Tuesday, January 29, 2019

AT THE TURN, IT IS STILL A CLOSE RACE: It isn’t the four-team logjam that we saw in the conference standings two weeks ago, but there is still plenty of room for flex in the conference standings as the second half of GNAC play begins this week.

Saint Martin’s has certainly done the work to give itself the advantage. The Saints ran their current win streak to six games and their GNAC record to 9-1 with an 80-63 win over Seattle Pacific on Tuesday and a 76-74 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday. The Yellowjackets came close to ending that streak, leading the Saints by 13 with 15 minutes left to play before SMU outscored MSUB 33-18 the rest of the way.

For its efforts to maintain their lead at the end of the first half, Saint Martin’s was selected as the GNAC Team of the Week.

Northwest Nazarene sits just a game behind the Saints after posting an 82-73 win over Concordia on Thursday and a 78-70 win over Western Oregon on Saturday. The Nighthawks enter the week having won seven of their last eight games.

The Wolves split their road games last week, coupling the loss at Northwest Nazarene with an 89-57 win at Central Washington on Thursday. Western Oregon sits in sole possession of third place with a 7-3 league mark.

The hottest team in the GNAC, though, may be Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves have won four straight games to pull into a tie for fourth with Seattle Pacific at 6-4. Alaska Anchorage picked up a pair of solid road wins last week, downing Simon Fraser 74-53 and Western Washington 70-63, and open the second half of conference on the road at the Oregon schools.

Northwest Nazarene opens the second half of GNAC play with a pair of road challenges as well, playing at Central Washington and at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC Players have been recognized with all-tournament team honors during the 2018-19 season...

PacWest/GNAC Conference Challenge (Nov. 9 & 10 at Honolulu): Spencer Sweet (UAF), Tyler Brimhall (UAA).

CCAA/GNAC Challenge (Nov. 9 & 10 at La Jolla, Calif.): Trevor Jasinsky (WWU), Othniel Spence (SFU).

Concordia Oxford Suites Classic (Nov. 16 & 17 at Portland): Obi Megwa (NNU, Most Valuable Player), Adonis Arms (NNU), Hunter Sweet (CU).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chandler Redix
Saint Martin’s
G • 6-2 • Sr. • Apple Valley, Calif.

Redix led the Saints to a pair of wins to pad their first-place lead in the GNAC, scoring 40 points with seven rebounds in two games as he made 72.2 percent of his shots from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. Redix finished with 24 points to help lead SMU in Tuesday’s 80-63 win over Seattle Pacific. He went 9 for 12 from the field with four three-pointers. Redix followed that up with 16 points in Thursday’s 76-74 come-from-behind win at Montana State Billings. He went 4 for 6 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

Also Nominated: Tyler Brimhall (Alaska Anchorage), Gamaun Boykin (Central Washington), Jarrett Gray (Concordia), Brendan Howard (Montana State Billings), Adonis Arms (Northwest Nazarene), Julian Roche (Simon Fraser), Kaleb Warner (Western Oregon), Trevor Jasinsky (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both of its games on the road last week, falling 70-62 to Western Washington on Thursday and 88-55 to Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Nanooks’ losing streak now sits at eight games.

• Junior guard Tymoryae Glover posted a 37-point week for the second straight week to go with 12 rebounds. He opened with 15 points at Western Washington with six rebounds, shooting 7 of 15 from the field. Glover then led the Nanooks with 22 points at Simon Fraser, making 6 of 12 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Glover enters the week averaging 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

• Junior forward Michael Kluting scored almost all of his 29 points for the week against Western Washington, leading all scorers with 27 points on 9 of 15 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free throw line to go with 12 rebounds. Kluting enters the week 11th in the GNAC with 13.7 points per game and second with 8.5 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Jaqua Morrow added 21 points in the two games, paced by his 15 points on 5 of 10 from the field in 16 minutes off the bench at Simon Fraser. Morrow is averaging 3.9 points per game in nine games.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 71.4 points and 32.3 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are second in the GNAC in free throw percentage (.737).

• The Nanooks open the second half of the GNAC season on the road, playing at Western Oregon on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage ran its win streak to four games with a 74-53 victory at Simon Fraser on Thursday and a 70-63 win at Western Washington on Saturday. It was the Seawolves’ first road win since Nov. 9.

