Tuesday, January 29, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ozioma Nwabuko
Simon Fraser
F • 5-11 • So. • Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Nwabuko led the Clan with 35 points in a pair of home wins, shooting 76.4 percent from the field, with 21 rebounds and six assists. She opened the week with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 79-69 win over Central Washington. She shot 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Nwabuko then contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds on 4 of 6 from the field in Saturday’s 76-73 upset of No. 1 Northwest Nazarene.

Also Nominated: Sala Langi (UAA), Kassidy Malcolm (CWU), Keesha Sarman (CU), Taryn Shelley (MSUB), Marina Valles (NNU), Makennz Schultz (SMU), Natalie DeLonge (WOU), Emma Duff (WWU).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks were in action for a pair of games last week, competing well but dropping tight contests against Seattle Pacific (62-55) and Saint Martin’s (83-74).

• Senior Emily Evans led Alaska on the week, averaging 14 points and 3.5 assists per game. Holding down things in the post was fellow senior Marian Wamsley, who tallied a pair of double-doubles over the two games.

• Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the team enters the second half of confernece play. The forward is averaging 13.8 points per game with guard Kylie Wallace following closely at 11.7 points per game.

• The Nanooks will head south for a pair of games this week. They will be in Burnaby on Thursday night to take on Simon Fraser before traveling to Western Washington two nights later.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage emerged from last week’s two games with another pair of wins, running its record to 17-1 on the season. The team handled Saint Martin’s before blowing out Seattle Pacific 78-37 to end the week.

• The 41-point victory over the Falcons was the team’s largest of the 2018-19 campaign. The team was led by forward Hannah Wandersee, who poured in 18 points to lead four Seawolves scoring in double figures.

• The win marked head coach Ryan McCarthy’s 177th career victory, moving him to the top of the program’s all-time coaching wins list. McCarthy has a 177-32 record in eight seasons as the head coach in Anchorage.

• Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 14 points per game. She is followed by guard Safiyyah Yasin, who is scoring at a clip of 9.8 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 11 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team hits the road now, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 7 p.m.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats split a pair of road games last week, falling in a tight contest at Simon Fraser before blowing out rival Western Washington for a 76-61 victory. The team finds itself in a tie for third place heading into the second half of GNAC play.

• Center Kassidy Malcolm shined in the big win, recording a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Her mark of 8.5 rebounds per game leads the team as the month of January winds to a close.

• Guard Alexis Pana leads the team in both scoring (15.4 points per game) and assists (5.6).

• 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 will be in action twice this week, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon two days later.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia swept both of its games last week, taking down Western Oregon on Tuesday night before knocking off Montana State Billings on the road for a 65-59 victory.

• The wins marked the team’s first back-to-back conference victories this season.

• Guard Olivia Vezaldenos shined on the week, averaging 19 points per game. She was one of four Cavaliers to finish at least one game scoring in double figures.  

• Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game through 12 weeks of play. On the glass, senior Keesha Sarman tops CU with 7.6 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers are back in action twice this week, beginning with a trip to Ellensburg to face Central Washington on Thursday night. They will then travel to Nampa for a date with No. 8 Northwest Nazarene two nights later.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets returned home last week and split a pair of games, falling in a close contest against Concordia before handling Western Oregon, 65-53.

• Freshman Taryn Shelley led Montana State Billings in the victory, scoring a game-high 18 points while pulling down nine rebounds. The Washington State transfer is first on the team in rebounds (8.1 per game) while sophomore Hannah Collins leads the club in scoring with a clip of 15.4 points per game.

• The team has shined at taking care of the ball this year, leading the GNAC and ranking 18th nationally in fewest turnovers (232).

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, traveling to Seattle Pacific on Thursday night and to Saint Martin’s two nights later.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks dropped their first game of the season last week, falling by three points at Simon Fraser after blowing out Western Washington 86-73 earlier in the week. Prior to the loss, the club was one of five unbeaten teams in the country.

• Senior Ellie Logan and guard Avery Albrecht shined for NNU in the victory, leading her team with 17 points a piece. Logan also pulled down 10 rebounds on the night to complete her double-double.

• Albrecht leads the team with 12.6 points per game as the third month of the season comes to a close. Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 12.2 per game.

• The Nighthawks are ranked 8th in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and WBCA Division II Coaches Polls.

• Northwest Nazarene has a pair of contests on tap this week as they return to Nampa to host Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was in action for a pair of contests last week, falling at Alaska Anchorage before getting back in the win column with an 83-74 victory at Alaska.

• A hot start keyed the Saints to the win as the team jumped out to a nearly 30-9 advantage.

• Guard Makenna Schultz led SMU in the contest, compiling a game-high 19 points while pulling down five rebounds. She was one of four Saints to finish scoring in double figures.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu has led Saint Martin’s this season, averaging 13.9 points per game. Simpson-Patu ranks third in the conference in field goals made (99).

• Saint Martin’s will be in action twice this week, beginning on Tuesday night in the Puget Sound rivalry at Seattle Pacific. The Saints will then return home to put a lid on the week against Montana State Billings on Saturday evening.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action twice last week, splitting its pair of road games. The team toppled Alaska 62-55 before falling at Alaska Anchorage to end the weekend.  

• The Falcons were led in the victory by guard Hailee Bennett, who finished with a game-high 18 points against the Nanooks.

• Senior Riley Evans leads the team in scoring through 12 weeks of play at a clip of 14.1 points per game. Senior Cici West is next at an average of 9.7.

• Seattle Pacific will be in action twice this week, returning home to host Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and Montana State Billings two nights later. Tuesday’s game will tip-off at 7 p.m., while Thursday’s will get underway at 7:30 p.m.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan took to the floor twice last week, staying hot with a sweep of Central Washington (79-69) and then-No.1 Northwest Nazarene (76-73). The team now owns the second-longest winning streak in the conference at five games.

• Sophomore Ozioma Nwabuko led the team, averaging 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game across the two victories. Nwakbuko’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week.  

• Senior Sophie Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 17 games, averaging a clip of 14.4 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is following closely behind at 12.6 per game.

• The team returns to the floor twice this week, staying home to host Alaska on Thursday and No. 11 Alaska Anchorage two nights later.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action twice, dropping a tight Tuesday tilt at Concordia, 65-61, before falling at MSUB.

• Forward Natalie DeLonge led the Wolves on the week, averaging 15.5 points and nine rebounds per game. DeLonge recorded a double-double in the four-point loss in Portland against the Cavaliers.

• DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 14.5 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 10.1 points per game.

• The Wolves stay on the road this week, taking to Nampa to face No. 8 Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before playing at Central Washington two days later.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings were in action for pair of contests last week, dropping two games against then-No. 1 Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington.  

• Western Washington was led on the week by guard Emma Duff, who averaged 15 points and five rebounds per game.

• Sophomore Kelsey Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game after 12 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 comes to a close.  

• The Vikings will stay at home this week for a pair of games, beginning with a date with No. 11 on Thursday night. The week will then conclude two nights later against Alaska.