Tuesday, January 9, 2018

VIKINGS, WOLVES CONTINUE TO SURGE: The return to GNAC play did little to slow down Western Washington and Western Oregon, with both teams continuing to build their leads in the GNAC standings.

The Vikings extended a six-game win streak with a pair of home victories, knocking off Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, 67-66, and Central Washington on Saturday, 77-67. Western Washington is now 6-0 in GNAC play and has won nine of its last 10 games.
The Wolves, meanwhile, prevailed in a 71-60 road win over Oregon rival Concordia on Tuesday before handing Montana State Billings a 92-68 defeat on Saturday. Western Oregon is on a six-game win streak as well and is 13-1 overall. Their only loss was an 85-58 decision to Western Washington on Dec. 2.

The Vikings and Wolves lead the GNAC in most statistical categories. Western Oregon enters the week as the conference leader in scoring offense (86.6 points per game), scoring margin (+19.1), field goal percentage (.523), three-point percentage (.409), assists (17.50 per game), steals (10.21 per game), turnover margin (+3.86) and assist/turnover ratio (1.36). Western Washington leads the league in field goal defense (.409), rebounding (42.4 per game), rebounding defense (29.7 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+12.7), blocked shots (6.64 per game) and defensive rebounds (30.43 per game).

A TRIPLE-DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Western Washington had three players finish with double-doubles in Saturday’s win over Central Washington, marking just the sixth time this season in NCAA basketball (all divisions) that a team has accomplished this feat. Trey Drechsel finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Deandre Dickson finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Daulton Hommes added 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Vikings are one of two teams in Division II to accomplish the feat, joining Florida Tech. The other four teams are Division III schools: Widener, Nebraska Wesleyan, Eureka and Guilford.

GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets are on sale for the 2018 GNAC Basketball Championships, which take place Mar. 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Tournament passes for all three days are available for $30 for adults, $18 for students, seniors and youth, while single-game tickets are available for $15 for adults, $9 for students, seniors and youth. Tickets can be purchased online at gnachooptickets.com.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC Players have been recognized with all-tournament team honors during the 2017-18 season...

PacWest/GNAC Conference Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Bellingham, Wash.): Iziah Sherman-Newsome (SFU), Kedar Salam (SFU), Deandre Dickson (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU), Logan Schilder (WWU)

Alaska/Hawaii Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Anchorage): Davis Kimble (UAF), LaDonovan Wilder (UAF), Jacob Lampkin (UAA).

GNAC/CCAA Challenge (Nov. 10 & 11 at Portland): Jarrett Gray (CU, Most Valuable Player), Christopher Edward (CU), Jawan Stepney (CWU).

Sodexo Classic (Nov. 17-18 at Seattle): Coleman Wooten (SPU, Most Valuable Player), Sam Simpson (SPU), Fuquan Niles (CWU).

Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 24-25 at Bellingham, Wash.): Deandre Dickson (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU), Michael Kluting (UAF), Joe Lendway (UAF).

GCI Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 22-25 at Anchorage): Jacob Lampkin (UAA).

Hoops In Hawaii Holiday Classic (Dec. 17-19 at Honolulu): Kendall Denham (MSUB), Trey Drechsel (WWU), Daulton Hommes (WWU).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kedar Salam
Simon Fraser
G • 6-3 • Sr. • Toronto, Ont.

Salam had a breakout week for the Clan as he averaged 33.5 points in two games last week. Salam finished with 40 points in Thursday’s 91-78 win over Central Washington, connecting on 11 of 19 from the field, 6 of 9 from three-point range and 12 of 12 from the free throw line to go with six rebounds. In Saturday’s 82-81 last-second loss to Northwest Nazarene, Salam led SFU with 27 points on 11 of 22 from the field to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Salam finished the week shooting 53.7 percent from the field and went a perfect 15 of 15 from the free throw line. He averaged 59.7 percent from the stripe entering the week.

Also Nominated: Christopher Edward (Concordia), Zack Rollins (Montana State Billings), Luke Chavez (Saint Martin’s), Coleman Wooten (Seattle Pacific), Malik Morgan (Western Oregon), Daulton Hommes (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks improved to 3-3 in GNAC play with a home split, falling 95-79 to Seattle Pacific on Thursday before beating Saint Martin’s on Saturday, 78-71.