• Junior guard/forward Tyler Brimhall had another big week for the Seawolves, finishing with 42 points and 12 rebounds on the road trip. He opened with an explosive 31-point performance at Simon Fraser, connecting on 13 of 20 from the field, to go with nine rebounds and a pair of steals. At Western Washington, Brimhall came back from foul trouble to score nine of his 11 points in the second half. Brimhall is fourth in the GNAC with 17.3 points per game and seventh with 6.5 rebounds per game.  

• Junior guard Jack Macdonald added 29 points in the two games. He scored 12 points at Simon Fraser and connected for 17 points at Western Washington. Sophomore guard Brennan Rymer, meanwhile, scored 25 in the two games paced by his 14 points at Western Washington. Macdonald is averaging 11.2 points per game. Rymer is averaging 9.8 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 3.94 assists per contest.

• Junior forward Sjur Berg pulled down 21 rebounds to go with 10 points last week. He had 13 of those rebounds at Simon Fraser, where he finished three points short of a double-double. Berg is ninth in the GNAC with 6.2 rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 72.8 points and 32.8 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC with a .391 three-point percentage and are second in scoring defense at 69.4 points allowed per game. In the NCAA Division II stats, UAA is 29th with a 1.37 assist/turnover ratio.

• Alaska Anchorage continues its four-game road trip this week, playing at Concordia on Thursday and at Western Oregon on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats dropped a pair of games to the Oregon schools last week, suffering an 89-57 loss to Western Oregon on Thursday before being edged out on Saturday by Concordia, 65-63.

• Junior guard Gamaun Boykin led Central with 27 points and 16 rebounds in the two games, making 13 of 15 from the free throw line. He posted a quiet five points against Western Oregon before leading the Wildcats with 22 points and 12 rebounds against Concordia, making 10 of 11 from the free throw line. Boykin is CWU’s leading scorer and rebounder at 13.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

• Freshman forward Matt Poquette added 22 points in his first starts of the season. He shared top game scoring honors with 17 points against Western Oregon, making 7 of 10 from the field. Poquette has played in all 18 games this season and is averaging 10 points per game. He is 10th in the GNAC with a .562 field goal percentage.

• Senior guard Malik Montoya came off the bench to score 19 points last week. He scored 15 of those points against Concordia, connecting on 7 of 13 from the field to go with three rebounds and four steals. Montoya is averaging 10.1 points per game and is tied for fifth in the GNAC at 1.50 steals per game.

• Central Washington enters the week second in the GNAC with 83.7 points per game. The Wildcats are third in the GNAC with 3.78 blocked shots per game.

• The Wildcats open the second half of the season at home against Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday before traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday.

CONCORDIA
• After taking an 82-73 to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Concordia put an end to a six-game losing streak with a 65-63 win at Central Washington on Saturday.

• Senior guard Jarrett Gray kept his top scoring role for the Cavaliers, leading with 31 points in the two games while shooting 12 of 23 from the field. He led all scorers with 20 points on 7 of 13 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line at Northwest Nazarene. He also had three assists. Gray then added 11 points at Central Washington, nine of which came in the second half, to go with six rebounds and two assists. Gray is seventh in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game and second with 33.22 minutes played per game and a .889 free throw percentage.

• Sophomore guard/forward Hunter Sweet finished with 28 points and nine rebounds last week, making 61.1 percent of his shots from the field. He did most of his damage at Central Washington, finishing with 18 points on 7 of 10 from the field with four rebounds. Sweet is averaging 10.7 points per game.

• Senior guard Jace Cates finished with 18 points in the two games, paced by his 13 points at Northwest Nazarene on 3 of 6 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Cates is averaging 6.8 points per game. He has a .913 free throw percentage (21-23), but falls below the minimum of 2.8 made per game to qualify for the GNAC statistics.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 74.8 points per game and 35.2 rebounds per game. Among individual leaders, senior guard Cody Starr is third in the GNAC with 3.89 assists per game.

• Concordia opens the second half of the GNAC season with a four-game homestand, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split in the final week of the first half of the GNAC season, falling 76-74 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday before beating Seattle Pacific on Saturday, 92-63.

• Freshman forward Brendan Howard led the Yellowjackets with 37 points in the two games, shooting 63.6 percent from the field, to go with seven rebounds. Howard shared top honors for MSUB with 17 points in 22 bench minutes against Saint Martin’s, making 7 of 11 from the field to go with four rebounds. He then led all scorers with 20 points against Seattle Pacific, making 7 of 11 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range. Howard leads MSUB and is ninth in the GNAC with 14.3 points per game.

• Junior guard Tyler Green added 36 points last week, connecting on 42.8 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range. Green finished with 17 points on 6 of 16 from the field and four three-pointers against Saint Martin’s before scoring 19 against Seattle Pacific on 6 of 12 from the field and 4 of 8 from outside. Green is fifth in the GNAC with 17.1 points per game and fourth with 3.44 assists per game. Green is also third in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with a .466 three-point percentage. He is also fifth in Division II with 3.78 three-pointers made per game and ninth with 68 three-pointers made.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 81.1 points and 35.9 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets are third in the GNAC with 25.94 defensive rebounds per game and fourth with a .382 three-point percentage.

• Montana State Billings continues a four-game homestand this week, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene kept pace in the GNAC standings with two home wins, beating Concordia 82-73 on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday, 78-70.

• Junior guard Adonis Arms led the Nighthawks with 34 points and 14 rebounds in the two games. Arms opened the week by scoring 18 points with six rebounds against Concordia, connecting on 5 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. He finished with 16 points against Western Oregon, making 6 of 8 from the field to go with eight rebounds and six assists. Arms leads the GNAC in scoring with 21.4 points per game. He is fourth in the GNAC and 16th in Division II with a .609 field goal percentage. He also leads the league with 2.25 steals per contest.

• Senior guard Obi Megwa scored 36 points in the two games, making 50 percent of his shots from the field. Megwa came off the bench for the first time this season against Concordia and led the Nighthawks with 19 points on 9 of 18 from the field to go with five rebounds. He returned to the starting lineup against Western Oregon and led NNU with 17 points on 6 of 12 from the field. Megwa is third in the GNAC with 17.9 points per game and is fourth with 1.56 steals per game.

• Junior guard Jayden Bezzant added 30 points while shooting 72.2 percent from the field in the two games. He had 16 of his points against Western Oregon, making 7 of 11 from the field. Bezzant enters the week averaging 11.2 points per game.

• Northwest Nazarene now leads the GNAC in scoring at 84.3 points per game. The Nighthawks also lead the league and are 12th in Division II with a .508 field goal percentage. They also lead the GNAC and are 21st in Division II with 28.69 defensive rebounds per game.

• The Nighthawks open the second half of the GNAC season on the road, playing at Central Washington on Tuesday and at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s has now won six straight games and kept a one-game lead in the GNAC standings with an 80-63 win over Seattle Pacific on Tuesday and a 76-74 come-from-behind win at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• For the team’s efforts in finishing out the first half of the GNAC season strong, the Saints were recognized as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Senior guard Chandler Redix was selected as the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he led the Saints with 40 points in the two games, shooting 72.2 percent from the field. Redix led all scorers with 24 points against Seattle Pacific, making 9 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range to go with six rebounds. He then added 16 points on 4 of 6 from the field against Montana State Billings. Redix leads the Saints 13.2 points per game and is fifth in the GNAC with a .453 three-point percentage.

• Senior guard Luke Chavez added 35 points in the two games as he rounds back into form. Chavez finished with 10 points against Seattle Pacific before going off for 25 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 5 of 10 from three-point range. Chavez is averaging 12.9 points per game and is eighth in the GNAC with 2.31 three-pointers made per game.

• Sophomore guard BJ Standley went 4 for 4 from free throw line last week, making two in each game. He continues to lead the GNAC and is 17th in Division II with a .902 free throw percentage.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 80.7 points and 34.4 rebounds per game. The Saints lead the GNAC and are 17th in Division II with 11.06 three-pointers made per game.

• Saint Martin’s jumped four spots to No. 12 in this week’s NABC Division II Coaches Poll while holding steady at No. 13 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.

• Saint Martin’s is home this week, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific suffered a pair of tough road losses, falling 80-63 at Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and 92-63 at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior guard Nikhil Lizotte led the Falcons with 29 points in the two games. He opened the week with six points against Saint Martin’s before leading all scorers with 23 points at Montana State Billings on 8 of 15 from the field. Lizotte is averaging 12.5 points per game and is sixth in the GNAC with a .854 free throw percentage.

• Senior forward Coleman Wooten added 17 points and 11 rebounds in the two games. His best effort came at Saint Martin’s, finishing just short of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Wooten enters the week averaging 10.7 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 7.7 rebounds per game.

