s. Lucas enters the week averaging 11.6 points per game and is tied for 10th in Division II with two three-pointers made per game.

• Central Washington enters the week averaging 75.8 points and 34.6 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.490) and third in scoring defense (71.1 points allowed per game) while ranking 22nd in Division II with 14.1 personal fouls per game.

• Central Washington returns to non-conference play by hosting Multnomah on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia lost a pair of close ones on its GNAC season-opening road trip, losing 81-74 to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and 116-111 in double overtime to Alaska on Saturday.

• Junior guard/forward Hunter Sweet led the Cavaliers with 44 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and four steals in the two games, shooting 60 percent from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. Sweet opened with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists at Alaska Anchorage as he made 8 of 16 from the field. He then scored 26 points in 47 minutes at Alaska on 9 of 12 from the field, 2 of 3 from three-point range and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Sweet is eighth in the GNAC with 16.4 points per game and ninth with a .486 three-point percentage. He is also 26th in Division II with 337 minutes played.

• Junior forward Dakota Ayala with finished 33 points and 15 rebounds in the two games, shooting 58 percent from the field. Ayala just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds at Alaska Anchorage and then connected for 22 points at Alaska with six rebounds. He shot 9 of 12 from the field. Ayala is averaging 11.6 points per game.

• Senior guard El-roi Butler had 25 points and 11 rebounds on the road trip, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds at Alaska  Anchorage and 15 points and four rebounds at Alaska. Butler is averaging 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 72.8 points and 32.8 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are sixth in the GNAC with 8.60 three-pointers made per game.

• The Cavaliers do not play again until Monday, Dec. 16, when they host George Fox in an exhibition game. It is the team’s only contest until returning to conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings lost both road games to open the GNAC season, dropping an 88-76 decision at Simon Fraser on Thursday and an 86-62 game at Western Washington on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Brendan Howard registered his fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season, finishing with 46 points and 23 rebounds in the two contests. He opened with totals of 27 points and 10 rebounds at Simon Fraser, shooting 12 of 17 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range. Howard then added 19 points and 13 rebounds at Western Washington as he shot 8 of 17 from the field. Howard leads the GNAC and ranks 20th in Division II with 23 points per game. He is tied for 10th in Division II with his five double-doubles and is 14th with 76 field goals made.

• Senior guard Tyler Green added 24 points in the two games, scoring 22 of those points at Simon Fraser on 8 of 16 from the field and 6 of 13 from three-point range. Green is seventh in the GNAC with 16.6 points per game and is second in the GNAC with a .875 free throw percentage (21-24).

• Junior guard Stevie James scored nine points in each game to finish with 18 for the week. He connected on 4 of 7 from the field at Simon Fraser and made 6 of 7 from the free throw line at Western Washington. James is averaging 6.8 points per game.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 74.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 37.6 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets are second in the GNAC with 3.88 blocked shots per game. They rank fifth in Division II with 12.5 personal fouls per game and 17th in fewest fouls with 100.

• Montana State Billings plays just one game this week, hosting Rocky Mountain for an exhibition contest on Friday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took a pair of home losses to start conference play, falling 84-63 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday and 77-68 to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Freshman guard George Reidy led the Nighthawks with 35 points in the two games, making 57 percent from the field. He opened his week with 24 points against Saint Martin’s, making 11 of 16 from the field, to go with six rebounds and four assists. Reidy then scored 11 points against Seattle Pacific along with three assists. Reidy leads NNU with his 14.4 points per game and is eighth with a .582 field goal percentage.

• Senior forward Adalberto Diaz finished with 31 points and nine rebounds in the two contests, making 50 percent from both the field and three-point range. Diaz finished with 15 points against Saint Martin’s with four rebounds. He then scored 16 points against Seattle Pacific on 6 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from outside. Diaz is averaging 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

• Freshman guard Jaylen Fox had 14 of his 21 points on the week against Seattle Pacific, connecting on 5 of 7 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range in 30 minutes. Fox is averaging 8.6 points per game.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 70.7 points per game and ranks second in the GNAC with 39 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC in field goal percentage defense (.421).

• Northwest Nazarene does not play again until Thursday, Jan. 2, returning to conference play at Simon Fraser.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s had a pair of solid road wins to open GNAC play, scoring an 84-63 win at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a 79-76 victory at Central Washington on Saturday.

• Junior guard CJ Jennings led the Saints with 45 points in the two wins, shooting 57 percent from the field and 9 of 16 from three-point range. Jennings led the way with 27 points at Northwest Nazarene on 9 of 12 from the field and 7 of 9 from three-point range. He then added 18 points at Central Washington on 7 of 16 from the field. Jennings ranks 10th in the GNAC with 15.6 points per game and is second with 3.38 three-pointers made per game.

• Junior guard Demonte Malloy finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 59 percent from the field. Malloy opened with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds at Northwest Nazarene, shooting 57 percent from the field. He then added 12 points on 5 of 8 from the field at Central Washington. Malloy leads the Saints and is ninth in the GNAC with 16.1 points per game.

• Junior center Marky Adams connected for 26 points and 20 rebounds. He had double-doubles in both games, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds at Northwest Nazarene along with 11 points and 10 rebounds at Central Washington. Adams is second in the GNAC with 9.3 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is 17th in Division II with 2.13 blocked shots per game.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 79.5 points per game. The Saints lead the GNAC with 40.4 rebounds per contest and 29.83 defensive rebounds per game.

