Wednesday, January 15, 2020

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Safiyyah Yasin
Alaska Anchorage
G • 5-6 • Sr. • Oakland, Calif.

Yasin was consistent in finishing with 35 points, five assists and four rebounds as the Seawolves solidified first place in the GNAC standings. Yasin opened the week with 15 points in Thursday’s 68-51 win over Central Washington. She then added 18 points in Saturday’s 73-58 win over Northwest Nazarene, which ended the Nighthawks’ eight-game win streak. She also had four assists, two steals and two rebounds in the victory.

Also Nominated: Kaelie Flores (Central Washington), Riley Friauf (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Avery Albrecht (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin’s), Tayler Drynan (Simon Fraser), Shariah Green (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska lost 88-62 to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and 68-65 to Central Washington on Saturday at home.

• Sam Tolliver scored in double digits in both games to total 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. Tolliver scored 11 points against the Nighthawks then dropped 13 against the Wildcats in 79 total minutes. She ranks 30th in Division II with 35.75 minutes per game.

• Jocelyn Gandara led the Nanooks with 30 points and 13 rebounds last week. She scored just three points against NNU then went off for 27 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist against CWU, connecting on 10 of 24 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Gandara leads the GNAC in scoring (18.7 points per game), field goal attempts (227), free throw attempts (105) and free throws made (77).

• Alaska lost its first game of the week, 79-67, to in-state rival Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday. The Nanooks will stay home to host Montana State Billings on Thursday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage swept last week with huge wins at home over Central Washington (68-51) and Northwest Nazarene (73-58). The win over the NNU snapped the Nighthawks’ eight-game winning streak.

• Safiyyah Yasin was named the GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she finished with 35 points, five assists and four rebounds as the Seawolves solidified first place in the GNAC standings. Yasin opened the week with 15 points in Thursday’s 68-51 win over Central Washington. She then added 18 points in Saturday’s 73-58 win over Northwest Nazarene.

• Tennae Voliva finished the week with 23 points, 16 rebounds, seven steals, three assists and two blocks. Her big performance came against the Nighthawks as she registered a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free throw line.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 6 in the latest D2SIDA national rankings and No. 7 in the latest WBCA poll. The Seawolves remain No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• The Seawolves defeated in-state rival Alaska, 79-67, on Tuesday in Fairbanks. The Seawolves are 17-1 overall (7-0 GNAC) and will stay home to host Montana State Billings on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington struggled in a 68-51 loss at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday but turned things around to edge out Alaska, 68-65, on Saturday.

• Samantha Bowman was the only Wildcat to score in double digits in Anchorage. She just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks in just 18 minutes off the bench.

• Kaelie Flores finished the week with 24 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. She led the Wildcats in their win over the Nanooks with 18 points and four rebounds, shooting 7 of 8 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line in just 16 minutes.

• Brianna Phiakhamngon and Jonnae Richardson both scored 11 points against the Nanooks. Richardson also had six rebounds and a steal while shooting 71.4 percent from the field.

• Central Washington is now 8-6 overall (3-3 GNAC). Up next, the Wildcats will return home to host in-state rival Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia defended its home court with a 54-43 victory over in-state foe Western Oregon on Tuesday before losing to Montana State Billings, 66-58, on Thursday.

• Riley Friauf scored 27 points and added 17 rebounds, three steals and two assists in the two games. She scored 10 points against WOU and then just missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds against MSUB, shooting 5 of 9 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free throw line.

• Kelsey Hudson scored 20 points on the week to go with four rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block. Hudson scored eight points against the Wolves before dropping 12 points against the Yellowjackets.

• Olivia Vezaldenos collected 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in the two games. She finished her week with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and a block against the Yellowjackets. Vezaldenos ranks 15th in the GNAC with 12.1 points per game and second with 35 three-pointers made.

• Concordia will take to the road to play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split its Oregon road trip. The Yellowjackets dropped Concordia, 66-58, on Thursday before being edged out by Western Oregon, 64-56, on Saturday.

• Jeanann Lemelin led the Yellowjackets with a 37-point week. She opened the week with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Cavs, shooting 5 of 10 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Lemelin finished the week with 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Wolves.

• Taryn Shelley continues to be a double-double machine as she registered her GNAC-leading sixth of the season against the Cavs with 23 points and 14 rebounds to go with two blocks, an assist and a steal, connecting on 10 of 15 from the field. Shelley also scored eight points and added 10 rebounds against the Wolves.

• Danielle Zahn scored nine points in both games and added three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Zahn shot 50 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from outside on the week.

