Tuesday, January 15, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hannah Wandersee
Alaska Anchorage
C • 6-2 • Sr. • Kodiak, Alaska

Wandersee led the Seawolves to wins over Alaska and MSU Billings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the two games, shooting 54 percent from the field and 85 percent from three-point range. Wandersee led all scorers with 19 points in Tuesday’s 81-70 win over Alaska, making 7 of 13 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range with three rebounds and five assists. On Thursday against the Yellowjackets, Wandersee scored 17 points and had eight rebounds in the 87-42 victory.

Also Nominated: Alexis Pana (CWU), Olivia Vezaldenos (CU), Hannah Collins (MSUB), Carly Parker (NNU), Claire Dingus (SMU), Cici West (SPU), Natalie DeLonge (WOU), Kelsey Rogers (WWU).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks were in action twice last week, dropping a pair of competitive battles to No. 14 Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings.

• The team’s best performance came in a 81-70 defeat in Anchorage against the nationally-ranked Seawolves on Tuesday. Senior Angela Murnion paced UAF, pouring in 18 points against the in-state rival.

• Senior Marian Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the month of January rolls on. The forward is averaging 14.3 points per game, with junior guard Kylie Wallace follows closely at 12.4 points per game.

• The Nanooks will return to the floor for a pair of games this week. They will travel south to face rival Concordia on Thursday evening, then cap the week in Monmouth against Western Oregon on Saturday at 2 p.m. (PST).

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage emerged from last week’s pair of games with another perfect week, running its record to 13-1 on the season. The team topped rival Alaska 81-70 on Tuesday night before blowing out Montana State Billings two nights later.

• The 87-42 victory over the Yellowjackets was the program’s largest margin of victory since a 95-45 win over Johnson & Wales in the 2017-18 season opener. Sophomore Sala Langi and senior Hannah Wandersee led the Seawolves with 14 points a piece in the victory over visiting MSUB.

• Wandersee’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week, becoming the first player this season to win that award twice. In the first game of the week, the center led all scorers with 19 points against the Nanooks.

• Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. She is followed by guard Yazmeen Goo, who is scoring at a clip of 11 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 12 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team hits the road now, facing Western Oregon in Monmouth on Thursday and Concordia in Portland on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 5:15 p.m.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats stayed hot last week, defeating Saint Martin’s (85-82) and Seattle Pacific (77-70). The sweep earned Central Washington the title of GNAC Team of the Week.

• Guard Alexis Pana shined in the two victories, averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 assists per game. Pana leads the team in both scoring (14.9 points per game) and assists (5.8).

• The team is shooting at one of the hottest clips in the country, making 47.8 percent of its field goal attempts. That has CWU ranked first in the GNAC and eighth nationally.  

• The Wildcats three losses on the 2018-19 campaign have come to teams with a combined record of 32-11.

• They will be in action twice this week, hosting No. 2 Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday and Montana State Billings two nights later.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its first road trip of the month, topping Western Washington 70-62 before falling at Simon Fraser two days later.  

• Guard Olivia Vezaldenos shined in the Cavalier victory, leading all scorers with 28 points. The result marked the program’s first victory in Bellingham since joining the conference.  

• Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game through 10 weeks of play. On the glass, senior Keesha Sarman tops CU with 7.4 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers are back in action twice this week, returning home to Portland to face Alaska and No. 12 Alaska Anchorage. Both contests are scheduled for 5:15 p.m. starts.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets headed north last week, earning a split in two games against the Alaska schools.

• The highlight of the week came in a 80-70 victory in Fairbanks against Alaska. Sophomore Hannah Collins led Montana State Billings to the win, leading all scorers with 29 points while dishing out seven assists. Collins was one of four Yellowjackets to finish the day scoring in double figures.

• A commitment to excellence on the offensive end of the floor has keyed MSUB thus far on the 2018-19 campaign. The team leads the GNAC and is ranked 12th nationally in fewest turnovers with just 165 through 12 games.

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, playing at Central Washington on Thursday night before facing No. 2 Northwest Nazarene in Nampa two days later.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks are the only unbeaten team remaining in the GNAC and are one of just six perfect teams nationally. Their latest victories came in blowout fashion against Seattle Pacific (82-64) and Saint Martin’s (92-47), both at home in Nampa.

• Freshman Jordan Pinson shined for NNU, leading her team with 15 points off the bench against the Falcons before scoring 14 two days later against the Saints.

• Guard Avery Albrecht leads the team with 12.6 points per game as the third month of the season continues. Senior Ellie Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 10.6 per game.

• The Nighthawks are now No. 2 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and 4th in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• A pair of contests are on tap for Northwest Nazarene this week. It will travel to Ellensburg to face second-place Central Washington on Tuesday night before hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday at 7 p.m.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s competed well but was unable to come away with a victory while facing two of the conference’s top teams last week.

• The club’s best performance of the week came in an 85-82 defeat against in-state rival Central Washington in Ellensburg.

• Forward Claire Dingus led SMU in the contest, compiling a game-high 22 points while logging a full 40 minutes. She was one of four Saints to finish scoring in double figures.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu has led Saint Martin’s this season, averaging 15.9 points per game. A key for Simpson-Patu has been her ability to get to the charity stripe as the guard/forward is tied for second in the GNAC with 61 free throw attempts.

• Saint Martin’s will be in action twice this week, staying at home to host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington two nights later. Each contest will tip-off at 7 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action twice, coming up on the wrong end of both decisions against two of the league’s top teams. The team fell in Nampa on Thursday against Northwest Nazarene prior to a 77-70 loss at Central Washington.

• The Falcons were led by a pair of big days from senior Riley Evans, who finished the week averaging 14.5 points across the two games.

• Evans leads the team in scoring through 10 weeks of play at a clip of 14.8 points per game. Fellow senior Cici West is next at an average of 11.4.

• Seattle Pacific will be in action twice this week, returning home to host Western Washington on Thursday night and Simon Fraser two days later.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan took to the floor twice last week, hosting both Western Oregon and Concordia. The weekend resulted in a split of the pair, falling to the Wolves on Thursday before topping the Cavaliers for a 67-60 victory.

• Senior Sophie Swant led the team in the win over CU, dropping 14 points while pulling down eight rebounds. Guard Tayler Drynan added nine points in the victory.  

• Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 13 games, averaging a clip of 13.8 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is following closely behind at 12.8 per game.

• The team returns to the floor twice this week, heading south to face Saint Martin’s on Thursday night and Seattle Pacific two days later.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action twice, tipping off the week with a 69-65 victory across the border at Simon Fraser before dropping a hard fought game against Western Washington.

• The play of forward Natalie DeLonge helped the Wolves to the win in Burnaby. DeLonge recorded a double-double in the victory, pouring in a game-high 16 points while pulling down 11 rebounds.

• DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 12.8 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 10.7 points per game.

• The Wolves return home now, hosting No. 12 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday evening before finishing the week against Alaska on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings earned a split last week, bouncing back from a tight loss against Concordia to handle Western Oregon, 73-61.  

• Western Washington was led in the win by sophomore Kelsey Rogers and freshman Mollie Olson, both of whom finished the contest with a game-high 16 points.

• Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game after 10 weeks of action. Two other Vikings, Dani Iwami (12.1 points per game) and Anna Schwecke (11.6), are scoring in double figures as the third month of the season rolls on.  

• The Vikings will hit the road this week, beginning with a date with the Falcons in Seattle on Thursday. The week will then conclude at Saint Martin’s on Saturday night.