Tuesday, November 23, 2021

A RIVALRY RENEWED AND A CROWD BASE ENERGIZED: It had been six years since Simon Fraser and British Columbia had squared off on the basketball court. And while the Buchanan Cup had a lot of dust on it, the game proved to still be a signature event on the Lower Mainland’s sports calendar.

A standing room only crowd of 1,600 fans packed the West Gym on Saturday to watch SFU score a 90-82 win over the Thunderbirds. Fans were in their seats 30 minutes before tipoff, showing how hungry fans were to finally see some college basketball.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said SFU head coach Steve Hanson. “Just playing in this environment is so special. I’m just so proud of our whole school, the whole department and how we got ready. The fan interest and support were so huge for this game. It takes both of these teams to want to play to have this kind of crowd. We have to do something like this every year. It was outstanding.”

The two teams provided the crowd with a good show. Simon Fraser proved the offensively superior team, shooting 54.7 percent from the field (35-64) and 10 of 20 from three-point range behind a 23-point performance from Jasdeep Singh.

Simon Fraser led 47-34 at halftime but had to hold a second-half UBC rally at bay to secure the win.

The rivalry was not only big for both schools but also in the home of Simon Fraser director of athletics Theresa Hanson. Her husband, Kevin, is the longtime head coach of UBC’s men’s basketball program.

WELCOME BACK SHADEED: If the presence of Alaska’s Shadeed Shabazz had not been fully felt during the 2021-22 season, it certainly was on Saturday night.

The senior guard took his team on his shoulders in Saturday’s 98-89 win over Cal State East Bay at the Ron Logsdon Challenge at Sonoma State, scoring 40 points to go with 10 rebounds and five steals. He made 12 of 24 from the field, 4 of 8 from three-point range and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Of the 40 points, 27 came in the second half to account for over half of the Nanooks’ scoring. He also had 10 points in the overtime period, single-handedly outscoring East Bay.

It was the fifth scoring performance of 40 or more points for the defending GNAC Player, Newcomer and co-Defensive Player of the Year.

ALL-TOURNAMENT PERFORMERS: The following GNAC players have earned all-tournament team honors during the 2021-22 season...

PacWest/GNAC Challenge (Nov. 12-13 at Honolulu): Quin Barnard (UAF), David Rowlands (UAA), Tobin Karlberg (UAA).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shadeed Shabazz
Alaska
G • 6-1 • Sr. • Seattle, Wash.

Shabazz led Alaska to a 2-0 week at the Ron Logsdon Challenge. On Friday, Shabazz finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals in an 85-79 win over host Sonoma State. On Saturday, Shabazz blistered Cal State East Bay for 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in the 98-89 overtime win over the Pioneers. He scored 27 points in the second half and 10 in the extra period to carry the Nanooks.

Also Nominated: Gabe Murphy (Northwest Nazarene), Brett Reed (Saint Martin’s), Divant’e Moffitt (Seattle Pacific), Jordan Lyons (Simon Fraser), Cameron Cranston (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska evened its record to 2-2 with two wins at the Ron Logsdon Challenge at Sonoma State. The Nanooks recorded an 85-79 win over the host Seawolves on Friday and a 98-89 overtime win over Cal State East Bay on Saturday.

• Senior guard Shadeed Shabazz was named the GNAC Player of the Week after he averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game in the tourney. On Friday, Shabazz came off the bench for 13 points, five rebounds and four steals against Sonoma State. On Saturday against East Bay, Shabazz went off for 40 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, shooting 12 of 24 from the field, 4 of 8 from three-point range and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. He scored 37 of those points in the second half and overtime period for his fifth 40-plus point performance of his Alaska career. Shabazz is second in the GNAC with 18.5 points per game and is fourth in Division II with 3.75 steals per game.

• Senior guard Koby Huerta was the Nanooks’ top scorer against Sonoma State, finishing with 21 points on 6 of 11 from the field, 3 of 5 from outside and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Huerta averaged 16.5 points per game in the two games and is averaging 13.3 points per game on the season.

