Tuesday, January 22, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ellie Logan
Northwest Nazarene
G • 5-9 • Sr. • Fossil, Ore.

Logan led the red-hot Nighthawks with 46 points and eight rebounds in two wins, shooting 65 percent from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. She opened the week by scoring 17 points with five rebounds in Tuesday’s 89-69 road win at Central Washington. Logan then led all scorers with 29 points in Saturday’s 102-75 win over Montana State Billings. She shot 11 of 14 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line in the victory.

Also Nominated: Hannah Wandersee (UAA), Alexis Pana (CWU), Keesha Sarman (CU), Claire Dingus (SMU), Tayler Drynan (SFU), Natalie DeLonge (WOU), Lexie Bland (WWU).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks were in action twice last week, dropping a pair of contests on the road to Concordia (77-51) and Western Oregon (79-50).

• Senior Marian Wamsley led Alaska on its Oregon swing, averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game. Holding down the UAF backcourt was guard Kylie Wallace, who tallied 11 points against the Cavaliers and another eight later in the weekend in Monmouth.

• Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the team enters the final week of the first half of conference play. The forward is averaging 13.9 points per game, with Wallace following closely at 12 points per game.

• The Nanooks will return for a pair of games this week. They play host to Seattle Pacific on Thursday night before welcoming in Saint Martin’s two days later.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage emerged from last week’s pair of games with a perfect 2-0 mark, running its record to 15-1 on the season. The team handled Western Oregon on the road for a 74-56 victory before winning at Concordia to cap the week.

• The 18-point victory over the Wolves was the highlight of the road trip. Led by a 20-point performance from forward Hannah Wandersee, three Seawolves finished scoring in double figures as the team quickly turned a game that was tied at the end of the first quarter into a runaway win.

• Two days later, the club ended its weekend with a 75-68 victory in Portland against the Cavaliers. Wandersee poured in 21 points and guard Safiyyah Yasin added 16 more off the bench in the team’s eighth straight winning effort.

• Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. She is followed by senior Tara Thompson, who is scoring at a clip of 9.9 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 10 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team returns home now, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 7 p.m.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats split a pair of home games last week, falling to No. 2 Northwest Nazarene before blowing out Montana State Billings for a 93-58 victory. The team now finds itself in third place heading into the final week of the first half of GNAC action.

• Center Kaelie Flores shined in the two contests, averaging 18.5 points and two assists per game. Her mark of 12.9 points per game ranks second on the club’s scoring list.

• Guard Alexis Pana leads the team in both scoring (15.3 points per game) and assists (5.9) as the month of January continues.

• The team is shooting at one of the hottest clips in the country, making 48.3 percent of its field goal attempts. That has CWU ranked first in the GNAC and seventh nationally.  

• The Wildcats will be in action twice this week, traveling to Simon Fraser on Thursday before facing Western Washington in Bellingham two nights later

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its two-game homestand last week, blowing out Alaska for a 77-51 victory before competing well in a seven-point defeat to No. 12 Alaska Anchorage.

• The 75-68 decision marked the Seawolves’ closest regular-season win since Feb. 8, 2018 (73-69, also against the Cavaliers).

• Guard Olivia Vezaldenos shined in the CU win against the Nanooks, leading all scorers with 24 points. She was one of four Cavaliers to finish the night scoring in double figures.  

• Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game through 11 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, beginning with an in-state showdown against Western Oregon in Portland on Tuesday. The team will then hit the road and face Montana State Billings on Saturday night.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets stayed on the road last week and were unable to get a victory in two tough games at Central Washington (93-58) and No. 2 Northwest Nazarene (102-75).

• Forward Taylor Cunningham led Montana State Billings in the pair of contests, averaging 14.5 points and three assists per game. The junior is second on the team in scoring (13.3 points per game), while sophomore Hannah Collins leads the club with a clip of 15 points per game.

• The team has shined at the free throw line this year, ranking 15th nationally with a 77.2 percent mark from the charity stripe.

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, hosting Concordia and Western Oregon at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks stayed undefeated last week with a pair of blowout victories. They tipped off their week with a 20-point win at Central Washington before returning home and topping Montana State Billings, 102-75.

• Senior Ellie Logan shined for NNU, leading her team with an average of 23 points and four rebounds over the two victories. The guard’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week, which was Northwest Nazarene’s first such award on the season.

• Guard Avery Albrecht leads the team with 12.6 points per game as the third month of the season rolls on. Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 12.2 per game.

• The Nighthawks moved up to No. 1 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and 3rd in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene has a pair of contests on tap this week as they travel to Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser two nights later.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was in action for a pair of contests last week, dropping both by a combined 11 points.

• The club’s best performance of the week came in a 75-72 defeat to Simon Fraser.

• Guard/forward Jayla Russ led SMU in the contest, compiling a game-high 20 points in just 17 minutes off the bench. She was one of four Saints to finish scoring in double figures.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu has led Saint Martin’s this season, averaging 14.8 points per game. A key for Simpson-Patu has been her ability to get to the free throw line as the guard/forward is tied for first in the GNAC with 72 free throw attempts.

• Saint Martin’s will be in action twice this week, heading north for its Alaskan swing. The Saints will face No. 10 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Fairbanks for a Saturday afternoon date with the Nanooks.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action twice last week, splitting its pair of home games. The team bested Western Washington 61-59 before falling to Simon Fraser to cap the weekend.

• The Falcons were led by a pair of big days from guard Hailee Bennett, who finished the week averaging 15.5 points across the two games.

• Senior Riley Evans leads the team in scoring through 11 weeks of play at a clip of 14.5 points per game. Senior Cici West is next at an average of 10.5.

• Seattle Pacific will be in action twice this week, hitting the road to face Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage two nights later. Both games will tip-off at 7 p.m. (AKST).

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan took to the floor twice last week, hitting the road and sweeping Saint Martin’s (75-72) and Seattle Pacific (69-60). The pair of victories earned the club the title of GNAC Team of the Week.

• Guard Tayler Drynan led the team, averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 assists per game across the two victories. Drynan is the team’s leader in assists this year, dishing them out at a clip of 4.1 per game thus far.  

• Senior Sophie Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 15 games, averaging a clip of 14.1 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is following closely behind at 12.3 per game.

• The team returns to the floor twice this week, returning north of the border to host Central Washington and No. 1 Northwest Nazarene.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action twice, tipping off the week with a loss to 12th-ranked Alaska Anchorage before bouncing back with a 79-50 victory over Alaska.

• Forward Natalie DeLonge helped the Wolves to the win against the Nanooks. DeLonge nearly recorded a double-double in the victory, pouring in a game-high 24 points while pulling down nine rebounds.

• DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 14.4 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 10.4 points per game.

• The Wolves hit the road now, visiting Portland to face Concordia on Tuesday before traveling to Montana State Billings on Saturday night.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings split their pair of games last week, bouncing back from a tight loss at Seattle Pacific to defeat Saint Martin’s in Lacey, 75-67.  

• Western Washington was led in the win by center Anna Schwecke, who finished the day with 17 points and four rebounds.

• Sophomore Kelsey Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game after 11 weeks of action. Two other Vikings, Dani Iwami (12.1 points per game) and Schwecke (11.3), are scoring in double figures as the third month of the season continues.  

• The Vikings will return home this week for a pair of huge games, beginning with a date with top-ranked Northwest Nazarene on Thursday night. The week will then conclude two days later against rival Central Washington.