Tuesday, February 23, 2016

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: A second GNAC regular season championship trophy is headed to Monmouth  after Western Oregon secured their second straight title this weekend.

The Wolves secured the title with a win over one of their biggest rivals this season, going on the road to beat Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, 64-58. Western Oregon came back from six points down with 8:28 to go, outscoring their hosts 22-10 down the stretch. Julian Nichols led a balanced scoring effort with 17 points as four WOU players finished in double figures.

The No. 1 ranking for Western Oregon, however, is gone after the Wolves lost in the first game of their Alaska trip. A 53-point second half performance was not enough to counter a 39-25 deficit at halftime as Alaska handed the Wolves an 87-78 loss, ending WOU’s 13-game win streak. Tanner Omlid led the Wolves with 25 points, connecting on 10 of 20 from the field.

The losses dropped the Wolves in both national polls, but not by much. Western Oregon dropped three spots into a tie for fourth in the D2SIDA Division II Media Poll and five spots to No. 6 in the NABC Division II Rankings.

Clinching the regular season championship secures Western Oregon the No. 1 berth and a first round bye at next week’s GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships. The Wolves will open their tournament run on Fri., Mar. 4, 2:15 p.m., against the winner of the game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

Western Oregon enters the week as one of the top teams in the nation in terms of taking care of the ball. The Wolves are ranked second in Division II for fewest turnovers with 233, sixth with a 4.8 turnover margin, ninth with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.58, 17th with 226 steals and 21st with 8.7 steals per game. Additionally, the Wolves are second in the GNAC in scoring defense (68.9 points allowed per game) and third in scoring margin (+9.8).

Individually, Nichols is ranked fifth in Division II in assist/turnover ratio (3.39) and 11th in steals per game (2.29) and 17th in total steals (55). Andy Avgi continues to rank second in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 21 points per game.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: A split of their games last week allowed Western Washington to stay alive for the sixth and final spot in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships. The formula for the Vikings is easy: A win in one of their final two games at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday will secure the berth.

The Vikings were close to securing their spot last week, but Central Washington scored a 73-68 victory at Bellingham on Thursday, which helped the Wildcats secure their spot in the tournament. Western Washington brought their record back to even at 9-9 on Saturday with an 83-66 win over Northwest Nazarene. The Vikings had five players score in double figures, led by a 22-point performance by Jeffrey Parker.

Kyle Impero was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds in the VIkings’ two contests. He finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Saturday victory and racked up team highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds in Thursday’s loss.

Western Washington enters the week leading the GNAC in scoring at 85.3 points per game and are second in the league in field goal percentage (.746).

STAYIN’ ALIVE: Should Western Washington lose both of their games, Montana State Billings and Saint Martin’s will look for their chance to sneak in. Both teams enter the week at 7-11 in the GNAC, tied for seventh, and would move into a tie for sixth place should they win both games and Western Washington lose both. Who would win the tiebreakers is still up in the air and will not be fully decided until the end of competition on Saturday night.

Montana State Billings enters the week having won three of their last five games. The Yellowjackets have put themselves in their current position in part thanks to a 90-71 upset of Alaska Anchorage back on Feb. 9. Montana State Billings closes the regular season, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

Saint Martin’s, meanwhile, has won four of their last five and saw a four-game winning streak snapped on Thursday by Montana State Billings, 84-80. The Saints put themselves into their seventh place position thanks in part to sweep the week before that included a an 84-77 overtime win at Central Washington on Feb. 11 and a 98-68 rout of Northwest Nazarene in Nampa on Feb. 13. The four-game win streak ended with a 67-63 home win last Tuesday over Seattle Pacific, paced by a 21-point effort off the bench by Trey Ingram. Saint Martin’s closes by hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

DETERMINING NO. 2 THROUGH NO. 5: The only certainly for the No. 2 through No. 5 seeds in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships is the teams that will  claim them. Which team will claim what seed is still up in the air.

Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington and Seattle Pacific have all claimed berths in the tournament. Alaska and Alaska Anchorage are currently tied for second in the GNAC standings at 13-5 while Central Washington and Seattle Pacific are tied for fourth at 12-6. The final tournament seedings will be announced after the end of competition on Saturday night.

OTHER TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES: Bryce Leavitt scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Seattle Pacific in Tuesday’s loss at Saint Martin’s...Detwon Rogers led all scorers with 24 points in Northwest Nazarene’s .77-65 victory over Simon Fraser while Mike Wright finished with 20 points...Oshea Gairey had 20 points in the loss for the Clan...Travante Williams led Alaska wirth 25 points, 10 of 12 from the free throw line, and pulled down 11 boards in Thursday’s win over Western Oregon...Sekou Wiggs led all scorers with 22 points on 9 of 15 from the field in Alaska Anchorage’s 93-67 win Thursday over Concordia...Joseph Stroud finished with 16 points in Central Washington’s 73-68 win at Western Washington...Marc Matthews led Montana State Billings with 17 points and 13 rebounds in their 84-80 win on Thursday at Saint Martin’s...Almir Hadzisehovic led six Alaska players to score in double figures with 16 points in the Nanooks’ 92-69 win over Concordia...Latrell Wilson led all scorers for the Cavaliers with 26 points, going 9 of 18 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line...Central Washington’s Joey Roppo scored 19 points to lead the Yellowjackets past Simon Fraser on Saturday, 84-64...Bouna N’Diaye finished with 23 points in Northwest Nazarene’s 83-66 loss at Western Washington...Mitch Penner scored 23 points to lead six Seattle Pacific plaers in double figures in their 93-67 win over Montana State Billings.

GNAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Saint Martin’s sophomore forward Victor Ieronymides leads the list of 21 players selected to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team.

Ieronymides, from Nicosia, Cyprus, has compiled a 3.95 cumulative grade point average while majoring in business. He has played a leading role in keeping the Saints alive for the sixth and final spot in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, which Saint Martin’s will host next week. Ieronymides is one of eight players on the squad with a grade point average of 3.70 or better.

Conference newcomer Concordia leads the teams honored with four selections, including three players with a 3.70 GPA or better. Sophomore Taylor Harris leads the Cavaliers with a 3.90 grade point average as a business administration major.

Six of the 21 honorees are repeat selections. Seattle Pacific senior guard Brendan Carroll is the only three-time selection to the team with a 3.50 grade point average as a business management major. Other repeat selections include Central Washington junior guard Terry Dawn and senior guard Joey Roppo, Northwest Nazarene junior guard Pol Olivier, Saint Martin’s junior guard Isaac Bianchini and Western Oregon junior center Connor Thompson.

To qualify for the GNAC All-Academic teams, a student-athlete must be in their sophomore year of eligibility with a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better.

GNAC PRESEASON POLL - WESTERN WASHINGTON PICKED TO WIN: For the second year in a row, Western Washington is picked as the team to beat by conference coaches in the annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll.

The Vikings received five of 11 first place votes and a total of 114 points, finishing just ahead of defending regular season champion Western Oregon. The Wolves netted four first place votes and a total of 106 points.

Seattle Pacific, who finished second in the conference last year and won the GNAC Tournament championship, is picked third with a total of 100 points. The Falcons received the remaining two first place votes.

After a successful start in their non-conference schedule, Western Washington stumbled to lose seven of their first 10 GNAC games. The Vikings rebounded to win eight straight to end the regular season, tying for fifth to claim a spot in the GNAC Tournament. The Vikings went on to beat Alaska Anchorage and Western Oregon to claim a spot in the tournament final, where they lost to Seattle Pacific. Western Washington finished the season with a 20-11 overall record.

PRESEASON ALL-GNAC TEAM, AVGI PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Western Oregon forward Andy Avgi, the defending GNAC Player of the Year, added another award to his preseason arsenal as he was selected by the league’s head coaches as the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year. The senior was a unanimous selection for the honor, receiving 10 first place votes in the balloting (coaches could not vote for their own players).

Avgi was one of eight unanimous selections to the squad and is the only player on the list to be selected for a third year in a row. Joining him as a repeat selection on the 15-man squad were Western Washington forward Jeffrey Parker, WWU guard Ricardo Maxwell, Alaska Anchorage guard Brian McGill and Alaska guard Joe Slocum.

Other unanimous selections to the team include Parker, Maxwell, McGill, Western Oregon guard Julian Nichols, Seattle Pacific forward Mitch Penner, Montana State Billings guard/forward Momir Gataric and Central Washington center Joseph Stroud.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC players have been selected to all-tournament teams during the 2015-16 season:
GNAC/PacWest Crossover (Nov. 13-14, Fairbanks): Travante Williams, UAF (Most Valuable Player).
Seawolf Jamboree (Nov. 21-22, Anchorage): Sekou Wiggs, UAA (Most Outstanding Player); Bangaly Kaba, UAF; Travante Williams, UAF.
Sodexo Classic (Nov. 21-22, Seattle): Gary Jacobs, CWU (Most Valuable Player); Joseph Storud, CWU; Bryce Leavitt, SPU.
GCI Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 25-27, Anchorage): Sekou Wiggs, UAA.
Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic (Dec. 11-12, Seattle): Mitch Penner, SPU (Most Valuable Player); Gilles Dierickx, SPU; Preston Beverly, MSUB.

GNAC TOURNAMENT UPCOMING: The 2016 GNAC Basketball Championships will take place Mar. 3-5 at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. Advanced ticket sales are now available by logging on to the GNAC’s ticket sales page on EventBrite.com. Ticket discounts are available on advance sales for single session passes and full tournament passes. Military members will also receive a 25 percent on tickets, but must show valid military ID at the gate.

Both the men’s and women’s championship games on Saturday night will be aired as part of the American Sports Network’s Division II Showcase. The men’s championship game will be on Sat., Mar. 5, at 5:30 p.m.

2016 GNAC MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Thurs., Mar. 3
Game 1: No. 6 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed, Noon
Game 2: No. 5 Seed vs. No. 4 Seed, 2:15 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 4
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. No. 2 Seed, Noon
Game 4: Winner of Game 2 vs. No. 1 Seed, 2:15 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 5
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5:30 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyle Impero
Western Washington
G • 6-4 • 175 • Sr. • Everson, Wash.

Impero had double-doubles in both games last week, averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds as the Vikings stayed in playoff contention. He led the Vikings with 21 points and 15 rebounds in Thursday’s loss to Central Washington. Impero then added a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 83-66 victory over Northwest Nazarene. Impero enters the week ranked eighth in the GNAC in scoring (15.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game).

Also Nominated: Preston Beverly (Montana State Billings), Trey Ingram (Saint Martin’s), Julian Nichols (Western Oregon), Detwon Rogers (Northwest Nazarene), Travante Williams (Alaska).