Monday, November 27, 2017
PORTLAND, Ore. – With a pair of big wins in respective Thanksgiving tournaments last week, Saint Martin’s men’s basketball and Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball are selected as the GNAC/Red Lion Co-Teams of the Week.
Coming off its upset win against No. 7 Cal Baptist over the weekend, Saint Martin’s improved to 5-1 after winning its fourth straight non-conference game. The Saints cruised past Academy of Art 77-67 on the first day of the CBU Thanksgiving Classic before handing Cal Baptist its first loss of the season 93-88 on Saturday. Prior to the tournament, the Saints came away with a 73-70 win over Cal State Monterey Bay last Tuesday for a 3-0 week heading into conference play.
“Our guys really came together on this road trip. They’ve started to trust each other and that trust led to the result [agianst Cal Baptist]. Everyone that stepped on the court gave great minutes, found a way to contribute and make their teammates better. I’m so proud of these guys; it was really a team win tonight,” said Saint Martin’s head coach Alex Pribble on SMU’s win over Cal Baptist.
During their four-game win streak, the Saints have averaged 82.5 points per game while limiting opponents to 74.8 points per game. The team also shot 47.8 percent from the floor and pumped in 41 percent of their three-point field goals.
In its win at Cal Baptist, Saint Martin’s went 63.3 percent from the field in the second half and made 11 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. The Saints begin conference action this Thursday in Ellensburg, Wash., against Central Washington.
“As coaches, we try to find out what our team’s potential is and then hold them to that standard every day. Now we know our guys have a very high ceiling, the challenge will be to find consistency with that type of performance,” said Pribble.
On the women’s basketball hardwood, No. 2 Alaska Anchorage concluded the 38th and final edition of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout with a pair of wins over Division I programs. On Tuesday, the Seawolves topped Maryland-Eastern Shore 69-59 to advance to the final Shootout’s championship game. Two days later, Alaska Anchorage captured its seventh Shootout title after knocking off Tulsa 59-53 in an exhibition win.
“In addition to building our confidence, it shows potential recruits that we are every bit as strong as half the Division I programs out there,” said Seawolves’ head coach Ryan McCarthy.
The Seawolves had a couple of standout performances by senior forwards Hannah Wandersee and Shelby Cloninger (tournament MVP), who combined for 27 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game. In addition to the two, Seawolves’ sophomore guard Yazmeen Goo was named to the 2017 GCI Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team.
“That was a total team effort. Hannah, Shelby and Tara [Thompson] all showed incredible veteran leadership, and Yazmeen is proving why she will be one of the best point guards in Division II for the next three years. I’m just very proud of all of our ladies,” added McCarthy.
Alaska Anchorage opens GNAC play next week with a pair of home games against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene at the Alaska Airlines Center.