• Junior guard Alex Baham averaged 17.5 points per game in the two contests and shot 52.9 percent from the field. He led the Nanooks with 19 points against SPU, making 4 of 6 from the field, 3 of 5 from three-point range and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Baham led five UAF players in double figures with 16 points in the win over SMU. Baham enters the week averaging 12 points per game and is seventh in the GNAC with a .455 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward Joe Lendway averaged 14 points and six rebounds in the two contests and shot an impressive 86.7 percent from the field (13-15). He finished with 16 points and six rebounds against SPU, making 7 of 8 from the field, and scored 12 points with six rebounds against SMU. Lendway is fifth in the GNAC in field goal shooting at 60.9 percent.

• Sophomore forward Michael Kluting had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in the win over SMU and also had 11 points and nine rebounds against SPU. Kluting enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 7.8 rebounds per game and is the team’s leading scorer at 12.1 points per game.

• Alaska is averaging 74.3 points and 32.8 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are third in the GNAC with 9.75 three-pointers made per game and fourth with a .387 three-point percentage. The Nanooks are 14th in Division II in fewest fouls with 190.

• The Nanooks are on the road this week, playing at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage dropped both games in its return to GNAC play, losing 71-66 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday and 57-54 to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Sophomore guard Jack Macdonald and freshman guard Brennan Rymer each averaged 10.5 points per game to lead the UAA offense. Rymer led the Seawolves with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday against SMU while Macdonald scored 12 points against Seattle Pacific.

• After not playing on Thursday night, senior guard D.J. Ursery came off the bench to lead the Seawolves with 23 points and seven rebounds against SPU. Ursey made 10 of 15 from the field. Ursey enters the week averaging 12.5 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage played without senior forward Jacob Lampkin, who sat out due to injury. Lampkin currently ranks 10th in the GNAC in scoring at 15.1 points per game and is third in rebounding at 9.7 boards per contest.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 61.4 points and 33.9 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank seventh in scoring defense at 63.4 points allowed per game. They also lead the GNAC and rank 18th in Division II with a .768 free throw percentage.

• The Seawolves take to the road this week, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington dropped a pair of road contests last week, losing 91-78 to Simon Fraser on Thursday and 77-67 to Western Washington on Saturday.

• Senior forward Jerome Bryant led the Wildcats offensively, averaging 13.5 points per game in the two contests and shot 64.7 percent from the field. He led five CWU players in double figures with 14 points at SFU and added a 13-point performance at WWU. Bryant enters the week averaging 5.8 points per game in 16.6 minutes per game.

• Senior forward Fuquan Niles was once again a force on defense. He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds at Simon Fraser and then finished with seven points, 12 rebounds and three blocks at Western Washington. Niles is fourth in the GNAC with 8.2 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is ninth in Division II with 2.69 blocked shots per game. Niles is also third in the GNAC with a .628 field goal percentage.

• While only picking up one steal in the last two games, freshman guard Khalil Shabazz enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 16th in Division II with 2.46 steals per game. Shabazz is also CWU’s leading scorer at 14.1 points per contest.

• Central Washington enters the week averaging 78.6 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 39.2 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC in field goal defense at .414 and is tied for first in the GNAC with 12 offensive rebounds per game.

• The Wildcats are home this week, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia saw its losing streak run to 10 games in its return to play, falling 71-60 to Western Oregon on Tuesday and 83-70 to Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• The Cavaliers to continue to ride on the shoulders of senior forward Christopher Edward. Edward averaged 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the two contests and made 61.5 percent of his shots from the field. He had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds against WOU and had 24 points and 10 rebounds against MSUB, connecting on 11 of 18 from the field. Edward leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 11.9 rebounds per game. He is seventh in Division II with 8.43 defensive rebounds per game and is eighth in the GNAC with 16.6 points per game. Edward has 10 double-doubles on the season, ranking him second in Division II.

• Junior guard Jarrett Gray scored 20 points in the two contests, 17 of which came in Thursday’s loss to MSUB. Gray is seventh in the GNAC in scoring, also at 16.6 points per game. Gray continues to lead the GNAC and is 14th in Division II with 37:25 minutes per game.

• Junior guard Cody Starr had 11 assists in the two contests, six of which came against Montana State Billings. Starr leads the GNAC with 5.14 assists per contest.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 72.6 points and 35.1 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

• The Cavaliers travels to the Puget Sound region, competing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split its first games of 2018, scoring an 83-70 win at Concordia on Thursday before falling 92-68 at Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Junior guard/forward Zack Rollins led the Yellowjackets by averaging 16 points per game in two games. He finished with 20 points on 7 of 16 from the field and 6 of 12 from three-point range at Concordia and added 12 points at Western Oregon. Rollins leads MSUB in scoring at 14.4 points per game.

• Freshman guard Kobe Terashima averaged 13 points per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. He came off the bench to lead the Yellowjackets with 17 points against Western Oregon, making 7 of 10 from the field. Terashima also had five assists and is fourth in the GNAC in the category at 4.24 assists per game.

• Freshman forward Zharon Richmond scored 20 points against Concordia, shooting 7 of 11 from the field to go with six rebounds. Richmond enters the week averaging 10.4 points per game.

• Montana State Billings is still one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation. The Yellowjackets lead Division II with 195 three-pointers made, are 11th with 11.5 three-pointers per game and are 23rd with a .405 three-point percentage. Additionally, MSUB is 26th in Division II in three-point defense at .311.

• The Yellowjackets enter the week averaging 81.8 points and 35.2 rebounds per game. Montana State Billings is second in the GNAC in rebounding defense (31.8) and third in free throw percentage (.734).  

• Montana State Billings returns home this week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene picked up a road split in a pair of close games, falling 67-66 to Western Washington on Thursday before beating Simon Fraser 82-81 on Saturday.

• Senior forward Maurice Jones led the way for the Nighthawks, averaging 21 points and 11.5 rebounds in the two games. He finished with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds against Western Washington and added 24 points and 11 rebounds against Simon Fraser, including a pair of game-winning free throws with 0.1 seconds left. Jones leads the GNAC in scoring at 19.4 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 9.8 rebounds per game. Jones is fifth in the GNAC with a .484 three-point percentage and fourth with 2.58 three-pointers made per game.

• After a quiet performance against WWU, junior guard Obi Megwa finished with 27 points in the win over Simon Fraser, connecting on 10 of 17 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free throw line to go along with six assists. Megwa is second in the GNAC in scoring at 18.9 points per game. Megwa is 10th in the GNAC with 3.25 assists per game.

• Sophomore guard Jayden Bezzant also scored in double figures, connecting for 16 points at Western Washington and 15 points against Simon Fraser.

• Northwest Nazarene is third in the GNAC in scoring at 83.3 points per game and is averaging 36.9 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks are fourth in the league in free throw shooting at 70.9 percent.

• Northwest Nazarene is home for a pair of games, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s finished with a split on the Alaska road trip, scoring a 71-66 win over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before losing to Alaska on Saturday, 78-71.

• Junior guard Luke Chavez led the Saints once again as he averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the two contests and shot 55.2 percent from the field. He led all scorers with 23 points at Alaska Anchorage on 8 of 14 from the field with six rebounds and five assists. He then had 19 points and seven rebounds at Alaska. Chavez is sixth in the GNAC in scoring at 16.6 points per game. Chavez is also fifth with a .857 free throw percentage (36-42) and sixth with 3.93 assists per game.

• Junior guard Rhett Baerlocher also scored in double digits in both games. He connected for 14 points on 5 of 8 from the field at UAA and then scored 18 points at Alaska.

• Freshman guard/forward Tavian Henderson continues to lead the GNAC in field goal shooting at 78.3 percent (47-60). He went 5 for 6 in the two games and was 5 for 6 against Alaska Anchorage.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 81.7 points and 34.2 rebounds per game. The Saints are third in the GNAC in scoring margin (+7.7) and fourth in field goal percentage (.479).

• Saint Martin’s returns home for a pair of games, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific picked up a rare sweep of the Alaska schools last week. The Falcons scored a 95-79 win at Alaska on Thursday and a 57-54 win over Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Junior forward Coleman Wooten was a force, averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds per game in the contests and shot 72.2 percent from the field (13-18). He led the Falcons with 20 points and nine rebounds at Alaska, making 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range. Wooten then scored 15 points and had nine rebounds at Alaska Anchorage, connecting on 6 of 10 from the field. Wooten enters the week averaging 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He is ranked eighth in the GNAC with 3.62 assists per game.

• Sophomore forward Tony Miller played only in the win at Alaska, contributing 17 points and five rebounds. Miller is fifth in the GNAC in scoring at 18 points per game.

