Friday, October 7, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – Montana State Billings forward Alisha Breen is one of the top players to watch in the country with her selection to Division II Bulletin’s Super 16 preseason All-American list.

Breen, entering her senior season, was a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection in 2015-16 after she led the Yellowjackets to the GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships final and an appearance in the NCAA West Region Tournament for the second time in three years. The forward led the conference and finished 53rd in Division II with an average of 17.4 points per game while also averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. Breen shot 44.5 percent from the field and 77.6 percent from the free throw line as MSUB finished with a 21-11 overall record.

Breen scored 20 or more points in 13 games, topped by a massive 37-point performance against Academy of Art on Nov. 14 that tied her for the seventh best scoring performance in GNAC history. She also posted a 31-point performance in the Yellowjackets’ West Region Tournament loss to Azusa Pacific.

Two other GNAC players received honorable mention by Division II Bulletin. Western Washington senior guard Taylor Peacocke was a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection, ranking third in the GNAC with an average of 16.8 points per game. She also finished third in the league with a .436 three-point percentage and an .853 free throw percentage. Peacocke was one of two GNAC players to register a double-double in every regular season game.

Simon Fraser senior Ellen Kett picked up First Team All-GNAC honors after she finished averaging 11.3 points per game. The Australian did most of her damage beyond the arc, leading the GNAC and ranking second in Division II with a .495 three-point percentage (55-111). Kett led the Clan in assists in 21 games, led by a 16-assist performance against Saint Martin’s on Feb. 11 that tied the GNAC single game record.

Division II Bulletin also ranked two GNAC teams in its Women’s Division II Preseason Top-25. Defending GNAC champion and national runner-up Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 16 and Western Washington is ranked No. 21.