• Montana State Billings is now 8-7 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Yellowjackets will fly to Alaska to play in Fairbanks on Thursday and in Anchorage on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene handled Alaska, 88-62, on Thursday then saw its eight-game winning streak snapped in a 73-58 loss at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Avery Albrecht led the Nighthawks with 40 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the two games. Albrecht just missed a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds to go with three assists and two steals while shooting 8 of 13 from the field, 3 of 4 from three-point range and 2 of 5 from the free throw line against the Nanooks. Albrecht then recorded 19 points, five assists and four rebounds against the Seawolves.

• Marina Valles collected 23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 steals and eight assists in the split. Her top scoring performance came in Fairbanks as she scored 14 points while connecting on 5 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Valles leads the GNAC and ranks third in Division II with 56 steals and four steals per game.

• The Nighthawks rank second in Division II with 15.6 steals per game, third with 219 total steals, fifth with 24.64 turnovers forced per game and 27th with 78.1 points per game.

• The Nighthawks dropped one spot to No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 10-4 overall (5-1 GNAC) and sits in second place in the conference standings. Up next, the Nighthawks will return home to host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s went 0-2 last week with a 93-47 loss at Western Washington on Thursday and a 71-67 loss at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Claire Dingus led the Saints with 29 points, 28 rebounds, four steals and an assist. Dingus opened the week with nine points and 13 rebounds against the Vikings then went off for a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds while making 7 of 16 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line against the Clan. Dingus leads the GNAC and ranks fourth in Division II with five offensive rebounds per game.

• Tierney DeDonatis totaled 23 points, 10 assists and four rebounds last week, highlighted by her 12-point performance in Bellingham. DeDonatis is fourth in the conference with a .429 three-point field goal percentage.

• Janealle Sutterlict scored eight points against the Vikings and 13 points against the Clan. She ranks eighth in the conference with 3.23 assists per game and seventh with a .418 three-point percentage.

• The Saints will return home to host Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific went 0-2 last week with a 71-54 loss at Simon Fraser on Thursday and a 73-60 loss at Western Washington on Saturday.

• Madi Hingston led the Falcons in scoring with 29 points. Hingston scored 14 points off the bench, shooting 50 percent from both the field and the free throw line, and added five steals, four rebounds, two assists and a block against the Clan. Hingston finished the week with 15 points and four rebounds against the Vikings, connecting on 5 of 12 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range.

• Ashley Alter scored in double digits in both games, scoring 11 points against the Clan and 13 points against the Vikings. Alter also recorded five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the pair of losses.

• Ashlynn Burgess averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game last week as she shot 42.9 percent from the field. Burgess ranks third in the GNAC with a .553 field goal percentage and 14th with 12.3 points per game.

• The Falcons will return home to host Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser extended its winning streak to four games last week as the Clan picked up a 71-54 victory over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 71-67 win over Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Tayler Drynan went off for 40 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in the pair of wins. Drynan opened the week with 16 points and four rebounds against SPU. She then finished the week with 24 points, eight assists, three rebounds and a steal against SMU. Drynan shot 46.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range on the week.

• Jessica Jones averaged 15.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, highlighted by her 21-point performance against the Saints. Jones ranks second in the GNAC with 18.3 points per game.

• The Clan is among others receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• The Clan improved to 10-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play to come into a tie for second place in the GNAC standings. The Clan will take to the road this week to play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split last week with a 54-43 loss at Concordia on Tuesday and a 64-56 win over Montana State Billings at home on Saturday.

• Shariah Green recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and a steal on the week, capped off by her 21 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Yellowjackets. Green shot 57.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.

• Keyonna Jones scored in double digits in both games. Jones scored 11 points against the Cavaliers then scored 15 points against the Yellowjackets, connecting on 9 of 20 from the field. She also had six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

• Western Oregon is now 5-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Up next, the Wolves will head up Interstate 5 to play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington won both of its home games last week with a 93-47 rout of Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 73-60 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• The Vikings limited the Saints to 21.2 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent shooting from three-point range while scoring 50 points off the bench.

• Emma Duff scored nine points to go with six rebounds and four assists against the Saints then followed with 18 points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block against the Falcons, shooting 7 of 11 from the field.

• Anna Schwecke scored 14 points against the Saints and 12 points against the Falcons, shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line. Schwecke ranks second in the GNAC with a .561 field goal percentage, fourth with a .843 free throw percentage, seventh with 6.8 rebounds per game and 10th with 12.9 points per game.

• Lexie Bland scored 24 points and added 10 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocks in the pair of wins. Bland finished the week with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks against the Falcons.

• Western Washington improved to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play to put the Vikings in fourth place in the GNAC standings. The Vikings will have a tough week ahead of them as they play at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.