• Junior guard Nikhil Lizotte is second in the GNAC and sixth in Division II with a .942 free throw percentage (49-52). The transfer from Humboldt State made 1 of 2 against Alaska and was 4 for 4 against Alaska Anchorage. The miss in Thursday’s game snapped a string of 20 consecutive made free throws.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 83.3 points per game and third in rebounding with 38.9 rebounds per game. The Falcons are third in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.480) and rebounding margin (+5.6). The Falcons also rank 27th in Division II in free throw attempts (365) and 29th in free throws made (257).

• Seattle Pacific is back home in Royal Brougham Pavilion this week, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser snapped a two-game losing with a solid 91-78 home win over Central Washington on Thursday before dropping an 82-81 heartbreaker to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Senior guard Kedar Salam was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 33.5 points per game in the two games. Salam went off for 40 points against CWU, connecting on 11 of 19 from the field, 6 of 9 from three-point range and 12 of 12 from the free throw line. It was just the third 40-plus point game in SFU’s NCAA era. Salam then scored 27 points on 11 of 22 from the field against NNU. Salam enters the week fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game. He went a perfect 15 of 15 from the free throw line in the games after shooting just 59 percent entering the week.

• Senior guard/forward JJ Pankratz scored double figures in both games, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds against Central Washington and with 14 points and four rebounds against Northwest Nazarene. Pankratz is ninth in the GNAC in scoring with 15.5 points per game and eighth in rebounding at 7.2 rebounds per contest.

• Sophomore guard Michael Provenzano added 10 assists to his total, six of those coming in the win over Central Washington. Provenzano is second in the GNAC with 4.71 assists per game.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 78.6 points and 34.5 rebounds per game. The Clan is second in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with 8.50 steals per contest.

• Simon Fraser will play cross-border rival Western Washington at home on Tuesday before traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday.

WESTERN OREGON
• The Wolves have now won six straight games, returning from a two-week break with a 71-60 win over Concordia on Tuesday and a 92-68 victory over Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• With the wins, WOU moved up in both national polls. The Wolves are No. 10 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll and No. 11 in D2SIDA National Poll.

• Senior forward Vince Boumann led Western Oregon with 25 points in the two games, averaging 12.5 points per game. He finished with 17 points and nine rebounds against Concordia on 8 of 15 from the field and scored eight points on 4 of 5 from the field against MSUB. Boumann is the Wolves’ second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game and is second in the GNAC and third in Division II with a .723 field goal percentage (73-101).

• The Wolves finished with 20 steals in the two games, nine more than any other GNAC team last week. Thirteen of those steals came against Concordia, six by senior guard Ali Faruq-Bey. The Wolves lead the GNAC and are seventh in Division II with 10.2 steals per game. Senior forward Tanner Omlid is second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 2.36 steals per game.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II in scoring at 86.6 points per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC in scoring margin (+19.1), field goal percentage (.523), assists (17.50) and turnover margin (+3.86). The Wolves are fourth in Division II in field goal percentage and scoring margin and 10th in total steals.

• Western Oregon is in the Puget Sound region for its next two games, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington made it six in a row with two home wins last week, scoring a 67-66 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a 77-67 victory over Central Washington on Saturday.

• With the win streak, the Vikings have picked up three votes in both the NABC and D2SIDA Division II Top-25 polls.

• Sophomore forward Daulton Hommes led the Vikings as he averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game in the two games and shot 67.7 percent from the field (14-21). Hommes finished with 19 points and six rebounds against Northwest Nazarene and had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds against Central Washington. Hommes is third in the GNAC in scoring at 18.8 points per game. He is also third in the GNAC and 18th in Division II with a .910 free throw percentage.

• Western Washington had three players with double-doubles against Central Washington, marking only the sixth time that an NCAA team has pulled off that feat this year. In addition to Hommes, junior guard Trey Drechsel finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds and senior forward Deandre Dickson finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

• Dickson finished the week averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the two games. In addition to his double-double against Central Washington, Dickson finished with 18 points and eight rebounds against Northwest Nazarene. Dickson is averaging 14.8 points per game and is seventh in the GNAC with 7.2 rebounds per game.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC in field goal percentage defense (.409), rebounding (42.4 per game), rebounding margin (+12.7), blocked shots (6.64) and defensive rebounds (30.43 per game) and rank second in scoring (85.9 points per game), scoring margin (+13.9), free throw percentage (.763) and field goal percentage (.493). The Vikings are second in Division II in blocked shots and rebounding margin, third in total blocks and eighth in defensive rebounds.

• The Vikings play at Simon Fraser on Tuesday before heading east to face Montana State Billings on Saturday.