Tuesday, January 31, 2017

THE GNAC ROOTS IN MONMOUTH: The eyes of a regional television audience will be on Monmouth on Saturday at the second of three GNAC games to air on ROOT SPORTS will feature Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon.

While both teams are down form their heights last year, both teams entering the 5 p.m. (Pacific) contest with a lot of play for. Despite turning over four starters from last year’s NCAA Final Four team, the Wolves find themselves third in the GNAC with an 8-4 record, 11-9 overall, and enters the week with a three-game win streak.

Western Oregon is led on offense with junior transfer Ali Faruq-Bey, who leads the Wolves with an average of 14.4 points per game. He led the Wolves in scoring in both games last week, topped by a 23-point performance at Northwest Nazarene where he scored the game-winning shot in the Wolves’ 69-67 victory. Junior forward Tanner Omlid, the lone returning starter from last year, is averaging 14.3 points and is ninth in the GNAC at seven rebounds per game. He is also the GNAC leader and ranked third in Division II with three steals per game.

Seattle Pacific is on the outside of the GNAC playoff picture looking in, entering this week tied for seventh with Saint Martin’s with a 5-7 league mark and a 9-11 overall record. The Falcons will need to finish at least sixth in the league to qualify for the GNAC Championships and to have a chance to extend their streak of 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Freshman forward Tony Miller is the Falcons’ leading performer, entering the week fifth in the GNAC in scoring at 17.8 points per game and second in rebounding at 9.4 rebounds per game. He had 10 double-doubles in 20 games, a mark that is 10th best in Division II. Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten is seventh in the GNAC with an average of 17.4 points per game.

The final GNAC game on ROOT SPORTS will be on Thurs., Feb. 16, with Central Washington hosting Western Washington.

ONLINE AND ON YOUR SCREEN: All GNAC men’s and women’s conference games can be watched for free through the conference’s Stretch Internet portal at GNAC.tv. In addition, games can also be watched for free through the GNAC’s channel on Roku.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC players have been selected to all-tournament teams during the 2016-17 season:
Veteran’s Day Pioneer Challenge (Nov. 11-12, Hayward, Calif.): Jeffrey Parker, WWU (Most Valuable Player), Taylor Stafford, WWU.
Sodexo Tip-Off Classic (Nov. 11-12, Seattle): Coleman Wooten, SPU (Most Valuable Player), Joe Rasmussen, SPU.
Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic (Nov. 18-19 at Seattle): Dom Hunter, CWU; Coleman Wooten, SPU.
Ron Logsdon Basketball Classic (Nov. 18-19 at Rohnert Park, Calif.): Tyler Copp, SMU.
Seawolf Jamboree (Nov. 18-19 at Anchorage): Brandon Davis, UAF; Connor Devine, UAA; Corey Hammell, UAA, Suki Wiggs, UAA (Most Outstanding Player).
Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 26-27 at Bellingham, Wash.): Jeffrey Parker, WWU (Most Valuable Player); Daulton Hommes, WWU; Brandon Davis, UAF; Nahjee Matlock, UAF.
GCI Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 23-26 at Anchorage): Diante Mitchell, UAA.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sekou “Suki” Wiggs
Alaska Anchorage
G • 6-4 • Sr. • Seattle, Wash.

Wiggs posted back-to-back 30-plus point performances to lead the Seawolves to a pair of road wins. He opened the week by scoring 31 points in Thursday’s 67-63 win at Saint Martin’s, making 12 of 13 form the free throw line to go along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. In Saturday’s 83-81 overtime win at Seattle Pacific, Wiggs connected for 34 points on 13 of 27 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

Also Nominated: Drew Martin (Concordia), Maurice Jones (Northwest Nazarene), Deandre Dickson (Western Washington), Cole Preston (Saint Martin’s), Preston Beverly (Montana State Billings), Ali Faruq-Bey (Western Oregon).

ACROSS THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska opened the second half of the GNAC season with a Puget Sound road split. The Nanooks dropped a 72-69 overtime loss at Seattle Pacific and then took a close 74-72 win at Saint Martin’s.

• Senior guard Nahjee Matlock led the Nanooks against Seattle Pacific, finishing with 17 points on 7 of 18 from the field to go along with four assists. He also had eight assists in the win over Saint Martin’s. Matlock enters the week leading the GNAC with a .247 assist/turnover ratio and is second with 5.05 assists per game.

