GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
WESTERN OREGON ADDS TOURNEY TROPHY TO THEIR CASE: The championship ride for Western Oregon continues as the No. 1 seeded Wolves brushed off a rusty start to claim the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships title with a 78-71 win over No. 2 seed Alaska Saturday at Saint Martin’s University’s Marcus Pavilion.
After trailing 6-0 to open the contest, the Wolves tightened up and proceeded to turn the game in a close one. Trailing 34-31 at the half, the Wolves turned up the heat by shooting 61.9 percent in the final 20 minutes and 57.1 percent from three-point range.
Senior guard Devon Alexander was named the GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player after leading the Wolves with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five assists. Jordan Wiley tied Alexander in the scoring column with 16 points. Alex Roth scored 14 points and GNAC Player of the Year Andy Avgi finished with 12. The Wolves finished the game shooting 49.1 percent from the floor (27-55), 46.2 percent from three-point range (12-26) and 12 of 15 from the free throw line.
Alaska First Team All-GNAC senior forward Travante Williams led all scorers with 23 pointers, connecting on 9 of 17 from the field. Bangaly Kaba added 19 points, Joe Slocum scored 13 and Brandon Davis finished with 10. The Nanooks finished the night shooting 53.7 percent from the field (29-54) and 50 percent from three-point range (8-16).
Knowing a potential NCAA Tournament berth was on the line, the Nanooks came out playing to win and jumped out to a 6-0 lead on Kaba’s lay-in 90 seconds in. Western Oregon pulled right back into it, coming with 8-6 on Janvier Alaby’s lay-in at the 16:49 mark, only to watch the Nanooks go back up seven on Davis’ lay-in with 14:14 to go.
After Alexander’s three-pointer brought the Wolves back within at 13-12, the truly back-and-forth game that has been the hallmark of the tournament developed. Neither team led by more than five points the rest of the half and the Wolves took their first lead of the game, 26-25, on Wiley’s three-pointer with 4:52 left. Back-to-back threes by Williams and Davis put Alaska right back up by five and they took a 34-31 lead into halftime.
Things continued to stay close in the second half, with four ties and 16 lead changes over the first 16 minutes of the stanza. Neither team led by more than four points until Avgi’s lay-in with 4:20 left sparked a 7-1 run over the next two minutes, which culminated on Alex Roth’s three-pointer with 2:32 left that put the Wolves ahead 69-62. The teams proceeded to trade three-pointers for the next minute, which allowed Alaska to challenge at 75-71 when Slocum connected from long-range with 27 seconds left. The Nanooks quick fouled on the next possession and Wiley converted two free throws to return the lead to six with 21 seconds to go. Alaska could not convert on their trip down the floor, locking the win for the Wolves.
WEST REGION TOURNAMENT COMES TO MONMOUTH: For the first time since 2013, a GNAC school will host the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships. And for the first time in program history, Western Oregon has earned the right to play the regional on their home floor.
On the strength of its GNAC regular season and tournament championships, the Wolves earned the region’s No. 1 seed and the privledge to host the tournament, which will commence on Friday at WOU’s New P.E. Building in Monmouth, Ore. The Wolves will play No. 8 seed Humboldt State, who won the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s tournmanet, in the opening round.
Joining Western Oregon from the GNAC is Seattle Pacific, who was selected to the field of 64 for the 12th consecutive season. The Falcons will play No. 5 seed Azusa Pacific, who lost to No. 3 seed Cal Baptist in the PacWest Conference tournament championship on Saturday.
Guided by first year head coach Jim Shaw, who was a member of the Wolves’ 1982 NAIA Division II Tournament team as a player, the Wolves enter the tournament with a 27-3 overall record and enter the GNAC Championships ranked No. 4 in D2SIDA Division II Media Poll and No. 6 in the NABC Division II Poll. Western Oregon prevailed in two close games at the GNAC Championships, knocking off Seattle Pacific 58-57 in the semifinals on Friday before collecting a 78-71 win over Alaska in the final on Saturday.
