Tuesday, January 2, 2018

VIKINGS SAIL TO TEAM OF THE WEEK HONORS: Thanks to a pair of key road wins over a pair of the conference’s hotter teams, Western Washington was honored as the Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week.

The Vikings ended the calendar year on a high note with two conference road wins to improve to 4-0 in GNAC play. On Thursday, Western Washington earned an 86-80 victory over Seattle Pacific before snapping Saint Martin’s two-game win streak with Saturday’s 90-86 win in Lacey.

Western Washington is the only undefeated team in GNAC men’s play and has averaged 90 points per game through their four conference contests. In its previous two games, WWU averaged 88 points while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and almost 80 percent from the free throw line.

The Vikings enter the week leading the GNAC in scoring offense (88.2 points per game), rebounding (41.6 per game), free throw percentage (.777), rebounding defense (29.5 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+12.1) and blocked shots (6.67 per game).

THE FOCUS IS ON CONFERENCE PLAY: With Central Washington’s 63-56 win over Division III Linfield on Saturday, the GNAC closed the door on non-conference play. Now all of the games count towards the pursuit of the six spots in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, Mar. 1-3 in Anchorage.

The coaches’ preseason favorite is the early leader. Western Washington is 4-0 in conference play after key road wins last week at Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s. Western Oregon and Alaska Anchorage sit one game behind at 3-1. Both teams return to action this week after long layoffs over the holiday break.

The middle five teams are all tied at 2-2 and four of those teams, Saint Martin’s, Central Washington, Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene, all own overall records above .500. Saint Martin’s leads that group with a 9-3 mark.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC Players have been recognized with all-tournament team honors during the 2017-18 season...

PacWest/GNAC Conference Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Bellingham, Wash.): Iziah Sherman-Newsome (SFU), Kedar Salam (SFU), Deandre Dickson (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU), Logan Schilder (WWU)

Alaska/Hawaii Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Anchorage): Davis Kimble (UAF), LaDonovan Wilder (UAF), Jacob Lampkin (UAA).

GNAC/CCAA Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Portland): Jarrett Gray (CU, Most Valuable Player), Christopher Edward (CU), Jawan Stepney (CWU).

Sodexo Classic (Nov. 17-18 at Seattle): Coleman Wooten (SPU, Most Valuable Player), Sam Simpson (SPU), Fuquan Niles (CWU).

Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 24-25 at Bellingham, Wash.): Deandre Dickson (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU), Michael Kluting (UAF), Joe Lendway (UAF).

GCI Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 22-25 at Anchorage): Jacob Lampkin (UAA).

Hoops In Hawaii Holiday Classic (Dec. 17-19 at Honolulu): Kendall Denham (MSUB), Trey Drechsel (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Daulton Hommes
Western Washington
F • 6-7 • So. • Lynden, Wash.

Hommes led Western Washington to a pair of key GNAC road wins by averaging 23 points and eight rebounds in the two games. In Thursday’s 86-80 win at Seattle Pacific, Hommes finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, connecting on 7 of 15 from the field to go with three assists and two steals. Hommes led all scorers with 29 points in Saturday’s 90-86 victory at Saint Martin’s. He went 8 of 17 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Also Nominated: Daniel Shedden (Montana State Billings), Luke Chavez (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks have not played since taking a 102-73 exhibition win over Cal Miramar on Dec. 9. Alaska’s last counting contest was a month ago, an 88-80 home win over Montana State Billings on Dec. 2.

• Alaska will restart the season at home this week, hosting Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior guard Davis Kimble is the Nanooks’ leading scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game, and is second in the league with 4.9 assists per game. Sophomore forward Michael Kluting is fifth in the GNAC in rebounding at 7.3 boards per game.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 73.5 points and 32.3 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are second in the GNAC with 17.5 assists per game and third with 10.1 three-pointers made per game.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage has not played since Dec. 19 when the Seawolves took a 59-55 road win at Concordia. Alaska Anchorage split that road trip, beginning with an 82-50 loss at Western Oregon on Dec. 17.

• Senior guard DJ Ursery was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 18-24. He led UAA to the win over Concordia with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds, going 10 of 12 from the field. Ten of his points came in the second half, allowing UAA to erase a seven-point halftime deficit. Ursery enters the week averaging 11.6 points per game

• Senior forward Jacob Lampkin did not play on the road trip. He last played on Dec. 6 in an exhibition against Cal Miramar, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Lampkin is second in the GNAC and 30th in Division II in rebounding at 9.7 rebounds per game. He is also 30th in Division II with seven defensive rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 61.7 points and 34.1 rebounds per game. The Seawolves are second in the GNAC with a .753 free throw percentage and leads the GNAC and is ninth in Division II in scoring defense with 63.3 points allowed per game.

• Alaska Anchorage opens the new year at home, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats prevailed in their final non-conference game of the season, defeating Division III Linfield 63-56 on Saturday.

• Freshman guard Khalil Shabazz led a balanced scoring effort with 11 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Shabazz is eighth in GNAC in scoring at 15.7 points per game. He also leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 2.82 steals per game.

• Freshman forward Coleman Sparling and junior guard Malik Montoya each had 10 points in the win.

• Senior forward Fuquan Niles came up with six blocks against Linfield. He leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 2.82 blocks per game.

• Central Washington is averaging 79.7 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 40.5 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are third in the GNAC in both blocked shots (4.36 per game) and steals (8.73 per game).

• The Wildcats return to GNAC play on the road, playing at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia has not played since Dec. 19 when the Cavaliers took a 59-55 loss to Alaska Anchorage. Concordia concludes a five-game homestand against Western Oregon on Tuesday and Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Senior forward Christopher Edward continues to be a force for the Cavaliers. He leads the GNAC and is ranked fifth in Division II with 12.1 rebounds per game. He is also third in Division II with his eight double-doubles and seventh with 8.67 defensive rebounds per game. Offensively, Edward is seventh in the GNAC in both scoring (15.9 points per game) and field goal percentage (.576).

• Junior guard Jarrett Gray is Concordia’s leading scorer. He ranks fifth in the GNAC with 17.8 points per game. Gray leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II in minutes played, averaging 37 minutes, 20 seconds per contest.

• Junior guard Cody Starr leads the GNAC with 5.08 assists per game and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (.517).

• Concordia enters the week averaging 73.9 points and 35 rebounds per game.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings was a winner in its return from the holiday break, scoring a 99-88 home win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior guard Daniel Shedden led the Yellowjackets with a big bench performance, scoring 21 points on a perfect 8 of 8 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range. It was his best scoring performance of the season.

• Freshman guard Zharon Richmond and junior guard/forward Zack Rollins each scored 18 points in the win. Richmond went 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from three-point range to go along with seven rebounds. Rollins enters the week as the Yellowjackets’ leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game. Richmond, meanwhile, is 30th in Division II with 2.07 blocked shots per game.

• Montana State Billings enters the week leading Division II with 179 three-pointers made and ranks second with 432 three-point attempts. The outside looks are quality ones as well as the Yellowjackets are 23rd in Division II at 41.4 percent.

• The Yellowjackets are averaging 82.7 points and 35.5 rebounds per game. Montana State Billings is 10th in Division II in total assists (251), 24th in three-point defense (.308) and 26th with 533 total rebounds.  

• Montana State Billings is on the road to restart conference play, traveling to Concordia on Tuesday and Western Oregon on Thursday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took a 99-88 loss at Montana State Billings on Saturday in the Nighthawks’ return to GNAC play.

• Junior guard Obu Megwa led the Nighthawks with 25 points on 11 of 20 from the field to go along with five assists. Megwa has joined senior forward Maurice Jones as the top scorers in the GNAC with both players averaging 19.1 points per game. Megwa is also fourth in the GNAC with 1.60 steals per game.

• Jones finished one short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. In addition to his scoring, Jones is second in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with 9.5 rebounds per game. Jones is also fifth in the GNAC in three-point shooting at 48.9 percent.

• Northwest Nazarene is third in the GNAC in scoring at 85.2 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 38 rebounds per contest. The Nighthawks are fifth in the GNAC in both free throw percentage (.709) and three-pointers made per game (8.40).

• The Nighthawks complete a five-game road trip this week, playing at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s took a split in its return to play after the holiday break, beating Simon Fraser 82-66 on Thursday before taking a 90-86 loss at home to Western Washington on Saturday.

• Junior guard Luke Chavez averaged 16.5 points per game in the two games. After a quiet eight points against Simon Fraser, Chavez led the Saints with 25 points on 8 of 18 from the field against Western Washington. Chavez leads the Saints and is sixth in the GNAC with 16.7 points per game.

• Junior guard/forward Jordan Kitchen came off the bench to lead SMU with 17 points in the win over Simon Fraser. He went 5 of 8 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

• Freshman guard/forward Tavian Henderson made 9 of 10 shots in the two games and was a perfect 4 for 4 against Western Washington. He leads the GNAC in field goal shooting at 78.8 percent (42-54), but falls under the NCAA minimum of five made shots per game.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 83.5 points and 34.6 rebounds per game. The Saints are second in the GNAC with a 1.33 assist/turnover ratio, third in three-point defense (.335) and fourth in three-point shooting (.392) and three-pointers made per game (9.58).

