Wednesday, December 5, 2018

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Anna Schwecke
Western Washington
C • 6-3 • Jr. • Evergreen, Colo.

Schwecke led the Vikings to two wins with a pair of big double-doubles. She led the Vikings with 24 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday’s 70-62 road win at Simon Fraser, making 11 of 16 from the field to go with an assist, a steal and two blocks. Schwecke then led all players with 20 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday’s 63-57 victory over Montana State Billings. For the week, Schwecke finished with 44 points and 27 rebounds and shot 56.3 percent from the field.

Also Nominated: Hannah Wandersee (UAA), Alexis Pana (CWU), Keesha Sarman (CU), Ellie Logan (NNU), Saniah Simpson-Patu (SMU), Keyonna Jones (WOU).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks hit the road for their first two games of conference play and were unable to pick up a victory.

• Both contests came against teams who entered the week previously undefeated. Alaska led 6-1 Central Washington at the end of the first quarter in Ellensburg but were unable to hang on to the advantage, ultimately falling 76-61.

• Senior Marian Wamsley leads the team in scoring after four weeks of play. The forward is averaging 13.8 points per game, with guard Kylie Wallace following at a 13.3 points per game clip.

• Alaska is now off for the rest of the month. The Nanooks will return to the court on January 3 against Western Washington in Fairbanks.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage split its pair of games last week, blowing out undefeated Central Washington in Ellensburg before falling at No. 7 Northwest Nazarene. The two contests marked its first conference games of the season.

• The highlight of the week came in a 74-60 victory over then 6-0 Central Washington on Thursday night. Four Seawolves finished the game scoring in double figures, led by a 17-point outburst from center Hannah Wandersee.

• Wandersee, who entered GNAC play as the conference’s reigning Player of the Week, is the team’s leader in scoring. She is averaging 14 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

• The Seawolves lead the GNAC and are 18th nationally in steals per game with 12.6 per game. Senior Kian McNair is the conference’s leader in steals per game (2.63).  

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 13 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and 18th in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team will be off for over two weeks, its next action coming December 18-19 in Hilo, Hawaii. Its first contest on the islands will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. (HST) against Holy Names, with a battle against Hawaii Hilo coming the next night at 5:30 p.m.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats split their first two games of GNAC play, falling to previously undefeated Alaska Anchorage before cruising to a 15-point victory against Alaska.

• Guard Alexis Pana shined in the victory, pouring in 19 points while dishing out six assists in the 76-61 win. Central Washington trailed by two after 10 minutes, but a 20-point second quarter and explosive 30-point third stanza quickly tuned that deficit into an 18-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

• Guard Sadie Mensing helped provide a nice one-two punch for CWU, adding 13 points against the Nanooks. Mensing is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game through the first month of the season.

• The Wildcats received 16 votes in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and are listed first among those teams receiving votes.

• Central Washington is off this week, returning to the floor on December 10 against Academy of Art to put a lid on its six-game homestand.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia emerged on the wrong end of its two games last week, falling on the road against Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s.

• Senior Keesha Sarman shined for the Cavaliers, leading the team with an average of 16 points per game in the first two conference games of the season. The guard was the only player in Saturday’s date with Saint Martin’s to play all 40 minutes.

• Guard Kizzah Maltezo leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 per game through four weeks of play. On the glass, Sarman tops CU with 7.6 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers will be in action once this week, returning to Portland for their first home game of the season. The contest on Saturday against Warner Pacific will tip-off at 5 p.m.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets took to the court twice last week, falling in both of their contests to tip-off GNAC competition.

• Their best performance came in a tight 63-57 defeat at Western Washington on Saturday. Guard Hannah Collins totaled 19 points and MSUB held a lead with just over three minutes remaining but were unable to hold on.

• Forward Vanessa Stavish was the other Yellowjacket to finish the day scoring in double figures with a 14-point outburst. Forward Janessa Williams had a big day on the glass, pulling down six rebounds in just 14 minutes on the floor.

• Montana State Billings will return to action once this week, hosting No. 18 (NAIA) Rocky Mountain in an exhibition on December 7.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene picked up a pair of wins last week against the Alaska schools to remain perfect on the season.

• The Nighthawks are now the only unbeaten remaining in the GNAC. They got their week started with a 39-point victory over Alaska, then followed that up with a 84-68 win against No. 3 Alaska Anchorage.  

• Guard Avery Albrecht shined for NNU, averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game to start league play. The junior was one of six Nighthawks who had at least one game scoring in double figures.

• The Nighthawks continue to climb in the national rankings and are now No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll and 10th in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene will stay at home this week, stepping back into its non-conference slate to host Cal State LA. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m on Saturday night in Nampa.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints split their first two games against GNAC competition, falling in a tight battle with Western Oregon before handling Concordia two days later.

• The victory was a rollercoaster of emotion for 20 minutes as Saint Martin’s outscored its visitors by 14 in the first quarter. The team would actually trail by two points heading into the locker rooms at halftime, but ultimately earned a 81-68 victory.

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson led SMU in the win, compiling 18 points and four rebounds. She was one of four Saints to finish scoring in double figures.  

• Guard Makenna Schultz has led Saint Martin’s this season, averaging 17.1 points per game as the month of December rolls on. Schultz is third in the GNAC in scoring average.

• Saint Martin’s will stay at home this week, playing host to Northwest Christian on Friday. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 5:15 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action twice last week, taking care of Concordia and Western Oregon to start GNAC play with a 2-0 mark. The Falcons are now one of just three teams tied at the top of the conference standings.

• The Falcons were led by a pair of explosive nights from guard Riley Evans, who finished the week averaging with 23 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

• Evans leads the team in scoring through four weeks of play at a clip of 18.9 points per game.

• The Falcons are off until December 12 now, returning to the floor to face Academy of Art in their final contest of a six-game homestand. 

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan were in action twice last week, splitting a pair of contests against Western Washington and Montana State Billings. The team dropped a tight battle against the Vikings on Thursday before retuning to action with an 81-74 victory over the visiting Yellowjackets.

• Thursday’s seven-point win was made possible in part by a 26-point showing from senior Sophie Swant. The explosion led all scorers and was one of four players performances in double figures.  

• Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after five games, averaging a clip of 16.7 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is following closely behind at 14.3 per game.

• Simon Fraser is on break until December 17, when it will take on Stanislaus State at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic in Bellingham.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 1-1 to start GNAC play, topping Saint Martin’s in Lacey before falling on the road against Seattle Pacific.

• Center Natalie DeLonge led her team to the victory, scoring 17 points and grabbing four rebounds in the 66-56 win. The backcourt duo of Keyonna Jones (15 points and seven rebounds) and Tresai McCarver (10 and seven) impressed as well.

• Jones leads the Wolves with an average of 11.5 points per game. DeLonge is next on the team with 10.3 points per game.

• The Wolves will return to the floor on December 10 in Monmouth, battling Northwest Christian in their penultimate non-conference game.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings swept their two contests last week, coming in a win in Burnaby before returning home to top Montana State Billings.

• Center Anna Schwecke shined in her first two conference contests of the season, averaging 22 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Her performance earned her GNAC Player of the Week honors, the second award of the season for Western Washington.

• It’s sophomore Kelsey Rogers who leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game after the first week of conference play. Two other Vikings, Anna Schwecke (14.0 points per game) and Dani Iwami (12.1), are scoring in double figures entering the second month of the season.  

• The Vikings will be back in action on December 17, hosting Lubbock Christian at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic.