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Alaska Anchorage handed Western Washington its second conference loss in roughly a month, allowing Montana State Billings to take first place in the GNAC standings. Related Links
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 PORTLAND, Ore. – Roughly one month after handing Western Washington its first loss of the conference slate, Alaska Anchorage went into the Vikings’ house and did it again, spoiling WWU’s perfect home record and allowing Montana State Billings to reclaim sole possession of first place in the GNAC standings. The Seawolves are now responsible for both of the Vikings’ only GNAC losses and half of their total losses on the season. Alaska Anchorage sits third in the standings coming into the week with a 7-4 conference record (13-7 overall) behind No. 14 MSUB’s 10-1 GNAC mark (19-4 overall) and No. 19 WWU’s 9-2 conference record (17-4 overall). Behind the leading trio, a four-way battle for fourth place in the standings rages between Central Washington, Simon Fraser, Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific who all own a 5-6 GNAC record.
View the complete 2023-24 GNAC women’s basketball schedule online here.
Montana State Billings has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the GNAC all season and earns a good chunk of its points each night from beyond the three-point arc. Coming into the week, MSUB leads the conference and ranks 13th in Division II with a .361 three-point percentage and also ranks 14th in the nation with a +15.2 scoring margin. Senior forward Kola Bad Bear leads the team individually with 16.9 points per game while shooting 43.5% from long range. MIXING UP THE MATH: Alaska Anchorage (13-7, 7-4) has been making moves during the conference slate and pulled off its second upset of the season against Western Washington last Saturday in Bellingham as part of its 1-1 week. The Seawolves will look to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack this week as they travel to Fairbanks for a rivalry matchup with the Nanooks for their lone game of the week on Saturday. Heading into Saturday’s game, Alaska Anchorage is led by junior guard Senya Rabouin with an average of 12.6 points per game while also leading the team with 4.3 assists per game. The Seawolves’ defensive effort has been led by junior forward/center Tori Hollingshead with 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per contest. The Nanooks are led by senior guard Emma McKenney with an average of 10.8 points per game while the team’s defense is spearheaded by senior forward Emma Wass with a GNAC-leading 9.5 rebounds per game TIGHT IN THE TABLE: With four teams tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings, the door is wide open in the race for the postseason. Both Central Washington (14-9, 5-6) and Northwest Nazarene (8-10, 5-6) will play host to another member of that tied group in Simon Fraser (5-6, 13-11). The Wildcats will host the Red Leafs on Thursday while the Nighthawks will host them on Saturday. Central Washington comes into the week looking to snap a three-game skid as it returns to action in Nicolson Pavilion for the first time in two weeks. The Wildcats are paced by the GNAC’s leading scorer in sophomore guard Asher Cai with 20.3 points per game. Cai has also been a magnet on the boards, pulling in 8.8 rebounds per game to rank third in the league. She ranks sixth in all of Division II in scoring and is 22nd in the division with 202 total rebounds on the season. Simon Fraser comes into Ellensburg trending in the opposite direction as winners of its last three contests, the longest active win streak of any team in the conference. The Red Leafs swept the Alaska schools last week with a 79-72 overtime win over the Seawolves on Thursday and an 83-68 victory over the Nanooks on Saturday. The team’s scoring is paced by sisters Jessica and Sophia Wisotzki who average 18 and 16 points per game, respectively. Junior forward Gemma Cutler has been a two-way threat for SFU this season, leading the team with 7.3 rebounds per contest while also chipping in 10.9 points per contest. Northwest Nazarene is also looking to get back in the win column and break free of the tied pack this week. The Nighthawks continue to be one of the most efficient shooting teams in the conference, ranking fourth with a .461 field goal percentage and a .337 three-point percentage. Freshman guard/forward Kendall Clark leads the team with a .518 field goal percentage while averaging 12.2 points per game. Junior guard/forward Madeline Gebers, meanwhile, leads the team with 13.9 points per contest and a .485 three-point percentage. VIKINGS HIT THE ROAD: After falling to second place in the GNAC standings last week, Western Washington (17-4, 9-2) will be on the road this week as it looks to stay in the regular season title hunt. Western Washington dropped its only home loss of the season last Saturday, 77-69, to Alaska Anchorage last Saturday. The Vikings own a 6-2 away record coming into Thursday’s game at Northwest Nazarene and Saturday’s matchup at Central Washington. Western Washington remains one of the best defensive teams in the nation, leading the conference and ranking 25th in Division II with a .355 field goal percentage defense. The defense has been led by Brooke Walling with 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while Stephanie Peterson adds 2.6 steals per contest to lead the Vikings in that category. Walling also leads the team with 16.9 points per game while shooting 63% from the field to rank sixth in Division II. LOOKING TO FLY THE TIE: Seattle Pacific (8-13, 5-6) also finds itself as part of the battle for fourth place in the conference standings. The Falcons will aim to make separate themselves from the rest of the group as they hit the road to face Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday. If the Falcons find a victory away from home, it will be their first road win of the season as they enter a critical stretch of GNAC play. If SPU does find that win, then junior forward Olivia Mayer will likely be a big part of the reason why. The Spokane, Wash., native earned her first GNAC Player of the Week honors after leading the Falcons to wins over both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene in Seattle last week. Across those games, Mayer averaged 26 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. On the season, Mayer leads the team with 15.1 points per contest while shooting 46.6% from the field. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Western Oregon (10-11, 3-7) and Saint Martin’s (5-12, 3-7) both sit in a tie for eighth in the GNAC standings and will both face No. 14 Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific this week. The Wolves will begin their week hosting the nationally-ranked Yellowjackets while the Saints host the Falcons on Thursday in Lacey. The two teams sit two wins behind the four-way tie for fourth in the conference standings coming into the week. Western Oregon has been paced by one of the top scoring players in the conference with Cali McClave averaging 17 points per game to rank fourth in the conference while also pulling in 4.9 rebounds per contest. In addition to her offense, McClave has maintained her status as one of the most dangerous players in the GNAC without the ball, swiping 2.4 steals per game. Kiylynn Dawkins leads the team on the boards and checks in at No. 10 in the league with 6.7 rebounds per game. The Saints’ offense is led by Anjel Galbraith with 11.1 points per game as the senior guard is one of three players to have started every game of the season for SMU. That consistent scoring and starting role sees Galbraith leading the league with an average of 36.3 minutes per night. Lauryn Morris leads the team in rebounding with an average of 7.1 boards per game while also chipping in 8.5 points per contest.
Kortney Nelson, Montana State Billings A native of Scobey, Mont., Nelson has been a key part of the Yellowjackets’ consistent success this season. Proof of the junior guard’s influence for MSUB is clearly reflected in her team-leading 29.5 minutes per night. On the season, Nelson is averaging nine points per game, but her efforts in helping her teammates score and her reliability point to her being a well-rounded player for the first-place Yellowjackets. She leads the team with 70 total assists and an average of three helpers per game while allowing just 1.4 turnovers per contest. She has also been one of the best in business from the free throw line, racking up a .835 shooting percentage in over 100 chances from the stripe.
A 1-1 week for Western Washington saw the Vikings get leapfrogged by Montana State Billings in all three polls this week while the Yellowjackets resumed sole possession for first place in the GNAC standings. The ‘Jackets rose to No. 14 in the WBCA national rankings and moved up two spots to No. 17 in the D2CSC national poll. After one week at No. 3 in the D2CSC regional poll, MSUB finds itself in familiar territory back in the top two of the ranking. Western Washington dropped its second game of the season to Alaska Anchorage last Saturday as the Seawolves held steady at No. 9 in the region, dropping WWU to No. 3 in the west. The Vikings sit at No. 19 in the WBCA national rankings and No. 23 in the D2CSC national poll with plenty of time remaining to make up ground in the rankings. Meanwhile, Central Washington maintained its perfect record of receiving votes in the D2CSC west region poll for an 11th straight week despite dropping its last three games.