The Wolves will look to avenge an early exit in last year’s tournament when they took a 75-67 loss to Azusa Pacific in the opening round of the 2015 tournament, their first as a NCAA Division II institution.
Seattle Pacific used a solid non-conference schedule to solidify their unprecendented 12th consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearnace, which included wins over fellow tournament participants Azusa Pacific and Chico State. The Falcons used win streaks of eight and nine games to finish tied for third with Alaska Anchorage in the GNAC regular season standings and entered the GNAC Championships as the No. 4 seed. In the tournament, the Falcons won their quarterfinal game over Central Washington, 69-65, before losing to Western Oregon in the semifinals.
Seattle Pacific advanced to the semifinals of last year’s NCAA Division II West Regional, beating BYU-Hawaii in the quarterfinals, 81-69, before falling to Cal Baptist 78-77. The Falcons entered the GNAC Championships ranked No. 24 in the D2SIDA Division II Media Poll.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Here is a quick look at the six non-GNAC teams participating in the West Regional tournament...
No. 2 UC San Diego: Ranked No. 23 in the NABC Division II Poll, this will be the Tritons’ second-ever appearance in the West Regional. They enter the tournament with a 22-7 record, losing to Humboldt State in the CCAA Championship tournament, 80-68. Drew Dyer leads the Tritons with an average of 14.9 points per game.
No. 3 Cal Baptist: The No. 18 ranked Lancers won the PacWest Tournament Championship with a 101-64 victory over Azusa Pacific, earning the PacWest’s automatic bid to the tournament. Entering the tournament with a 27-6 overall record, Cal Baptist was one of four teams to tie for first in the PacWest regular season standings at 15-5. Michael Smith leads the Lancers offensively, averaging 21.5 points per game. Cal Baptist advanced to the championship final of the 2015 West Regional Tournament, falling to Azusa Pacific 91-79.
No. 5 Azusa Pacific: Also among the four teams tying for first in the PacWest, the Cougars claimed the league’s regular season title based on tiebreakers. The Cougars were on the losing end of the PacWest Tournament Championship, 101-64, to Cal Baptist. Azusa Pacific enters the West Regional with a 22-8 record. Bruce English is the Cougars’ leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game. Azusa Pacific is the defending West Regional champion. They defeated Cal Baptist 91-79 in last year’s regional final before falling to Indiana (Pa.) in the Elite Eight, 69-65. Azusa Pacific and Seattle Pacific faced off once earlier this season, with the Falcons winning 71-54 on Dec. 12 in Seattle.
No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona: The Broncos finished the regular season third in the CCAA standings at 14-6 and enter the West Regional with a 22-7 overall record. Cal Poly Pomona won their first round game in the CCAA Tournament over San Francisco State before losing the semifinals to UC San Diego. Jordan Faison is the Broncos’ leading scorer, averaging 17.2 points per game. Cal Poly Pomona advanced to the semifinals of last year’s West Regional, where they fell 77-67 to Azusa Pacific.
No. 7 Chico State: The CCAA regular season champions nearly didn’t make the tournament after bowing out in the first round of the CCAA Tournament to Cal State L.A., 54-37. The Wildcats hit a skid to end the season, dropping three of their last five games, but are the most experienced team in the field as they are making their fifth straight tournament appearance. Robet Duncan, the CCAA Player of the Year, leads the Wildcats with his averages of 15 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Chico State enters the tournament with a 22-6 overall record. Chico State was the No. 6 seed in the 2015 regional, losing to Cal Baptist in the opening round 67-61.
No. 8 Humboldt State: The Lumberjacks earned the CCAA’s automatic bid after winning the CCAA Tournament with an 80-68 victory over UC San Diego. Humboldt enters the West Regional having won four in a row and eight of their last 10 games. The Lumberjacks finished fourth in the CCAA regular season with a 12-8 record and enter the regional with a 21-8 overall record. Rakim Brown is Humboldt State’s leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points per game. This is Humboldt State’s first appearance in the West Regional since 2012.
GNAC MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
AVGI UNANIMOUSLY REPEATS AS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: He was the unanimous selection for the conference’s Preseason Player of Year. And by the end of the regular season, coaches’ opinion of Western Oregon forward Andy Avgi hasn’t changed.
