Tuesday, February 19, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sophie Swant
Simon Fraser
F • 5-11 • Sr. • North Vancouver, B.C.

Swant led the Clan with 44 points and 10 rebounds in two wins as Simon Fraser clinched a berth in the GNAC Championships. Swant went off for 34 points in Thursday’s 82-61 victory over Seattle Pacific, connecting on 12 of 22 from the field and 8 of 13 from three-point range to go with five assists and five steals. Swant finished the week with 10 points in Saturday’s 77-57 win over Saint Martin’s to go with seven rebounds, seven assists and a block.

Also Nominated: Sydni Stallworth (Alaska Anchorage), JonNae Richardson (Central Washington), Olivia Vezaldenos (Concordia), Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin's), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

#GNACWBB in 280

#DownTheStretchTheyCome After a hard fought three and a half months, just two weeks of play remain in the 2018-19 regular season. This week’s slate is headlined by two big Thursday matchups as third-place Simon Fraser travels to first-place Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington hosts rival Western Washington.

#PostseasonPush The Clan became the third team to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships with its 77-57 victory over Saint Martin’s on Saturday. They join Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene as the first teams to earn berths in the postseason tournament.

#MoreOnTheWay? Both Central Washington and Western Washington will have opportunities to earn a GNAC Championships bid this week. The Wildcats can lock up a trip to Bellingham with one more win, while it could take two victories for the Vikings to sew up a spot.  

#SeniorSendoffs Four GNAC teams - Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific will honor their graduating players with Senior Day celebrations on Saturday.

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks split their pair of games last week, earning their first GNAC victory of the season against Western Oregon in a 68-65 decision before falling to Concordia two days later.

• Senior Marian Wamsley led her team in the win, tallying a game-high 23 points. She was one of three Nanooks to finish scoring in double figures.

• Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the season enters its home stretch. The forward is averaging 12.6 points per game with guard Kylie Wallace following closely at 11.3 points per game.

• Alaska will hit the road this week, beginning with a Thursday night date against Saint Martin’s. It will then cap the week against Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 4 p.m.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage picked up two more victories last week, improving its record to 23-1 on the season. The team handled Concordia in Anchorage before blowing out Western Oregon for a 97-52 win to end the week.

• The victory over the Wolves marked the team’s third win of the season by exactly 45 points. Guard Kian McNair led the way in the victory, scoring a game-high 19 points while dishing out three assists and picking up two steals.

• McNair was one five Seawolves to finish at least one game scoring in double figures on the week.

• Senior Hannah Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. She is followed by guard Yazmeen Goo, who is scoring at a clip of 9.8 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 9 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team heads south this week, facing Seattle Pacific on Thursday night and Saint Martin’s two days later.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats went on the road and split its pair of games, blowing out Montana State Billings for an 82-45 victory before falling in a tight contest against first-place Northwest Nazarene on Monday. The team is now one win away from clinching a berth in next month’s GNAC Championships.

• The team was led in its big victory by forward JonNae Richardson, who tallied a double-double with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Richardson did this in just 14 minutes on the floor.

• Guard Alexis Pana leads the team in both scoring (15 points per game) and assists (5.2 per game).

• The team is defending at one of the highest rates in the country, including a figure of 4.1 blocks per game. That has CWU ranked first in the GNAC.

• The Wildcats will be in action twice more this week, hosting rival Western Washington on Thursday before a Senior Night date with Simon Fraser two days later. 

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its two-game road trip last week, falling at Alaska Anchorage before blowing out Alaska for a 71-44 victory.

• Guard Olivia Vezaldenos tied the Cavalier single season record with 68 made three-pointers in the win over the Nanooks.

• Vezaldenos shined in her team’s victory at the Patty Center, scoring a game-high 24 points. She was one of three members of the CU backcourt to finish scoring in double figures. Guards Keesha Sarman and Abby Zhang each added 17 and 10 points, respectively.  

• Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game through 15 weeks of play. On the glass, Sarman tops CU with 7.5 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers will return to the floor on Tuesday night at in-state foe Western Oregon. They will then round out the week four nights later with a Saturday evening date against Montana State Billings in Portland.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets were in action for a pair of games last week, falling in a tight battle with nationally-ranked Northwest Nazarene (92-86) and to Central Washington (82-45).

• Sophomore Hannah Collins led her team on the week, averaging 13.5 points and 2.5 assists across the two games. Collins has paced the team in scoring this year (15.3 points per game) with freshman Taryn Shelley topping the team on the glass (8.3 rebounds per game).

• The team has shined at taking care of the ball this year, leading the GNAC and ranking 18th nationally in fewest turnovers (300).

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, traveling to Western Oregon on Thursday evening and Concordia two nights later. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 5:15 p.m. (PST). 

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks stayed hot last week, winning on both Thursday and Monday to extend their winning streak to six games. The club topped Montana State Billings on the road before returning home to defeat Central Washington, 65-56.

• Guard Avery Albrecht shined for NNU in the week’s victories, leading her team with an average of 17 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She was one of four players to finish at least one game scoring in double figures.  

• Albrecht leads the team with 13.9 points per game as the regular season winds to a close. Senior Ellie Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 11.8 points per game.

• The Nighthawks are ranked No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA Poll and No. 8 in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene will stay at home for the rest of the week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday before a Senior Night showdown with Western Washington on Saturday. Each games is slated for a 7 p.m. start.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was in action for a pair of games last week, dropping contests on the road to Western Washington (66-50) and Simon Fraser (77-57).

• Freshman Claire Dingus led SMU in the two games, averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per outing. The guard/forward’s 7.6 rebounds per game leads the Saints on the glass.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu has led Saint Martin’s in scoring this season, averaging 13 points per game. Simpson-Patu currently leads the conference in field goal attempts (320).

• An emphasis on hitting the offensive boards has helped the team this season, ranking second in the GNAC with 13 offensive rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s returns home this week, hosting Alaska on Thursday night before honoring its seniors on Saturday against Alaska Anchorage.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action for two games last week, falling on the road to Simon Fraser (82-61) and Western Washington (60-43).  

• The Falcons were led on the week by senior Cici West, who finished the two contests averaging 10 points and six rebounds against the Clan and Vikings. West leads the club on the glass with 8.9 rebounds per game.

• Guard Riley Evans leads the team in scoring through 15 weeks of play at a clip of 12.8 points per game. West is next at an average of 10.3 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific will return home this week, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday afternoon for its final home game of the year.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan swept a visit from Seattle Pacific and Saint Marin’s last week. The 77-57 victory over the Saints on Saturday clinched a berth in the GNAC Championships.

• Senior Sophie Swant led the team in the two wins, averaging 22 points and five rebounds per game. Her exploits earned her recognition as the GNAC Player of the Week.  

• Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 23 games, averaging 15 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is closely behind at 11.8 points per game.

• The team will hit the road this week, traveling to Nampa to face first-place Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before capping the trip at Central Washington two nights later. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. tip-offs.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action for two road contests, falling at Alaska Anchorage after suffering a 68-65 defeat in Fairbanks against Alaska.

• Guard Ronnie Harris led the Wolves on the week, compiling 27 points and three assists across the two games. She was one of four players to finish at least one contest scoring in double figures.

• Center Natalie DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 14.4 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 9.8 points per game.

• The Wolves return home this week, hosting in-state foe Concordia in Monmouth on Tuesday before MSU Billings comes calling two nights later. 

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings were in action twice last week, handling Saint Martin’s before blowing out Seattle Pacific for a 77-57 victory. 

• Western Washington was led in the wins by center Anna Schwecke, who averaged 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds on the week.

• Sophomore Kelsey Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game after 15 weeks of action. A pair of other Vikings, Dani Iwami (12.1 points per game) and Schwecke (11.8 points per game), are scoring in double figures as the fourth month of the season winds down.  

• The Vikings will hit the road this week, facing rival Central Washington on Thursday night before capping the week two days later against first-place Northwest Nazarene. Victories in both games would clinch a spot in next month’s GNAC Championships in Bellingham.