Monday, November 20, 2023
by Evan O'Kelly

PORTLAND, Ore. – The seventh triple-double in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball history came at the hands of Western Oregon guard Qiant Myers last Tuesday, and earned him Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors.

Myers propelled the Wolves to their first win of the season – a 79-66 triumph over Multnomah – with 14 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. “Q has been dialed in all summer, and that performance is indicative of how locked in he has been,” WOU head coach Wes Pifer said of the guard’s triple-double. “He watched tape all summer on himself and how he had to improve, and he watched tape on other guards. He is rebounding the ball at a high level, and his play-making ability has always been there. To score the way he is and to have a triple-double means you are playing well on both sides of the ball.”

Myers’ triple-double was the first by a GNAC player since Central Washington’s Gamaun Boykin achieved the feat on Dec. 14, 2019 against Multnomah. He became the third Wolves player in GNAC history with a triple-double, joining former GNAC Player of the Year Tanner Omlid (Feb. 4, 2017) and Robert Day (Dec. 16, 2003).

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Player of the Week – Qiant Myers, Western Oregon

First-career player of the week.

Myers’ triple-double was just one aspect of an all-around stellar week, as he led all GNAC players with 8.7 assists per game while ranking second in scoring with 19.7 points per game and eighth in rebounding with 7.0 boards per game. Myers made 10 of 15 shots in WOU’s 75-69 win over Sonoma State on Saturday, reaching the highest point total by a GNAC player this season with 30. That came after a 15-point, 8-assist, 6-rebound effort across 37 minutes against Stanislaus State. “He has an elite feel for the game,” said Pifer. “He sees the game at a high level, and sees things a play before they happen. It’s easy for him to make quick decisions – it’s like nothing I have coached before.”

Also Nominated: Sawyer Storms, UAA; Paul Johnson, UAF; Samaad Hector, CWU; Daniel Moody, MSUB; Gabriel Murphy, NNU; Kyle Greeley, SMU; Jadin Penigar, SPU; Georges Lefebvre, SFU; Kai Johnson, WWU.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Player of the Week – Asher Cai, Central Washington

Second-career player of the week – second this season.

Cai led all GNAC players in scoring last week, averaging 27.5 points per game. The guard started her week with 28 points – the most by a GNAC player this season – and eight rebounds against Cal State LA. Cai followed with an efficient 10-for-13 shooting performance in the team’s 84-71 win over Westmont, scoring 27 points while adding five rebounds and a pair of steals. Overall on the week Cai shot 52.6% (20-for-38) including a mark of 43.8% (7-for-16) from 3-point range.

“Asher is an extremely hard worker in terms of her self-development, and that provides her with a lot of confidence when she steps onto the floor,” said CWU head coach Randi Richardson-Thornley. “I was extremely proud of her this last Saturday. She was extremely efficient and took really great shots, and she made some big shots when we needed them. Having that available to me as a coach is a luxury – when we need a bucket, she can get us one. Beyond the scoring aspect of her game is her rebounding. She has provided a consistent presence on the boards for us this year, and that’s huge for us stepping into that role. Last year she scored a lot in the arc, but this year she has done a good job of developing her game and her ability to score at all three levels.”

Also Nominated: Tori Hollingshead, UAA; Kayla Johnson, UAF; Aspen Giese, MSUB; Kendall Clark, NNU; Lauryn Morris, SMU; Makenna Gardner, SFU; Cali McClave, WOU; Brooke Walling, WWU.

VOLLEYBALL

Offensive Player of the Week – Ellie Marble, Central Washington

First-career player of the week.

Marble helped the Wildcats finish the regular season with a pair of wins, leading all GNAC players with 4.50 kills per set on .324 hitting. The true freshman kicked off her week with a 13-kill, 12-dig double-double in CWU’s sweep of Simon Fraser on Thursday, and chipped in three total blocks defensively. She followed that with 14 kills, seven digs, two service aces and two blocks in a three-set win over Western Washington in the regular-season finale. Marble has been on a tear since breaking into the CWU starting lineup against NNU on Oct. 7, reaching double figures in kills in nine of the last 12 matches.

“She has been showing great improvement all year,” said CWU head coach Mario Andaya. “We put her in the lineup 10 matches ago as a starter, and she hasn’t looked back. She has been able to handle the load as an attacker and score a lot of points for us. It wasn’t a surprise she was able to do what she did this weekend, and it comes from the hard work she puts in. She has bought into the things we do here, and we are super excited with the way she performed and for what she has in store in the future.”

Also Nominated: Nicole Blue, UAA; Cynphany Henderson, UAF; Bailey Nichols, MSUB; Karla Soto, SMU; Sarah Brachvogel, SPU; Brooke Dexter, SFU; Chloe Asciutto, WOU; Devyn Oestreich, WWU.

Defensive Player of the Week – Hannah Stires, Central Washington

Fourth-career player of the week – second this season.

While Marble’s offensive performance helped the ‘Cats to a pair of crucial wins, Stires matched the contribution on the defensive end. The junior libero led all GNAC players with 5.67 digs per set last week, totaling 34 in CWU’s two victories. Stires came away with 16 digs in the Wildcats’ sweep of Simon Fraser last Thursday, before adding 18 more in the sweep of Western Washington last Saturday. Stires has reached double figures in digs in 25 consecutive matches, and upped her career total to 1,517 which ranks 21st in GNAC history.

“Teams stay away from her on serve-receive because she is such a deadly passer, but she continues to find ways to contribute on the defensive end,” Andaya said on the fourth-year Wildcat. “Facing really good outside hitters this weekend, she was able to get digs and we converted points off of them. It’s not just about the amount of digs, but the quality that she cares about. She wants us to be able to score off of them, and that’s the maturity you see in her. Our team has rallied around her, and she has grown into such an incredible leader. She is making the people around her better and is really helping mentor them.”

Also Nominated: Isabel Evans, UAA; Christine Funk, MSUB; Sirena Peredo, SMU; Kalyn Hartmann, SFU; Emily Vossenkuhl, WWU.