Tuesday, February 17, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. - Erin Chambers broke the GNAC’s all-time scoring record after a big week in conference hoops as three more teams punched their tickets to Billings.

The Simon Fraser guard was 49 points short of the record heading into the week. She made sure that mark was broken sooner rather than later, scoring 41 points in Saturdays win at Saint Martin’s after a 19-point performance against Western Oregon.

The 41 points was the third highest scoring total in the GNAC and only the fourth 40-or-more point game in conference history.

Chambers, who currently has 1,842 points in her career, surpassed Montana State Billings Bobbi Knudsen who set the record with 1,831 points set last season.

With 13 made free throws Saturday night, the GNAC Player of the Week also broke the record for made free throws in a career with 446.

The Clan not only saw their leading scorer break two GNAC records Saturday, but the win solidified them a spot in the conference tournament.

Four teams have now won their way to Billings with two weeks left in the season as Seattle Pacific and Western Washington clinched spots with two wins last week as well.

Alaska Anchorage, which was named the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Coaches Top 25 poll Tuesday, is guaranteed a top-three seed with a 13-1 record. SPU and WWU, fighting for a first-round bye as well, are guaranteed a top-four seed.

The last two spots in the tournament are wide open right now as the six remaining teams are separated by only three games with the top four only being separated by a single contest.

In the case of a tie at the end of the regular season, the first tiebreaker is the won-loss record between the two tied team’s head-to head. Combined won-loss records against GNAC teams with a better than .750 win percentages is the second tiebreaker. Currently, only UAA and SPU have conference records better than .750.

Notes:

• The first official NCAA West Region Poll will be released Wednesday, Feb. 18. This poll is the first of three that will determine the five West Region at-large teams that will make the NCAA tournament along with the GNAC, Pac-West and CCAA champions.

• Central Washington’s Courtney Johnson became the eighth active GNAC player, seventh this season, to reach 1,000 points.
   
• Speaking or records, Western Washington’s Katie Colard is nine baskets away from becoming the conferences all-time leader in made three-pointers.
   
• Western Oregon’s 23-point win was the largest margin of victory over the Clan since they joined the GNAC. It was also the team’s first win over SFU since 2011. 

• Simon Fraser’s Chambers was selected as the GNAC Player of the Week after scoring 41 of her 60 points in one game and breaking a few GNAC records.