• Senior forward Nathan Streufert finished with 20 rebounds in the two contests, finishing short of a double-double with his nine points and 15 boards at Saint Martin’s Streufert is sixth in the GNAC with 6.8 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific is averaging 79.1 points and 36.9 rebounds per game. The Falcons are second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with a .493 field goal percentage. Seattle Pacific is also 19th in Division II in fewest turnovers (196) and 22nd in fewest fouls (267).

• The Falcons open up the second half of the GNAC season at home, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser finished the first half of GNAC play with a split, losing to Alaska Anchorage 74-53 on Thursday before collecting an 88-55 win over Alaska on Saturday.

• Sophomore center Julian Roche led the Clan once again with 32 points and 19 rebounds in the two games, shooting 54.1 percent from the field. Roche had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds against Alaska Anchorage before leading SFU with 19 points and nine rebounds against Alaska, making 8 of 13 from the field. Roche leads the Clan and is eighth in the GNAC with 14.9 points per game and is fifth in the GNAC with 6.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Roche is 25th in Division II with his .598 field goal percentage.

• Freshman guard Wilfried Balata added 29 points last week. He opened the week with 13 points against Alaska Anchorage before finishing with 16 points against Alaska as five SFU players scored in double figures. Balata is averaging 13.6 points per game and has started all 18 games this season.

• Junior guard Michael Provenzano scored 14 of his 24 points and had five of his seven assists last week against Alaska. Provenzano continues to lead the GNAC with 4.89 assists per game.

• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 83.4 points per game and is averaging 36.6 rebounds per game. The Clan leads the GNAC and is ranked 25th in Division II with 17 assists per game and is 27th with a 1.38 assist/turnover ratio.

• Simon Fraser opens the second half of league play in the Puget Sound region, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its games for the second straight week, taking an 89-57 victory at Central Washington on Thursday before falling at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, 78-70.

• Senior forward Kaleb Warner led the Wolves with 34 points and 13 rebounds in the two games. Warner opened the week with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists against Central Washington and then led the Wolves with 21 points and seven rebounds at Northwest Nazarene. Warner is averaging 11.2 points per game.

• Junior guard Dalven Brushier scored 17 of his 21 points on the week at Central Washington, connecting on 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range to go with seven rebounds. Brushier is averaging 10.2 points per game and has started nine of the Wolves’ 19 games this season.

• Junior forward Riley Hawken added 20 points and 12 rebounds in the two contests, led by his 11 points and seven rebounds (including six offensive boards) at Northwest Nazarene. Hawken leads the Wolves with 12.8 points per game and is eighth in the GNAC with 6.3 rebounds per game. He is also second in the league with 1.89 steals per game.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 79.1 points and is third in the GNAC with 37.1 rebounds per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank 10th in Division II in scoring margin (14.3) while ranking 15th nationally in scoring defense (64.8 points allowed per game) and 21st in assist/turnover ratio (1.44).

• Western Oregon hosts Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday to open the second half of conference play.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings split at home to close out a four-game homestand, scoring a 70-62 win over Alaska on Thursday before taking a 70-63 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Junior forward Trevor Jasinsky led the way once again with 43 points and 13 rebounds in the two games, shooting 14 of 26 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Jasinsky led the Vikings with 23 points against Alaska, connecting on 9 of 14 from the field with three three-pointers. He then led all scorers against Alaska Anchorage with 20 points to go with eight rebounds. Jasinsky is second in the GNAC with 19.6 points per game and fourth with 7.4 rebounds per game. He ranks 13th in Division II with 109 free throws made and is third in the GNAC with a .886 free throw percentage.

• Freshman guard/forward Jalen Green added 19 points and 16 rebounds in the two games. He notched a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Alaska to go with four steals before adding four points and six rebounds against Alaska Anchorage. Green is averaging 7.5 points per game.

• Junior guard Tucker Eeningenberg had 21 points last week with 14 of those coming against Alaska Anchorage in 23 minutes off the bench. Eeningenberg is averaging 8.4 points per game.

• Western Washington enters the week averaging 83.2 points per game and leads the GNAC with 38.8 rebounds per game. The Vikings lead the GNAC and are 23rd in Division II with 4.5 blocked shots per game and also lead the league and rank 19th with a .776 free throw percentage.

• Western Washington opens the second half of conference play on the road, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.