Wednesday, December 7, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After a busy opening week of conference play, nine GNAC teams will resume their non-conference schedules until after Christmas.

Three GNAC teams got through the first week of conference play without a loss. Seattle Pacific remains undefeated overall this year after a pair of wins in Oregon. Alaska Anchorage stayed home to beat two regionally-ranked teams, improving to 4-0 against West Region opponents. Northwest Nazarene was the third unbeaten team with two home wins.

The only GNAC teams that still have conference games left before Christmas are Alaska and Alaska Anchorage, which will go head-to-head on Saturday.

The GNAC owns four of the top five positions in this week D2SIDA West Region Rankings, led by UAA at No. 1. Undefeated Seattle Pacific is ranked No. 2 and remained in the top 10 in the national rankings.

The Falcons currently have the best scoring defense in NCAA Division II, allowing only 46.6 points per game.

Player of the Week

Autummn Williams

Alaska Anchorage

F • 5-10  • Sr. • Rochester, N.Y.

In two crucial home wins to tip off the GNAC schedule, Williams scored 36 points making 17 of 28 shots from the field. Williams also tallied eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. She scored 15 points while making 7 of 10 shots from the field to go along with three steals and three assists in Wednesday’s75-59 win over Simon Fraser on Wednesday. She then registered a team-best 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 80-69 win over Western Washington.

Also Nominated: Shelby Snook (Western Oregon), Danielle Hartzog (Concordia), Kate Cryderman (Northwest Nazarene), Tiana Hanson (Montana State Billings), Taylor Peacocke (Western Washington), Jordan McPhee (Seattle Pacific).

ALASKA

• The Nanooks dropped both games this week against regionally-ranked opponents, losing to Western Washington, 100-54, and Simon Fraser, 79-77.
• Alaska has lost its last three games and is 4-5 on the season after facing one of the toughest schedules in the West Region. The Nanooks’ opponents have a combined record of 49-26 this season.
• The Nanooks are receiving votes in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• Jordan Wilson had team-bests of 23 points and seven rebounds against Simon Fraser. Wilson is now averaging 22.0 points per game, which ranks seventh in NCAA Division II.
• Jaylee Mays went 5 for 9 from beyond the arc against Simon Fraser. On the season, she has made 27 of 57 from 3-point territory, which is the most 3-pointers made in the GNAC. It was the third time this season she has made at least five shots from beyond the arc in a single game. No other player in the GNAC has done it more than once.
• Kailee Skjold scored in double digits in both games this week. She is now averaging 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season. She ranks ninth in the conference in points per game and second in rebounds per game. She also has 4.0 assists per game, making her the only player in the conference to rank in the GNAC top 10 for points, rebounds and assists.
• Autumn Childers is a perfect 16 for 16 from the free throw line, which is the most free throws made without a miss so far this season in the GNAC. As a team, the Nanooks have the best free throw percentage in the conference, making 154 of 179, which is the third-best free-throw percentage in NCAA Division II. Against Colorado State-Pueblo, Alaska made all 15 free throws it took, which is the most free throws made without a miss in the conference this year. Wilson has made 54 of 58 free throws, which ranks 16th in the nation.
• Victoria Milton has recorded 47 assists this season, which is the third most in the conference.
• The Nanooks will play once more before Christmas, hosting West Region No. 1 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Alaska hasn’t beaten the Seawolves since 2007.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE

• The Seawolves beat two regionally-ranked teams to improve to 4-0 this year against West Region teams and 6-1 overall this season.
• Kaitlyn Hurley scored a team-high 22 points off the bench in the 75-59 win against Simon Fraser. She went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc, becoming the fourth GNAC player to make at least six treys in a single game.
• In the 80-69 win over Western Washington, Autummn Williams had team-bests 21 points and six rebounds. On the week, she went 17 for 28 from the field and was named GNAC Player of the Week. This year, she ranks in the top 10 in the GNAC in steals, assists and points. She is the only player in the GNAC with that distinction.
• Kiki Robertson had 15 assists and seven steals in the two victories. This season she has 7.1 assists and 3.4 steals per game, which both lead the GNAC.
• Alysha Devine is one of the seven players in the GNAC with at least 30 rebounds and 15 steals this year. She is also averaging 10.1 points per game.
• The Seawolves lead NCAA Division II in steals with 18.6 per game. They also rank second in assists (23.4), turnover margin (13.43) and turnovers forced (29.57).
• Alaska Anchorage has the fourth-best defense in NCAA Division II, allowing just 49.7 points per game, and its average margin of victory of 31.7 points ranks third.
• The Seawolves are ranked No. 1 in the West Region in the D2SIDA poll. Nationally, UAA is ranked No. 7 by D2SIDA and No. 8 by WBCA.
• Alaska Anchorage registered 37 steals in the 99-32 win over Post, which broke the GNAC record for team steals in a single game, which was set at 34 by Northwest Nazarene in 2001.
• The Seawolves will travel to Fairbanks on Saturday to play against the Nanooks. That will be their last conference game until after Christmas. Until then, the Seawolves will make a week-long trip to the Hawaiian Islands for a trio of games against PacWest teams.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON

• The Wildcats dropped their first two conference contests, losing on the road to Northwest Nazarene, 81-68, and at home to Montana State Billings, 65-62.
• Central Washington is on a four-game losing streak since returning from Hawaii. The Wildcats had won four of their first five games.
• Taylor Baird was a rebound away from her fourth double-double this year in the loss to MSUB. She had 14 points and nine rebounds.
• Baird has taken exactly 100 shots this season and made 56 of them. She is averaging 14.1 points per game and a GNAC-best 8.9 rebounds per game.
• Jasmin Edwards is averaging 11.8 points per game and a team-best 4.8 assists per game. She led CWU in scoring with 14 points against NNU. She scored a combined 34 points in back-to-back games, including her 20 points against Hawaii Pacific.
• Sadie Mensing has a team-high 12 steals this season and also scored 14 points against MSUB.
• Central Washington is tied for the best rebounding margin in the GNAC with 9.4 more rebounds than opponents per game.
• The Wildcats will not play this week, but will return action on Monday, hosting Cal State Los Angeles, which is receiving votes in the D2SIDA West Region rankings.

CONCORDIA

• Concordia split its results this week, beating Saint Martin’s, 79-61, before falling to undefeated Seattle Pacific, 66-51.
• Concordia’s win over Saint Martin’s represented the first loss for SMU on LCEF Court this year. A few weeks prior to the GNAC opener, the Saints had won Concordia’s tournament.
• Danielle Hartzog scored 21 points in both contests to go along with seven assists and seven steals to earn a GNAC Player of the Week nomination.
• Keesha Sarman scored 26 points, draining three shots from beyond the arc in the win over Saint Martin’s. She also had three steals and eight rebounds.
• Hartzog and Sarman are two of seven players in the conference with at least 15 steals and 30 rebounds this season.
• Jordyn Peacock had three blocks in the two games and now has 25 blocks this year. Her 3.13 blocks per game rank seventh in NCAA Division II this year. That accounts for over half of the team’s blocks and Concordia leads the conference in blocks with 49.
• The Cavaliers will play a scrimmage against Boise State on Wednesday and will play in the Seattle Pacific Tournament the following week as the last action before Christmas.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• The Crusaders were the first team to reach two conference wins this year, beating Central Washington and Montana State Billings at home.
• In the 81-68 win over Central Washington, Kate Cryderman made 5 of 8 shots from the field, 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and all four from the charity stripe for a team-best 16 points. Lexi Tubbs added 14 points and seven rebounds, also making all four free throws she took. It was Tubbs’ season-high for points.
• In the 78-60 win over Montana State Billings, McKenna Walker came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points. The Crusaders continued to show their depth with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench from Raquel Jardine.
• Colette Gall had 12 points and seven rebounds and now leads NNU with 31 rebounds this season.
• The Crusaders have made 49.1 percent of their field goals this season, which is the best in the GNAC and ranks fourth in NCAA Division II. Northwest Nazarene also averages 81.3 points per game, which is just one tenth behind the conference leader.
• Northwest Nazarene will play in a tournament in Las Vegas on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19 before wrapping up until Christmas.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS

• The Yellowjackets earned a split in their first weekend of GNAC play with a loss to Northwest Nazarene before rebounding with a win at Central Washington.
• In the nine games played, Tiana Hanson has led the team in scoring seven times, including each of the last six games, and in rebounding five times. Hanson is averaging 16.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds with nine blocks. She ranks fourth in the GNAC in scoring and sixth in rebounding.
• Rylee Kane recorded 13 points and seven assists in the win against Central Washington. Kane has 55 assists this year, which ranks third in the conference and 16th in NCAA Division II.
• Montana State Billings will host Great Falls on Saturday in its last game before Christmas.