The senior was a unanimous selection to the 2015-16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Team and ran away in the voting to earn his second straight Player of the Year award. Avgi earned 10 of 11 possible first place votes in both all-conference voting and Player of the year voting (coaches may not vote for players from their own teams).
Avgi leads four Western Oregon selections to the All-GNAC Team, including second teamers Julian Nichols and Tanner Omlid and honorable mention Jordan Wiley. The four are joined by first year head coach Jim Shaw, who was selected by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year. Avgi was joined on the first team by four other unanimous selections: Sekou Wiggs of Alaska Anchorage, Travante Williams of Alaska, Mitch Penner of Seattle Pacific and Joseph Stroud of Central Washington. Also earning first team selection was Western Washington’s Jeffrey Parker.
Avgi was elected to the All-GNAC for the fourth consecutive season, earning first team selection last year and honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore. Stroud and Parker moved up from second team selections last year while Penner jumps up from an honorable mention in 2015.
Named the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year as well as a preseason All-American by both the NABC and the D2 Basketball Bulletin, Avgi has lived up to expectations. The Woodburn, Ore., native leads the Wolves and is second in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game, and ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage (.537). His output includes three games of 30 or more points allowed Western Oregon to finish the regular season at 25-3 overall and 18-2 in the GNAC, earning the Wolves the No. 1 seed and a first round bye in this week’s GNAC Championships.
The athletic Wiggs, a transfer from the University of Idaho, was selected as the conference’s Newcomer of the Year after leading Alaska Anchorage to a 21-10 overall record, a 14-6 GNAC mark and the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Championships. Known for his ability to create, Wiggs leads the GNAC in scoring at 24.2 points per game and is third in the league with 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Adept at getting to the free throw line, Wiggs enters the week ranked second in Division II with his 305 free throws attempted and third with 234 made. Like Avgi, Wiggs also has six games of 30 or more points on his ledger.
In addition to his first team selection, Stroud was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Stroud leads Central Washington in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is second in the league in field goal accuracy at 61.5 percent. His defensive laurels were sealed in the swat department as Stroud leads the league and is 11th in Division II with his 67 blocked shots and 2.7 blocks per game.
Williams, a senior transfer from Adams State College in Colorado, led the Nanooks to second place in the GNAC standings and the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships. Another two-way threat, Williams is third in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, and is second in rebounding at 7.6 rebounds per game. Another top defensive threat, Williams is tied with Omlid for the league lead and is eighth in Division II at 2.4 steals per game.
Penner paced Seattle Pacific to the No. 4 seed in this week’s GNAC Championships as the Falcons aim for their fourth straight tournament championship. The senior leads the Falcons and is fourth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. His season ledger includes a pair of 30-point games, topped by a 37-point performance against Concordia on Feb. 4. Penner was named the GNAC Player of the Week three times this season, the most of any player this season.
Parker led Western Washington in scoring and is one of the top three-point threats in the league as he led the Vikings to the No. 6 seed in the GNAC Championships. Parker is fifth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game, and leads the league in both three-pointers made (72) and three-pointers made per game (2.5). Parker has the highest scoring game in the GNAC to date, having scored 39 points against Alaska on Jan. 7.
Montana State Billings’ Preston Beverly joins the special award winners as the Freshman of the Year. A honorable mention all-conference selection, Beverly leads the Yellowjackets and is tied fifth in the GNAC in rebounding with an average of 6.9 rebounds per game. Beverly ranks third in balanced scoring attack for the Yellowjackets, averaging 13 points per game. View Complete Release
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: Western Oregon enters the NCAA Tournament with the No. 3 ranking in both the NABC Division II Top-25 Poll and the D2SIDA Division II Media Poll. Seattle Pacific is ranked 24th is the D2SIDA poll and was the first team among those receiving votes in the NABC poll. Alaska ends the season have received one vote in the NABC Poll.
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 played a leading role in keeping the Saints alive for the sixth and final spot in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, eventually losing out on tiebreakers to Western Washington. 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.
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 Stroud, 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.