• In the two wins, Alaska shot 49.1 percent from the field (60-122) and 51.2 percent from the three-point line (21-41). The Nanooks are second in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with a .420 three-point percentage.

• Alaska enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in scoring at 77.8 points per game. The Nanooks are ranked second with 8.50 steals per game and third with a .738 free-throw percentage.

• Alaska plays in the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic this week, facing Hawaii Hilo on Saturday and Quincy on Sunday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage closed its Hawaii road trip with a 75-72 loss to Hawaii Hilo on Tuesday. The Seawolves then returned home for a pair of wins over Lincoln Christian, 83-53 on Friday and 106-44 on Saturday.

• Senior forward Hunter Sweet averaged 18.3 points and seven rebounds in the three games to lead Alaska Anchorage. He exploded for a career-high 30 points at Hawaii Hilo on 11 of 21 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. Against Lincoln Christian, he connected for 14 points and eight rebounds on Friday and 14 points and nine rebounds on Saturday. Sweet is sixth in the GNAC with 16.2 points per game and fourth with seven rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Tobin Karlberg averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in the three games. His biggest nights came against Lincoln Christian, finishing with 19 points and five rebounds on 9 of 18 from the floor on Friday along with 21 points and six rebounds on 7 of 13 shooting on Saturday. Karlberg is fourth in the GNAC with 16.8 points per game. He is tied for eighth in Division II with 39 three-point attempts, seventh with 79 field goal attempts and 27th with 33 field goals made.

• Senior guard David Rowlands finished with 24 assists in the three games, with 10 assists against Lincoln Christian on Friday and 11 against the Red Lions on Saturday. Rowlands leads the GNAC and is 18th in Division II with six assists per game.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 74 points and 37.4 rebounds per game. The Seawolves rank eighth in Division II in three-point attempts (146) and total assists (91) and ninth in three-pointers made (54) and scoring defense (58 points allowed per game).

• Alaska Anchorage hosts the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic this weekend with games against Quincy on Saturday and Hawaii Hilo on Sunday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington did not play last week. The Wildcats return to the court in Salt Lake City this weekend, facing Westminster (Utah) on Friday and Fort Lewis on Saturday.

• Central Washington split a pair of games at Cal State Monterey to open the season. The Wildcats beat the host Otters 74-63 on November 12 before falling 88-74 to Cal State San Bernardino on November 13.

• Senior guard David Thompson averaged 16 points over the two games to lead the Wildcats. Thompson led all scorers with 18 points on 5 of 11 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line against Cal State Monterey Bay. He added 14 points against CSUSB, which included 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. Thompson is tied for seventh in the GNAC with his 16 points per game.

• Junior forward Matt Poquette was the leading scorer against Cal State San Bernardino, finishing with 16 points on 6 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. Poquette had seven points in the win over Cal State Monterey Bay and is 5 for 5 in free-throw shooting on the season.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith provided a consistent 13.5 points per game in the two contests, scoring 13 points on 5 of 10 from the field against Cal State Monterey Bay and 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Central Washington is averaging 74 points and 33.5 rebounds per game. The Wildcats rank 11th in Division II with just 12.5 personal fouls per game and are 25th in three-point shooting defense (.256).

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings took two losses last week. The Yellowjackets fell 80-72 at Cal State San Marcos on Monday before taking a 77-50 loss to Minot State in their home opener on Saturday.

• Junior guard Carrington Wiggins led MSUB by averaging 18 points per game in the two contests. Wiggins scored 18 at Cal State San Marcos on 7 of 13 from the field to go with three rebounds and three assists. He was the leading scorer for MSUB against Minot State with 18 points. Wiggins is tied for seventh in the GNAC with 16 points per game.

• Senior transfer guard Damen Thacker averaged 12.5 points per game last week. Thacker was the leading scorer at Cal State San Marcos with 22 points on 7 of 18 from the field and 4 of 10 from three-point range. He also has six rebounds and six assists. Thacker is averaging 11.8 points per game and is tied for fifth in the GNAC in free throw percentage (.857, 12-14).