SAINT MARTIN’S

• The Saints lost their first two conference games on the road in Oregon, falling to Concordia, 79-61, and Western Oregon, 70-56.
• Baylee Olsen made her 11th consecutive 3-pointer against Concordia to break the GNAC record for most consecutive 3-pointers made. She has made 14 of 26 shots from beyond the arc this year. Of any player that has made at least 10 treys this year, Olsen has the best percentage at .538.
• Makenna Schults scored her season-high in points with 17 against Concordia in just 16 minutes of play. She went 6 for 9 from the field and 4 for 5 from beyond the arc and brought down two rebounds and had a steal in limited time off the bench.
• The Saints will not play this week, but will return to action next week with a trip to California to play against Cal State San Marcos and No. 10 California Baptist.

SEATTLE PACIFIC

• The Falcons continued their perfect start to the season with a pair of wins in Oregon, beating Western Oregon, 68-59, and Concordia, 66-51.
• The run matches the fourth-best start in program history. The team’s best start to a season was 30-0 in the 2003-04 campaign.
• Courtney Hollander recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Concordia. She is now averaging 14.1 points per game and 8.0 rebounds.
• Seattle Pacific still boasts the best scoring defense in NCAA Division II, allowing only 46.6 points per game. The Falcons also have 12.9 steals per game, which ranks 14th in the nation. They also rank fourth in field-goal defense with opponents making just 30.9 percent of all shots.
• The Falcons made 7 of 10 three-pointers against Concordia, which is the second-best single-game 3-point field-goal percentage in the GNAC this year.
• The Falcons have 13 players that have played in over half the games this year and each of them is averaging at least 2.4 points per game.
• Seattle Pacific is tied for the best rebounding margin in the GNAC with 9.4 more rebounds than opponents per game.
• The Falcons dropped to No. 9 in the nation in the D2SIDA poll and moved up to No. 23 in the WBCA poll. In the West Region, the Falcons are ranked No. 2.
• On Saturday, the Falcons will host Cal State Los Angeles, which is receiving votes in the West Region rankings of the D2SIDA poll.

SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser earned a split in the 49th state, beating Alaska, 79-77, after losing to Alaska Anchorage, 75-59.
• Four players scored in double figures against Alaska, including a season-high 16 points by Tia Tsang.
• Elisa Homer has not played in the last five games.
• Ellen Kett leads the team in assits with 70 and in rebounds with 63. Only one other player in the GNAC leads their team in both of those statistical categories.
• Meg Wilson leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and has a team-high 24 steals this season.
• Freshman Ozi Nwabuko made 7 of 10 field goals against Alaska and now has a GNAC-best 65.7 field-goal percentage this season.
• For the fourth week in a row, the Clan is ranked No. 5 in the West Region rankings in the D2SIDA poll and are receiving votes in the national poll.
• Simon Fraser will play once more before Christmas, hosting Nova Southeastern on Dec. 19.

WESTERN OREGON

• The Wolves split their first two GNAC contests, dropping the opener 68-59 to Seattle Pacific before beating Saint Martin’s, 70-56.
• Savannah Heugly is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game, which is the most by any player in the GNAC that has not yet started a single game this year.
• Shelby Snook led the team in scoring in both games, scoring 31 points against Saint Martin’s. That was the most points scored by a single player in any game this year.
• Snook made 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc and now has a 50 percent 3-point percentage this year, which ranks 14th in NCAA Division II.
• Jasmine Miller had a double-double against the Saints wtih 12 points and 11 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came on the offensive end.
• The Wolves will not play this week, but will host Southern Oregon next Monday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON

• The Vikings split their first two GNAC games, beating Alaska before falling to Alaska Anchorage.
• The Vikings scored 100 points against Alaska, becoming the first team this year to score triple digits. Six Vikings scored in double digits in the victory.
• Nikki Corbett came off the bench and was perfect from the field against Alaska, making all four shots taken.
• Hannah Stepanovich was the team’s leading scorer wtih 21 points, making 7 of 9 shots from the field and was a perfect 7 for 7 from the charity stripe. She has now made 41 of 43 free throws this year, which is the 10th-best free-throw percentage in the nation.
• As a team, Western Washington ranks seventh in the nation in free-throw percentage. Taylor Peacocke has taken the bulk of those free throws, making 54 of 62. Stipanovich is getting to the free-throw line at the fastest rate, taking a free throw nearly every three minutes of play.
• Jessica Valley tallied a team-high seven rebounds against Alaska Anchorage and now leads the team in rebounds with 47. Her 28 assists is also the best on the team.
• In the D2SIDA poll, Western Washington is ranked No. 24 in the nation and No. 4 in the West Region.
• Western Washington won’t play this week. The Vikings will resume next week at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19, playing No. 5  Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico.