Monday, December 30, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hailee Bennett
Seattle Pacific
G • 5-7 • Sr. • Kalispell, Mont.

Bennett led Seattle Pacific to its first wins of the season with totals of 44 points and 14 rebounds in two games. She led all scorers with 29 points and nine rebounds in an 80-67 win over Cal State LA, shooting 7 of 13 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Bennett then added 15 points and five rebounds in a 76-50 win over Academy of Art.

Also Nominated: Safiyyash Yasin (Alaska Anchorage), Kaelie Flores (Central Washington), Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Keyonna Jones (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska did not play last week. The Nanooks went 1-1 at home in their opening games of conference play, topping Western Oregon, 81-76, in overtime on Dec. 5 before losing a tough game to Concordia, 70-67, on Dec. 7.

• Jocelyn Gandara averaged 30.5 points per game. She shot 50 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. Gandara scored 27 points against the Wolves then followed with a GNAC season-high 34 points on 10 of 22 from the field against the Cavaliers.

• Sam Tolliver scored 18 points against the Wolves to go with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. She ranks fourth in the GNAC with 15.5 points per game.

• The Nanooks rank fifth in the conference in scoring offense with 71.4 points per game.

• Alaska will return to action after the new year as the Nanooks continue conference play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage won all three of its games in Hawaii last week. The Seawolves topped Menlo, 86-37, on Dec. 18 then defeated Northwest Missouri State, 56-45, on Dec. 19 in Honolulu before winning 59-47 at Hawaii Hilo on Dec. 22.

• Safiyyah Yasin led the Seawolves in Hawaii with 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. She scored 12 points against Menlo then followed with 11 points against Northwest Missouri State. Yasin then capped off her week with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block against Hawaii Hilo, shooting 33.3 percent from the field and making 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

• Yazmeen Goo scored 14 points to add to four assists and three rebounds against Menlo, connecting on 6 of 8 from the field. Goo then scored 11 points to go with six assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block against Northwest Missouri State before contributing seven more points at Hawaii Hilo. Goo is tied for fourth in the conference with 4.33 assists per game.

• Jahnna Hajdukovich shined off the bench at Hawaii Hilo with 19 points, three rebounds and a pair of steals. She made 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 8 from outside.

• Alaska Anchorage will return to conference play as it travels to Washington to play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington defeated Academy of Art, 84-63, on Dec. 17 then lost a conference game against Northwest Nazarene, 85-76, at home on Dec. 21.

• Four Wildcats scored in double digits against Academy of Art. Samantha Bowman led the Wildcats with 20 points to go with six rebounds. She connected on 8 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line.

• Kaelie Flores scored 17 points to go with seven rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block against Academy of Art while Alexis Pana dropped 10 points while adding seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.

• Jonnae Richardson finished just short of a double-double against Academy of Art with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. She shot 7 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range.

• Flores was the top performer against the Nighthawks with 24 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, making 9 of 16 from the field.

• The Wildcats will look to bounce back as they play at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia did not play last week. The Cavaliers split their conference openers, losing 79-52 to Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 5 before edging out Alaska, 70-67, on Dec. 7 in Fairbanks.

• Riley Friauf registered a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Seawolves to go with three assists and two blocks. Friauf then scored 15 points and added seven rebounds against the Nanooks as she connected on 7 of 12 from the field.

• Abby Zhang was productive in 23 minutes off the bench as she put up 12 points against the Seawolves, making 4 of 10 from the field. All four of her made field goals were three-pointers.

• Olivia Vezaldenos led the Cavs against the Nanooks with 19 points while adding four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. She made 5 of 8 from three-point range and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Vezaldenos ranks second in the conference with 30 three-pointers made.

• Concordia will return to conference play at home as it hosts Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings won both of its games at home two weeks ago, scoring a 69-65 win over Rocky Mountain on Dec. 12 and an 81-44 rout of Dickinson State on Dec. 15 to close out non-conference play.

• Hannah Collins was the only Yellowjacket to score in double digits in both games. She opened the week with 19 points on 7 of 14 from the field and 2 of 5 from outside to go with six rebounds, two assists and a steal against Rocky Mountain. She followed that with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal against Dickinson State.

• Taylor Cunningham finished just short of a double-double against Rocky Mountain with 19 points and nine rebounds to go with two assists, a steal and a block. She also scored eight points to go with four rebounds and two assists against Dickinson State.

• Taryn Shelley registered her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Dickinson State, connecting on 7 of 11 from the field.

• Montana State Billings improved to 6-5 overall. The Yellowjackets will return to conference play at home, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene returned to conference play with a convincing 85-76 win over preseason favorite Central Washington on Dec. 21 in Ellensburg.

• The Nighthawks forced 19 turnovers for 24 points and scored 16 second-chance points. The Nighthawk bench scored 33 points in a full team effort.