• Freshman center Emmanual Ajanaku averaged six rebounds per game across the two games, led by his seven at Cal State San Marcos. Ajanaku is tied for 12th in the GNAC at five rebounds per game.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 64.2 points and 33 rebounds per game.

• Montana State Billings looks ahead to two games this week at home, hosting Black Hills State on Wednesday and South Dakota Mines on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped both of its games at the Javelina Classic in Kingsville, Texas. The Nighthawks dropped a 75-63 decision to Angelo State on Friday and a 67-58 game to host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Gabriel Murphy averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds per game and shot 75 percent from the field to lead the Nighthawks. Murphy led NNU with 14 points and 10 rebounds on 4 of 6 from the field against Angelo State. He then added a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds on 10 of 12 from the floor against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Murphy leads the GNAC and is 12th in Division II with 11.3 rebounds per game while averaging 11.7 points per game.

• Junior guard Kobe Terashima averaged 10 points per game to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. He came up with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals against Angelo State and added totals of 11 points, four rebounds and three assists against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Terashima is tied for second in the GNAC and ranks 27th in Division II with 5.67 assists per game.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 74.7 points per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC with 39.7 rebounds per game.

• The Nighthawks play one game this week, traveling to Southern California to face Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was a winner in its only game of the week, a 99-81 victory over Warner Pacific on Wednesday to open the Saints’ home schedule.

• Senior transfer forward Brett Reed led six SMU players to score in double figures with 20 points on 10 of 12 from the field in just 23 minutes of action. He also had six rebounds and two assists. Reed ranks 10th in the GNAC with 15 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Christian Haffner came off the bench to score 16 points, connecting on 5 of 10 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range to go with four assists and three steals. Haffner is second for the Saints with 14.3 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Kyle Greeley posted a 15-point performance on 5 of 7 from the field, 3 of 3 from three-point range and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line to go with eight rebounds and two steals. Greeley is averaging 13.7 points per game and leads the GNAC in three-point percentage (.875, 7-8).

• Saint Martin’s leads the conference in scoring with 84.3 points per game through three games. The Saints also lead the GNAC in field goal percentage (.526) and three-point percentage (.500). The team leads Division II with just nine personal fouls per game and ranks fifth nationally in three-point percentage.

• The Saints play three games in the Bay Area over the Thanksgiving holiday, taking on Cal State East Bay on Wednesday, Academy of Art on Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific returned to the win column with two victories at the Chuck Randall Classic in Bellingham. The Falcons collected a 75-66 victory over Azusa Pacific on Friday and a 90-80 win over Concordia Irvine on Saturday.

• Senior guard Divant’e Moffitt led the Falcons, averaging 20.5 points over the two games while shooting 65 percent from the field and 15 of 19 from the free-throw line. Moffitt led all scorers with 27 points against Azusa Pacific, making 8 of 12 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Moffitt added 14 points on 5 of 8 from the field against Concordia Irvine to go with four rebounds and three assists. Moffit is third in the GNAC with 17.3 points per game. He ranks fourth in Division II with 43 free throw attempts and sixth with 32 made.

• Senior guard Harry Cavell averaged 15 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the two wins. Cavell opened the weekend with 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals against Azusa Pacific. He added totals of 17 points and four rebounds against Concordia Irvine. Cavell is averaging 12.7 points per game. He ranks third in the GNAC with 1.83 steals per game and sixth with 6.5 rebounds per game. Cavell is also second in Division II with 216 minutes played.

• Seattle Pacific is averaging 72.8 points and 32.5 rebounds per game. The Falcons are fourth in Division II with 130 three throw attempts and third with 97 made. They also rank 15th in Division II with 195 total rebounds.

• Seattle Pacific opens a four-game homestand this week, hosting Point Loma on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 2-0 against a pair of Canadian rivals over the weekend, collecting a 90-82 win over British Columbia on Saturday and a 119-68 victory over Langara on Sunday. Simon Fraser opened the week with an 88-77 loss at Cal State LA on Monday, closing a three-game SoCal road trip.

• The matchup against British Columbia for the Buchanan Cup was the first between the two schools in six years. A standing room only crowd of 1,600 fans had the West Gym packed 30 minutes before tipoff.

• Senior forward Julian Roche averaged 17.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the three games to lead SFU. Roche led the team with 23 points and seven rebounds at Cal State LA. He contributed 11 points and eight rebounds in the win over UBC and added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds against Langara. Roche is averaging 15 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 8.4 rebounds per game. He ranks 19th in Division II with 4.20 offensive rebounds per game and 42 total rebounds.

• Simon Fraser received huge scoring performances from two of its newcomers against Langara. Senior guard/forward Jordan Lyons scored 33 points with 15 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, connecting on 14 of 17 from the field. Senior guard Josiah Mastandrea scored 25 points on 9 of 12 from the field and 7 of 10 from three-point range.

• Simon Fraser is second in the GNAC with 81.6 points and 38.4 rebounds per game. The team leads the conference in blocked shots (3.80 per game), steals (nine per game) and turnover margin (+7.40). They rank 10th in Division II with 88 total assists and 15th with 19 total blocks.

• Simon Fraser will compete this week at the Holiday Inn-Comfort Inn Thanksgiving Classic in Mesa, Colorado with games against Western Colorado on Friday and Colorado Mesa on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its games at the Ron Logsdon Challenge at Sonoma Staste, taking an 85-72 loss to Cal State East Bay on Friday before beating Sonoma State on Saturday, 77-56, for its first win of the season.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston led the Wolves as he averaged 20.5 points and six rebounds per game. He was WOU’s leading scorer in both games, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals against Cal State East Bay before leading all scorers with 26 points against Sonoma State. He shot 9 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range in that game to go with three assists. Cranston leads the GNAC in scoring with 20 points per game and is second with two steals per game and 3.25 three-pointers made per game.

• Junior forward John Morrill-Keeler averaged nine points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the two games. He finished with nine points and six rebounds against Cal State East Bay and then came up with nine points and seven rebounds against Sonoma State. Morrill-Keeler is averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

• Western Oregon is averaging 71.8 points and 37 rebounds per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC with 28.25 defensive rebounds per game and are tied for second with 3.50 blocked shots per game. They also rank 13th in Division II with only 13 personal fouls per game.

• Western Oregon remains in northern California to face Humboldt State on Tuesday before playing in Salt Lake City over the weekend. The Wolves take on Fort Lewis on Friday and Westminster (Utah) on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington evened its record to 2-2 at its own Chuck Randall Classic, scoring an 87-77 win over Concordia Irvine on Friday and an 83-63 win over Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

• Junior forward Jalen Green led the Vikings, averaging 20 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the Classic. Green led the way with 18 points and six rebounds against Concordia Irvine, connecting on 8 of 11 from the field to go with four blocks. He led all scorers with 22 points against Azusa Pacific on 10 of 14 from the field with four assists. Green made 72 percent of his shots from the field in the two games. Green is fifth in the GNAC with 16.3 points per game.

• Senior forward Luke Lovelady averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while also shooting an impressive 73.3 percent from the field. After scoring eight points with five rebounds against Concordia Irvine, Lovelady came up with 19 points on 8 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line with six rebounds against Azusa Pacific. Lovelady is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He is tied with teammate Dakota Ayala for third in the GNAC with a .667 field goal percentage (20-30).

• Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 13 points per game, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and steals against Concordia Irvine before adding 12 points, two rebounds and three assists against Azusa Pacific. Hornbuckle is averaging 13.8 points per game and is tied for third in the GNAC with three three-pointers made per game.

• Western Washington is averaging 74.8 points and 35.5 rebounds per game. The Vikings rank second in the GNAC in scoring defense (67.8 points allowed per game) and are tied for second in blocked shots (3.50 per game).

• Western Washington hosts two games over the Thanksgiving weekend, welcoming Point Loma on Friday and Texas Permian Basin on Saturday.