Team Rankings (Top-30)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 6. MSUB, 1.30; 9. WOU, 1.22; 26. WWU, 1.06 Assists Per Game: 4. WWU, 18.6; 14. MSUB, 17.1; 24. WOU, 16.1 Bench Points Per Game: 17. UAA, 29.0 Blocks Per Game: 2. SFU, 5.9; 9. WWU, 5.2 Field Goal Percentage: 5. WWU, 47.3 Field Goal Percentage Defense: 25. WWU, 35.5 Fewest Fouls Per Game: 27. MSUB, 14.6 Free Throw Percentage: 2. MSUB, 80.6; 8. CWU, 78.1 Free Throws Made Per Game: 27. MSUB, 15.17 Rebound Margin: 21. MSUB, 7.4; 25. WWU, 6.8 Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 16. UAF, 29.5 Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 21. UAA, 15.3 Scoring Margin: 14. MSUB, 15.2; 19. WWU, 13.9 Steals Per Game: 8. UAA, 13.8 Three Point Attempts Per Game: 26. CWU, 24.1 Three Point Percentage: 13. MSUB, 36.1; 24. WWU, 34.8; 26. CWU, 34.7 Three Pointers Per Game: 14. CWU, 8.3; 21. MSUB, 8.0 Turnover Margin: 25. UAA. 4.80 Turnovers Forced Per Game: 20. UAA, 22.40 Fewest Turnovers Per Game: 16. WOU, 13.2; 17. MSUB, 13.2 Winning Percentage: 26. MSUB, 82.6; 29. WWU, 81.0 Individual Rankings (Top-30) Assist To Turnover Ratio: 4. Shayla Montague, MSUB, 3.17; 20. Stephanie Peterson, WWU, 2.49
Player of the Week - Olivia Mayer, Seattle Pacific First-career player of the week – first this season. Mayer propelled the Falcons to a pair of victories last week, scoring 52 total points including a season-high 31 in SPU’s 73-71 win over Northwest Nazarene. The 12-for-17 shooting performance came two nights after she recorded a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in a 76-65 triumph over Central Washington. Across the two games, Mayer led all GNAC players in scoring (26.0 ppg) and was fifth in rebounding (8.5 rpg) while shooting 57.6% from the floor. The junior upped her season scoring average to 15.1 points per game, ranking her eighth in the conference. “She’s a sneaky, quiet scorer and she fills up the stat sheet in almost every game,” said SPU head coach Mike Simonson. “She can score in a variety of ways. Against NNU she was the hot hand in the fourth quarter, and she elevated and hit all the big shots to get us back into the game. She ultimately got us in a position to win that game in the end. This just shows you she has such a knack for impacting the game. At Whitworth she played the 5, and for us she is in a totally different role with a brand new style. Throughout the entire year she has found ways to affect the game in so many different areas. I’m so proud of her, because her game evolves week to week. Since she arrived at SPU she has really blossomed.” Also Nominated: Senya Rabouin, UAA; Emma McKenney, UAF; Asher Cai, CWU; Kola Bad Bear, MSUB; Lauryn Morris, SMU; Sophia Wisotzki, SFU; Cali McClave, WOU; Brooke Walling, WWU.
2023 CCA Canadian Tip-Off Classic D2CCAA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead GNAC/PacWest Crossover WWU Veterans Day Classic 2023 Warrior Classic
Nov. 17-18 at Turlock, Calif. (Stanislaus State, Host)
Simon Fraser: Makenna Gardner, G (MVP); Jessica Wisotzki, G/F; Sophia Wisotzki, G
Lynda Goodrich Classic Nov. 24-25 at Bellingham, Wash. (Western Washington, Host) Central Washington: Sunny Huerta, G (MVP); Asher Cai, G Western Washington: Brooke Walling, F; Stephanie Peterson, G; Riley Dykstra, G; Mason Oberg, G 2023 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational WEST REGION SUCCESS: With non-conference action in the rearview mirror, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference solidified its place in the region with strong showings against regional competition from the CCAA and PacWest. Among the conference’s 10 teams, the GNAC went 18-11 against CCAA opponents and 14-12 against opponents from the PacWest. Western Washington and Simon Fraser combined for 14 of those 32 wins, with each team going 7-2.
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
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