• Avery Albrecht led the Nighthawks with 23 points to go with three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Albrecht connected on 9 of 16 from the field, 3 of 6 from outside and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Albrecht ranks third in the GNAC with 16.5 points per game and seventh with a .520 field goal percentage.

• Erin Jenkins also impressed in Ellensburg with 11 points, six rebounds and a steal. Jenkins ranks 14th in the conference with 12.7 points per game while also ranking sixth with a .527 field goal percentage.

• The Nighthawks are ranked tied for 10th with Western Washington in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Northwest Nazarene has won six straight games and improved to 8-3 overall (3-0 GNAC). Up next, the Nighthawks will continue conference play on the road as they play at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s topped Vancouver Island, 72-62, at home on Dec. 18 in the Saints’ last game.

• The Saints outscored the Mariners 41-25 in the first half to break away. The Saints forced 20 turnovers for 26 points and shot 88.9 percent from the free throw line to secure their second straight victory.

• Bria Thames registered her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 17 rebounds to go with a steal. Thames shot 60 percent from the field and made 2 of 2 from the free throw line.

• Tierney DeDonatis led all scorers with 18 points to go with three assists, two steals and a rebound. She connected on 5 of 14 from the field, 4 of 10 from outside and 4 of 4 from the free throw line.

• Claire Dingus also scored in double digits against the Mariners with 11 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Dingus leads the GNAC and ranks 12 in Division II with 4.4 offensive rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s is 5-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Saints will return to conference play at home as they host Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons picked up their first wins of the season at home with an 80-67 victory over Cal State LA on Dec. 16 and a 76-50 win over Academy of Art on Dec. 19.

• Hailee Bennett was named the GNAC Player of the Week with totals of 44 points and 14 rebounds in two games. She led all scorers with 29 points and nine rebounds against Cal State LA, shooting 7 of 13 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. Bennett then added 15 points and five rebounds against Academy of Art.

• Ashlynn Burgess picked up her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go with an assist and a steal against Cal State LA. She ranks 15th in the GNAC with 11.8 points per game.

• Ashley Alter also scored in double digits against the Golden Eagles with 12 points, two rebounds and two steals, shooting 4 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. She also dropped 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals against Academy of Art.

• The Falcons are now 2-8 overall on the season. The Falcons will return to conference play at home as they host Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser did not play last week. The Clan opened GNAC play with an exciting 64-60 win at home over Western Washington on Dec. 3 then lost a tough 73-70 game to Montana State Billings on Dec. 5.

• The Clan outscored the Vikings 15-10 in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Georgia Swant headlined the victory as she scored 20 points and added two assists and a steal. Swant was perfect in the game as she connected on 8 of 8 from the field and 3 of 3 from outside and made her only free throw attempt.

• Jessica Jones was two rebounds shy of a double-double with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists against the Vikings. Jones also recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss to the Yellowjackets.

• Simon Fraser is 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Clan will return to GNAC play as it travels to play at Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was down 34-20 at halftime but outscored Corban, 39-22, in the second half to preserve the 59-56 come-from-behind victory at home on Dec. 16.

• The Wolves scored 21 points off of 20 forced turnovers and scored 28 points in the paint in the come-from-behind win over the Warriors.

• Keyonna Jones led the Wolves with 16 points on 8 of 11 from the field. She also had four assists, three rebounds and three blocks in the game.

• Shariah Green scored 14 points to go with five rebounds and two steals. She connected on 6 of 18 from the field and 1 of 3 from outside. Green scored the game-winning bucket with 3.9 seconds remaining.

• Amber Winkler ranks second in the conference with 1.89 blocked shots per game.

• Western Oregon will return to conference play at home as they host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 2-0 in Puerto Rico, defeating Puerto Rico-Bayamon, 64-48, on Dec. 19 then topping Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, 73-31, on Dec. 21 to extend the Vikings’ winning streak to three games.

• The Vikings shot 45.6 percent from the field and limited Puerto Rico-Bayamon to less than 10 points in both the first and fourth quarters.

• Anna Schwecke recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block against Puerto Rico-Bayamon, connecting on 5 of 11 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line.

• Emma Duff also scored in double digits against Puerto Rico-Bayamon with 11 points, shooting 5 of 7 from the field, while also adding two rebounds and two assists.

• The Vikings limited Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras to less than 10 points in each of the first three quarters and scored 27 points off of 27 forced turnovers in the 73-31 rout.

• The bench played a key role in the Vikings’ win as the reserves scored a combined 47 points. Maddison Coleman registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with three steals, two assists and a block. Kelsey Rogers also performed well with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

• The Vikings are ranked tied for 10th with Northwest Nazarene in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Western Washington is now 7-3 overall. Up next, the Vikings will return to conference play on the road, playing at Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.