• Saint Martin’s is on the road after three games at home and five straight in the Puget Sound region, traveling to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific has won three of its last four games after a split last week. The Falcons lost on Thursday to Western Washington, 86-80, before rallying for a 98-93 overtime win over Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Tony Miller led the Falcons as he averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two games. He led SPU with 23 points and seven rebounds against Western Washington and added 21 points and eight rebounds against Simon Fraser. Miller is fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game

• Junior forward Nathan Streufert added 24 points in the two games, 18 of which came in the victory over Simon Fraser. Streufert’s biggest contribution, though, has been in blocked shots. He had two against SFU and is sixth in the GNAC with 1.64 per game. He also ranks 10th in the league with 6.6 rebounds per contest.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 84.6 points per game and third with 39.5 rebounds per game. The Falcons are third in the league in field goal shooting (.483) and second in defensive rebounds per game (28.45).

• The Falcons are on the road this week, playing at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan is in the midst of a two-game losing streak after taking an 82-66 loss at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 98-93 overtime loss at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• The overtime game at Seattle Pacific was just the Clan’s fourth since joining the GNAC for the 2010-11 season and SFU’s first since the 2014-15 season.

• Senior guard/forward JJ Pankratz paced the Simon Fraser offense, averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two games. He led SFU with 16 points and nine rebounds against Saint Martin’s and led all scorers with 23 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. Pankratz is ninth in the GNAC in scoring with 15.6 points per game and sixth with 7.3 rebounds per game. He is also fifth in the GNAC with 1.82 blocked shots per game.

• Senior guard Kedar Salam had 25 points in the two games, paced by his 14 points on 6 of 11 from the field at Seattle Pacific. Salam is 10th in the GNAC in scoring at 15.5 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Michael Provenzano is third in the GNAC with 4.67 steals per game. He added three in the last two games, two against Seattle Pacific.

• With a 7-5 record, Simon Fraser has surpassed its win total from the last two years combined (6). The Clan’s high win mark as a GNAC program is 11 from the 2014-15 season.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 77.3 points and 34.4 rebounds per game. The Clan is second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with 9.1 steals per game and 23rd in Division II with 109 total steals. The Clan also leads the GNAC and is 22nd in Division II with a 4.3 turnover margin.

• The Clan is home for its next three games, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon is on a four-game win streak, but has not played since taking conference wins from Alaska Anchorage and Alaska on Dec. 17 and 19.

• The victories helped the Wolves stand status quo in the national polls. Western Oregon remains No. 14 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the D2SIDA Media Poll (last released on Dec. 21).

• Senior forward Vince Boumann enters the week ranked second in Division II in field goal shooting at 75.3 percent (61-81). Boumann came up big in the Wolves’ last two games with 15 points against UAA and 10 points against Alaska, going 12 for 14 in the two games.

• Senior guard Demetrius Trammell is Western Oregon’s leading scorer at 13 points per game. He is also fourth in the GNAC in three-point percentage (.493) and third with 2.83 three-pointers made per game.

• Senior forward Tanner Omlid is second in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 2.50 steals per game. He is also second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 2.17 blocked shots per game.

• Western Oregon is second in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II in scoring, averaging 87.4 points per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC and are fifth in Division II in field goal shooting at 52.2 percent. Western Oregon is also second in the GNAC in scoring defense at 68.1 points allowed per game.

• Western Oregon returns to play with a game at Concordia on Tuesday and at home against Montana State Billings on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington has won its last four games and seven of its last eight games after a pair of road wins at Seattle Pacific on Thursday, 86-80, and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday, 90-86.

• Thanks to the two victories, the Vikings were honored as the Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week. Western Washington averaged 88 points per game in the contests and shot 51.3 percent from the field.

• Sophomore forward Daulton Hommes was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks after he averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game in the two games. He finished with 17 points and nine rebounds against Seattle Pacific and led all scorers with 29 points against Saint Martin’s. Hommes is third in the GNAC in scoring at 18.9 points per game. He also ranks third in the GNAC and 18th in Division II in free throw percentage at 91.7 percent (55-60).

• Junior guard Trey Drechsel averaged 19 points per game in the two contests and shot 52.2 percent from the field. He led all scorers with 27 points on 8 of 13 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line against Seattle Pacific to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Drechsel is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

• Western Washington enters the week leading the GNAC in scoring (88.2 points per game), rebounding (41.6 per game), free throw shooting (.777), rebounding defense (29.5 allowed per game) and blocked shots (6.67 per game). The Vikings are second in Division II in blocked shots, third in total blocks (80), fourth in rebounding margin (12.1) and 11th in free throw percentage.

• The Vikings will defend their 4-0 GNAC record at home this week, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.