• Senior forward Zach Pederson led Alaska in the win over Saint Martin’s with 24 points, going 11 of 13 from the field to go along with five rebounds. Pederson is becoming a more depended upon scorer for the Nanooks, averaging 11.7 points per game.

• Alaska enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a +4.05 turnover margin. Against Seattle Pacific, the Nanooks succeeded in scoring 22 points of of the Falcons’ 24 turnovers.

• The Nanooks are averaging 74.9 points and 34.6 rebounds per game. The nanooks are third in the GNAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.32) and fourth in field goal defense (.435) and steals (7.14).

• The Nanooks are home for their next four games. Alaska hosts Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage opened the second half of GNAC play by running its winning streak to four games. The Seawolves collected a 67-63 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and then escaped with an 83-81 overtime win at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Senior guard Sekou “Suki” Wiggs was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after posting a pair of 30-plus point performances. Wiggs scored 31 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win over Saint Martin’s. He followed that up with 34 points on 13 of 27 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line against Seattle Pacific. Wiggs continues to rank second in the GNAC and sixth in Division II in scoring at 23.9 points per game. Wiggs is also fifth in Division II in free throw attempts (165) and eighth in free throws made (120).

• Senior guard Spencer Svejcar provided 15 points for the Seawolves in the win at Saint Martin’s. Svejcar enters the week fifth in the GNAC in free throw shooting at 87.9 percent (51-58) and is second in the league in three-point percentage (.500, 48-96).

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 79.6 points and is second in the league at 39.8 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the league in scoring defense (64.8 points allowed per game), scoring margin (+14.8), field goal defense (.414), rebounding defense (28.3 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+11.5) and offensive rebounds (14.10 per gwme). Alaska Anchorage is also 10th in Division II in scoring defense and 15th in scoring margin.

• Alaska Anchorage is home for its next two games and in the 49th state for its next four. The Seawolves host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington took a pair of tough losses to open the second half of conference play. The Wildcats saw a 16-point lead disappear on Thursday in a 95-90 loss to Concordia. They then took an 85-68 loss on Saturday to Western Oregon.

• Senior guard Dom Hunter posted his sixth 30-plus point performances of the season against Concordia with 34 points on 12 of 23 from the field and 6 of 12 from three-point range. Hunter was then held to single digits for the first time this season by Western Oregon with nine points. Hunter leads the GNAC and is third in Division II in scoring at 25.2 points per game. Hunter also leads the GNAC and is seventh in Division II with 3.71 three-pointers made per game.

• Junior forward Fuquan Niles led CWU with a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Western Oregon. He also had 6 of 9 from the field and three blocks. Niles enters the week leading the GNAC and is third in Division II with 3.33 blocked shots per game. He is also among the GNAC leaders in rebounding, ranked seventh at 7.6 boards per game.

• Central Washington is second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II in scoring at 88.4 points per game. The Wildcats lead the GNAC with 4.33 blocked shots per game and 10.72 three-pointers made per game. The Wildcats are also second in three-point percentage (.392). In the Division II stats, CWU is 13th in three-pointers made per game and 25th in tunrover margin (3.3).

• Central Washington plays at travel partner Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday before returning home for a Saturday showdown with Montana State Billings.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia opened the second half of the GNAC schedule with one of it’s biggest GNAC wins, scoring a 95-90 victory at Central Washington on Thursday. The Cavaliers ended the week with a close 74-72 loss at Northwest Nazarene.

• Senior forward Drew Martin led the Cavaliers in scoring in both contests.He scored 25 points on 8 of 11 from the field and 9 of 13 from the free throw line to go along with nine rebounds against Central Washington. He then finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds against Northwest Nazarene. Martin enters the week sixth in the GNAC in scoring at 17.6 points per game and eighth in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game.

• Senior guard Latrell Wilson added 22 points against Central Washington, connecting on 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line.

• In the GNAC statistics, senior guard Davis Nuaimi is ninth in the GNAC in assists with 3.24 per game. Junior forward Christopher Edward is fourth in the GNAC in both rebounding (8.5 per game) and field goal percentage (.582), sixth in blocked shots (1.58 per game) and ninth in steals (1.32 per game). Sophomore point guard Jarrett Gray is ninth in the GNAC in three-point percentage (.424).

• Concordia enters the week averaging 79.7 points and 38.6 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are second in the GNAC in steals (7.26 per game) and blocked shots (3.84 per game).

• Concordia is home this weekend, hosting Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened the second half of the league schedule with a home split. The Yellowjackets took a 81-68 loss to Western Washington on Thursday before rebounding for a 93-86 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Preston Beverly put together a pair of big scoring performances in the two games. Against Western Washington, Beverly finished with his fifth double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds. He broke out for 35 points with nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in the win over Simon Fraser. Beverly is fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 19.1 points per game and is tied for fifth at 8.3 rebounds per game. He is also second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 6.85 defensive rebounds per game.

• Senior guard Marc Matthews broke out for 22 points in the win over Simon Fraser, with all six of his made field goals coming from three-point range. Matthews enters the week second in the GNAC with 3.25 three-pointers made per game and 28th in Division II with 65 total three-pointers made.

• Senior guard Jace Anderson finished with 18 points on 5 of 11 from the field and a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line against Western Washington on Thursday. Anderson is sixth in the GNAC in free throw percentage at .851 (40-47).

• Montana State Billings enters the week third in the GNAC in scoring at 81.7 points per game and is averaging 37 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets are second in the league in free throw percentage (.754) and offensive rebounds (12.90 per game).

• The Yellowjackets are on the road for its next three games, playing at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders took a split of two close games over the weekend. Northwest Nazarene dropped a 69-67 decision to Western Oregon on Thursday before coming back for a 74-72 victory over Concordia on Saturday.

• Junior forward Maurice Jones had the performance of the week for the Crusaders, notching a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Concordia. Jones enters the week 11th in the GNAC in scoring at 16 points per game and is seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.541).

• Senior guard Bouna N’Diaye scored double digits in both games. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes against Western oregon and added a 16-point performance against Concordia.

• Freshman guard Jayden Bezzant did his part to keep NNU in the game against Western Oregon, finishing with 16 points on 6 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range.

• The Crusaders enter the week averaging 74.7 points and 36.9 rebounds per game. Northwest Nazarene is is second in the league in field goal percentage (.475) and field goal defense (.419).

• Northwest Nazarene continues a four-game home stand this weekend, hosting Central Washington on Tuesday and Montana State Billings on Thursday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After earning a 89-64 win over Quest in non-conference play last Monday, the Saints took losses in both weekend conference games. Saint Martin’s took a 67-63 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and a 74-72 loss to Alaska on Saturday.

• Senior guard Cole Preston led the Saints in scoring in both games. He finsihed with 19 points on 6 of 8 from the field to go along with five assists against UAA. He then scored 23 points on 7 of 12 from the field and 8 of 11 from the free throw line to go along with five rebounds and six assists against Alaska. Preston leads the GNAC and is 16th in Division II in assists with six per game. He is also fourth in the GNAC in three-poitn percentage (.449).

• Senior center Fred Jorg added 18 points against Alaska Anchorage, connecting on 8 of 12 from the field to go along with seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Jorg enters the week ninth in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.533).

• Senior guard Tyler Copp added 17 points against Alaska on Saturday, making 3 of 6 from three-point range and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Copp enters the week ninth in the GNAC in scoring at 16.7 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II in free throw percentage at .893 (75-84).

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 81.2 points and 37.7 rebounds per game. The Saints lead the GNAC in three-point defense (.323) and are second in scoring defense (71.6 points allowed per game)

• Saint Martin’s plays in Oregon this week, playing at Western Oregon on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific had a pair of overtime games over the weekend. The Falcons collected a 72-69 victory over Alaska on Thursday and then took an 83-81 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Freshman forward Tony Miller led the Falcons with a pair of double-doubles. He finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Alaska. He then scored 29 points to goalong with 16 rebounds in the loss to Alaska Anchorage. Miller has 10 double-doubles on the season, which is 10th best in Division II. Miller is fifth in the GNAC in scoring at 17.8 points per game and second in rebounding at 9.4 boards per game. He also leads the GNAC and is 20th in Division II with 7.15 defensive rebounds per game.

• Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten also contributed a pair of double-digit scoring performances. He scored 15 points to go along with six rebounds in the win over Alaska and he added 14 points and six rebounds against Alaska Anchorage. Wooten is seventh in the GNAC in scoring at 17.4 points per game and is tied for fifth at 8.3 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific will have to really over the next four weeks to have a chance of continuing their streak of 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Falcons are currently tied for seventh in the GNAC standings with Saint Martin’s at 5-7. The top six teams make the GNAC Championships.

• The Falcons enter the week averaging 80.1 points per game and lead the GNAC with an average of 40.4 rebounds per game. The Falcons also lead the GNAC and are 28th in Division II with 28.15 defensive rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific comes to Oregon for a pair of games. The Falcons will play at Concordia on Thursday before meeting Western Oregon on Saturday in a game that will air on ROOT SPORTS.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser dropped both weekend games as its losing streak ran to 16 games. The Clan took a 100-56 loss at Western Washington on Tuesday before falling in a close 93-86 game to Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Junior guard Kedar Wright continues to set the pace for the Clan. He led the team with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals against Western Washington and added 16 points on 6 of 9 from the field against MSUB. Wright is the Clan’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game.

• Freshman guard Michael Provenzano led the Clan with 23 points at MSUB and also had seven assists while playing all 40 minutes. He enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 3.85 assists per game and is 10th in free throw percentage at .821 (46-56).

• In The GNAC individual stats, sophomore Tyrell Lewin is second in field goal percentage (.660, 62-94). Junior forward JJ Pankratz is eighth in blocked shots with 1.25 per game.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 70 points and 31.2 rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser plays two games in Alaska this weekend. The Clan is at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• The Wolves extended their winning streak to three games with a pair of big road wins. Western Oregon opened with 69-97 win at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and finished up with an 85-68 win at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior guard Ali Faruq-Bey led the Wolves in scoring in both games. He scored 23 points on 8 of 13 from the field and had the game-winning shot at NNU. He then scored 21 points on 6 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range at CWU. Faruq-Bey is Western Oregon’s leading scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game.

• Junior forward Tanner Omlid had a solid line against Northwest Nazarene, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, six steals and three blocks. The versatile performer is ninth in the GNAC with seven rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with three steals per game.

• Forward JJ Chirnside continues to be a force down low for the Wolves. He had 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Central Washington. He also had two blocks in the two games.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 75.2 points anf 34.2 rebounds per game. The Wolves lead the league and are 18th in Division II with 8.80 steals per game They also lead the GNAC and are 10th in Division II with a 4.35 turnover margin.

• Western Oregon returns home to host the Puget Sound teams. The Wolves host Saint Martin’s on Thursday before welcoming a regional television audience to Monmouth on Saturday as they host Seattle Pacific on ROOT SPORTS.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington extended its win streak to eight games with a pair of convincing wins. The Vikings collected a 100-56 win over Simon Fraser on Tuesday before scoring an 81-68 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• The win over Simon Fraser marks the seventh time that the Vikings have scored 100 or more points in a game. Western Washington leads the league and is eighth in Division II in scoring, averaging 90.7 points per game.

• Senior guard Taylor Stafford led the Vikings against Simon Fraser with 20 points and five rebounds. He shot 5 of 9 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Stafford enters the week third in the GNAC in scoring at 21.3 points per game. Stafford is also third with 1.75 steals per game and is fourth with 3.80 assists per game.

• Freshman forward Trevor Jasinsky came up big off the bench against MSUB, scoring 20 points on 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range in 26 minutes. The freshman is third in the GNAC in three-point percentage at .471 (24-51).

• The Vikings moved up two spots in both national polls. Western Washington is up to No. 13 in the NABC Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the D2SIDA Media Poll. The Vikings are the No. 2 ranked West Region team, trailing Cal Baptist in both rankings.

• In addition to scoring, the Vikings enters the week leading the GNAC in free throw percentage (.791), field goal percentage (.500), three-point percentage (.419) and assists (16 per game). Western Washington is fifth in Division II in free throw percentage, 13th in three-point percentage, 15th in rebounding margin (7.3) and 23rd in field goal percentage (.500).

• Western Washington puts its win streak on the line in Alaska this week. The Vikings play at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and at Alaska on Saturday.