• The Saints do not play again until the D2 Power Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii from Dec. 19-21.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific extended its win streak to five games with two road wins to open GNAC play. The Falcons knocked off Central Washington on Thursday, 76-66, and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, 77-68.

• Junior guard Harry Cavell led the Falcons with his 30 points and 18 rebounds in the two games. He notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds at Central Washington, connecting on 6 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range. Cavell then scored 11 points and had eight rebounds at Northwest Nazarene. Cavell is averaging 11.1 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on the road trip. Moffitt led the Falcons with 20 points at Central Washington, connecting on 8 of 16 from the field and 2 of 4 from three-point range. He also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Moffitt finished the week with 10 points, four rebounds and five assists. Moffitt leads the Falcons with 13.6 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Braden Olsen added 21 points in the two games. He had 17 of those points at Northwest Nazarene in 19 minutes off the bench on 5 of 7 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line. Olsen is averaging 6.9 points per game and is tied for eighth in the GNAC with a .808 free throw percentage.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 71.4 points and 31.8 rebounds per game. The Falcons lead the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing 70 points per game, and rank second in three-point defense (.345).

• Seattle Pacific plays just once more in December, hosting Division III Puget Sound in an exhibition on Dec. 20. The Falcons return to conference play against Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 2.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser swept both of its GNAC openers to improve to 7-1 on the season and runs its win streak to seven games. The Clan scored a 77-74 win over Western Washington on Tuesday and an 88-76 win over Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Junior forward Jasdeep Singh led SFU once again with 42 points and 12 rebounds in the two games, shooting 60 percent from the field and 62 percent from three-point range. He scored 21 points and shot 9 of 15 from the field in both games, adding eight rebounds and a 3 for 4 performance from three-point range against Western Washington and four rebounds against Montana State Billings. Singh is third in the GNAC with 19.4 points per game and tied for eighth with 3.38 assists per game.

• Senior guard Othniel Spence finished with 32 points, six assists and seven steals in the two games, shooting 47 percent from the field and 87 percent from three-point range. Spence finished with 12 points, three assists and five steals against Western Washington before going off for 20 points on 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 from three-point range against Montana State Billings. Spence is averaging 14.9 points per game and is fifth in the GNAC with 1.88 steals per game.

• Sophomore guard Wilfried Balata scored 30 points and had 16 rebounds. He scored 14 points against Western Washington and notched a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds against Montana State Billings. Balata is fifth in the GNAC with 17.6 points per game and third with 8.4 rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 24th in Division II in scoring with 89 points per game. The Clan is also second in Division II in turnover margin (8.5) and turnovers per game (9.1), eighth in fewest turnovers (73) and ninth in steals per game (11).

• The Clan moved into the D2SIDA West Region Rankings on Monday to No. 5. They have been among teams receiving votes each of the last three weeks.

• Simon Fraser does not play again until participating in the D2 Power Invitational in Honolulu on Dec 19, 20 and 21.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon took its first losses of the season in Alaska last week, falling 72-66 to the Nanooks on Thursday and 88-86 in overtime to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Senior guard Dalven Brushier led the Wolves with his 38 points, 14 rebounds and six steals. Brushier opened the week with 17 points and four rebounds at Alaska. He then notched a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds at Alaska Anchorage to go with five assists. Brushier is fourth in the GNAC with 18.4 points per game.

• Sophomore forward Cameron Cranston registered 36 points in the two games, shooting 61 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. Cranston scored 15 points at Alaska on 5 of 9 from the field and then finished with 21 points at Alaska Anchorage on 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range. Cranston is averaging 12.7 points per game.

• Junior guard Darius Lubom added 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on the road trip. He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists at Alaska on 6 of 10 from the field. Lubom then scored 17 points at Alaska Anchorage to go with five rebounds and five assists. Lubom is averaging 15.3 points per game. He leads the GNAC with 5.71 assists per game.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC in scoring with 81.4 points per game and is averaging 30.4 rebounds per contest. The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II with a .437 three-point percentage.

• The Wolves play once this week, hosting Corban for an exhibition game on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington split its opening games to GNAC play, falling 77-74 at Simon Fraser on Tuesday before taking an 86-62 win at home over Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Jalen Green led the Vikings with 36 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and six blocks in the two games. He shot 72 percent from the floor and 71 percent from three-point range. Green finished with 13 points and five rebounds at Simon Fraser, making 4 of 7 from the field with four blocks. He then scored 23 points with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Montana State Billings on 9 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from outside. Green is averaging 12.9 points per game. He is second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 1.89 blocks per game.

• Junior forward Luke Lovelady added 24 points in the two games, making 78 percent from the field. Lovelady finished with seven points and three rebounds at Simon Fraser. He then came off the bench for 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks against Montana State Billings on 8 of 9 from the field. Lovelady is averaging 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

• Senior forward Trevor Jasinsky added 24 points and 10 rebounds, led by his 22 points and seven rebounds at Simon Fraser on 8 of 16 from the field. Jasinsky is sixth in the GNAC with 17.2 points per game and leads the conference with a .880 free throw percentage. He is 24th in Division II with 46 free throws made.

• The Vikings enter the week third in the GNAC with 80.7 points and 37.9 rebounds per game. The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 15th in Division II with 4.8 blocked shots per game and are 17th nationally with 43 total blocks.

• The Vikings will play just one more game in the month of December, facing Capilano in Bellingham on Sunday.