Monday, November 12, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Humboldt State put the period on a bittersweet final season with a 23-16 victory at Simon Fraser on Saturday and two of the Lumberjacks’ top performers are among the honorees for GNAC Player of the Week.

Freshman linebacker Moses Finau was named the Football Defensive Player of the Week after he finished with 13 tackles, including eight solo tackles, along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Senior kicker Jose Morales was honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week after he made three field goals, two point-after conversions and six kickoffs for an average of 56 yards per kickoff in the victory. Morales accounted for 11 of the Lumberjacks’ 23 points with made field goals of 38, 39 and 40 yards.

Azusa Pacific sophomore quarterback Tyrone Williams, Jr., is the final Football Offensive Player of the Week for the season for his role in the 42-35 win at Central Washington that gave the Cougars a share of the GNAC championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Williams completed 26 of 33 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns, all of which came in APU’s second-half comeback. He also rushed 10 times for a 63 yards.

Seattle Pacific junior outside hitter Gabby Oddo earned the final Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after her huge offensive effort in the Falcons’ close five-set loss to GNAC champion Western Washington. She tied an SPU single-match record of 32 kills to go with 18 digs, five assists, a block and a .305 hitting percentage. In the process, Oddo became the seventh player in school history to amass 1,000 kills and 1,000 points. Oddo finished the week with 44 kills and 36 digs in two matches.

Western Washington senior libero Aubrey Stephens led the Vikings’ defense with 43 digs as WWU completed a 20-0 undefeated run through conference play. She finished with 15 digs in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Thursday and then finished with 28 digs and two assists in Saturday’s five-set win over Seattle Pacific.

Western Washington junior forward Trevor Jasinsky was the first Men’s Basketball Player of the Week of the 2018-19 season as the No. 14 Vikings went 1-1 at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge. Jasinsky scored 32 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free throw line in Friday’s 84-78 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills before scoring 23 points in Saturday’s 97-92 loss to host UC San Diego.

Simon Fraser sophomore guard Jessica Jones was tabbed as the first Women’s Basketball Player of the Week of the season with 36 points, eight rebounds and five steals as the Clan split at the Cal State San Marcos Tournament. She scored 23 points in Friday’s 75-70 loss to UC San Diego on 7 of 15 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range and added 13 points in Saturday’s win over Cal State San Marcos.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 12
FOOTBALL
Offensive: Tyrone Williams, Jr.(Azusa Pacific, QB, 6-4, 223, So., Merced, Calif. – Merced): Williams led the Cougars to a 42-35 comeback win at Central Washington on Saturday by completing 26 of 33 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns, all in the second half. He completed a pair of 70-yard and 39-yard touchdown passes to Gaige Allen in the fourth quarter to complete the victory, which allowed the Cougars to qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Williams also rushed 10 times for 63 yards. Also Nominated: Cedric Cooper (Central Washington), Tyree Marzetta (Humboldt State), Rysen John (Simon Fraser), Ty Currie (Western Oregon).

Defensive: Moses Finau (Humboldt State, LB, 6-2, 240, Fr., Sacramento, Calif. – Luther Burbank): Finau paced the Humboldt State defense with 13 tackles, which included eight solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss for 11 yards, two sacks and a forced fumble that resulted in a turnover in the Lumberjacks’ program-ending 23-16 victory at Simon Fraser. Also Nominated: Aaron Berry (Azusa Pacific), Cody O’Connell (Central Washington), Shea Carstens (Simon Fraser), Bo Highburger (Western Oregon).

Special Teams: Jose Morales (Humboldt State, K, 6-4, 240, Sr., Lompoc, Calif. – Allan Hancock Coll.): Morales went 3 for 3 on field goals, connecting on attempts from 38, 39 and 40 yards, and made both point-after attempts in the Lumberjacks’ 23-16 win at Simon Fraser. Morales also had six kickoffs, averaging 56 yards per kick. Also Nominated: Gavin McDaniel (Azusa Pacific), Adrian Saldana (Western Oregon).

VOLLEYBALL
Offensive: Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific, OH, 5-9, Jr., Alta Loma, Calif. – Alta Loma): Oddo closed her season with 44 kills in two matches, averaging 4.89 kills per set, while also finishing with 36 digs. She opened the week with 12 kills, 18 digs and two blocks against Simon Fraser. In Saturday’s five-set loss to Western Washington, Oddo had a career match with 32 kills, a .305 hitting percentage, 18 digs, five assists and a block. The 32 kills tied a Seattle Pacific single-match record and became the seventh player in school history to log 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career points. Also Nominated: Gabrielle Aihara (Central Washington), Tori Johnson (Concordia), Skylar Reed (Montana State Billings), Tessa May (Simon Fraser), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

Defensive: Aubrey Stephens (Western Washington, DS/L, 5-10, Sr., Colville, Wash. – Colville): Stephens led the Vikings with 43 digs, averaging 5.38 digs per set as Western Washington completed an undefeated run through the conference schedule. Stephens led the Vikings with 15 digs in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s and registered 28 digs and two assists in Saturday’s five-set victory over Seattle Pacific. Also Nominated: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Callie Wilkins (Concordia), Itzel Alvarez (Montana State Billings), Bianca Te (Simon Fraser).

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Trevor Jasinsky (Western Washington, F, 6-9, Jr., Camas, Wash. – Camas): Jasinsky scored 55 points and shot 51.7 percent from the field as the Vikings opened the season at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in La Jolla, Calif. Jasinsky opened the season with 32 points in an 84-78 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, connecting on 8 of 15 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free throw line to go with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He led the Vikings against with 23 points in Saturday’s 97-92 loss to UC San Diego. He went 7 of 14 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 4 of 5 from the free throw line to go with five rebounds and eight assists. Also Nominated: Malcolm Cola (Central Washington), Dom Bradley (Concordia), Tyler Green (Montana State Billings), Adonis Arms (Northwest Nazarene), Tavian Henderson (Saint Martin’s), Othniel Spence (Simon Fraser).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jessica Jones(Simon Fraser, G, 5-9, So., Richmond, B.C. – McMath): Jones led the Clan to a season-opening split at the Cal State San Marcos Tournament with 36 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the two games, making 50 percent of her shots from the field. Jones finished with 23 points in Friday’s 75-70 loss to UC San Diego, making 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range to go with five rebounds. Jones was then among four SFU players to score in double figures with 13 on 5 of 11 from the field in Saturday’s 67-58 win over the host Cougars. She also had three rebounds, two assists and four steals in the contest. Also Nominated: Taylor Shaw (Central Washington), Keesha Sarman (Concordia), Hannah Collins (Montana State Billings), McKenna Walker (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin’s), Olivia Denton (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).