Wednesday, January 5, 2022

THE RETURN TO CONFERENCE PLAY...TAKE TWO: The long-awaited return to GNAC play in men’s basketball did not go as anyone wanted.
Of the nine scheduled games on December 30 and January 1, eight were postponed. Seven of the games were postponed as a result of health and safety protocols while the eighth was postponed due to flight cancellations thanks to the winter weather in the Northwest.

The one scheduled game that was played was a good one. Alaska Anchorage hosted Seattle Pacific on Thursday in a contest that featured five ties and 10 lead changes. The Falcons shot 52.6 percent from the field but the Seawolves made seven more three-pointers to square away an 88-83 victory. The win earned Alaska Anchorage selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

The Seawolves benefitted from a pair of significant individual performances. Senior guard David Rowlands was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he finished just short of a double-double with 19 points and eight assists.  Senior guard Tobin Karlberg scored all of his team-high 20 points in the second half.

A second game did get played as Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene made lemonade out of lemons and used the postponements as a chance to move up the teams’ February 5 contest in Nampa.

The Wildcats made the most of the moment, shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 14 of 16 from the free-throw line to roll to an 89-76 victory. Central Washington limited NNU to 38.9 percent from the floor and outrebounded the home team 42 to 39.

Senior guard David Thompson led CWU in the victory with 21 points, four rebounds and five assists on 9 of 14 from the floor while senior guard Xavier Smith added 19 points and nine rebounds.

Sophomore guard George Reidy led the Nighthawks with 20 points. Sophomore Gabriel Murphy notched his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Murphy ranks 12th in Division II in double-doubles.

Postponements have already taken their toll on week three of the conference schedule with four games already off the boards. This week’s games include Alaska heading south to take on Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday along with Saturday’s rematch between Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington in Ellensburg.

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).

Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 19-20 at Bellingham): Jalen Green (WWU, Most Valuable Player), Daniel Hornbuckle (WWU), D’Angelo Minnis (WWU), Luke Lovelady (WWU), Divant’e Moffit (SPU), Harry Cavell (SPU), Zack Paulsen (SPU).

Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 27 & 28, Anchorage): Oggie Pantovic (UAA, Most Outstanding Player), Tobin Karlberg (UAA), Shadeed Shabazz (UAF), Coleman Sparling (UAF), Hunter Sweet (UAA).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
David Rowlands
Alaska Anchorage
G • 6-0 • Sr. • Dayton, Ohio

Rowlands led Alaska Anchorage to an 88-83 win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday. He just missed a double-double with 19 points, eight assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes of work. He connected on 4 of 6 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line.

Also Nominated: David Thompson (Central Washington), Gabe Murphy (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Thanks to postponements of Thursday’s game against Montana State Billings and Saturday’s game against Seattle Pacific, Alaska has not played since December 4. The Nanooks return to the floor this week, traveling to Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

• The Nanooks took two road losses to open GNAC play, falling 99-74 at Western Oregon on December 2 and 87-74 at Saint Martin’s on December 4.

• Senior guard Koby Huerta averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game and shot 50 percent from three-point range to lead the Nanooks. Huerta finished with a game-high 22 points at Western Oregon with six rebounds and three assists. He made 5 of 10 from outside and 6 of 14 from the field. At Saint Martin’s, Huerta added 10 points and four rebounds. Huerta is averaging 12.4 points per game and is third in the GNAC with a .472 three-point percentage.

• Senior guard Shadeed Shabazz also averaged 16 points per game. After finishing with just two points at Western Oregon, Shabazz carried the Nanooks with 30 points, three steals and two rebounds at Saint Martin’s. It was his third 30-plus point performance of the season. Shabazz leads the GNAC with 19 points per game. He leads the conference and is eighth in Division II with 2.88 steals per game.

• Junior forward Willie Thomas averaged 14.5 points and six rebounds per game, paced by his 16 points and six rebounds at Western Oregon. Thomas is averaging 7.8 points and five rebounds per game.

• Alaska is averaging 76.4 points and 33.2 rebounds per game while ranking third in the GNAC with eight steals per game and a .744 free throw percentage.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage scored a win in its only game of the week, an 88-83 victory at home over Seattle Pacific. Saturday’s scheduled game against Montana State Billings was postponed.

• Thanks to the solid performance to beat the conference preseason favorites, the Seawolves were selected as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Senior guard David Rowlands was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after finishing just short of a double-double with 19 points, eight assists and three rebounds. He made 4 of 6 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Rowlands is averaging 13 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is 22nd in Division II with 5.7 assists per game and is also second in the GNAC with a .857 free-throw percentage (24-28).

• Junior guard Tobin Karlberg led the Seawolves in scoring with 20 points, connecting on 8 of 14 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range. He also had four assists and two rebounds. Karlberg is tied for fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 17 points per game.

• Senior forward Oggie Pantovic finished with a big double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds to go along with two assists. Pantovic is 11th in the GNAC in scoring at 14.9 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 9.7 rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 78.6 points per game and 36.5 rebounds per game. The Seawolves rank fifth in Division II with a 1.75 assist/turnover ratio and 12th with 11.3 three-pointers made per game.

• Due to health and safety protocols, this week’s scheduled games at Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday have also been postponed. Alaska Anchorage is scheduled to play next on Thursday, January 13 against Central Washington.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opened the new year with a big win on Saturday, collecting an 89-76 win at Northwest Nazarene.

• Originally scheduled to be played on February 5, the game was moved up to January 1 after both teams saw their scheduled games for the week postponed.

• Senior guard David Thompson led four CWU players to score in double figures with 21 points on 9 of 14 from the field. He also finished with four rebounds, five assists and a steal. Thompson ranks eighth in the GNAC in scoring with 15.4 points per game and is 10th with 2.8 assists per game.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith connected for 19 points and nine rebounds, making 6 of 14 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. He also finished with three assists. Smith is tied for second in the GNAC in scoring at 17 points per game.

• Senior forward Marqus Gilson connected for 13 points and nine rebounds on 6 of 10 from the field while freshman guard Colby Gennett finished with 11 points on 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from three-point range. The Wildcats finished the night shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line.

• Central Washington is third in the GNAC in scoring with 81.7 points per game and fourth with 37 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with a .759 free-throw percentage.

• Central Washington will play a rare back-to-back game with Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Ellensburg to complete the season series between the two teams.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Thanks to flight issues, Montana State Billings saw its games at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday postponed. The Yellowjackets will host Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Montana State Billings last played at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. The Yellowjackets took a close 59-57 loss to then-No. 4 West Texas A&M on December 17 before scoring a 59-40 win over Rollins on December 18.

• Senior guard Damen Thacker led the Yellowjackets as he averaged 12 points per game at the tournament. Thacker finished with 13 points against West Texas A&M to go with seven rebounds and four assists, connecting on 3 of 9 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. He then led all scorers with 13 points against Rollins on a 4 for 8 performance from the field to go with four rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Thacker is averaging 14.3 points per game. He leads the conference and is 21st in Division II with a .896 free throw percentage (43-48) and is eighth in the GNAC with 3.67 assists per game.

• Junior forward Malik Brikat averaged 9.5 points and six rebounds per game in Vegas, shooting 60 percent from the field. After finishing with seven points and five rebounds against West Texas A&M, Brikat finished with 12 points and seven rebounds against Rollins as he made 6 of 9 from the floor. Brikat has played in all 12 games this season, starting six, and is averaging 4.6 points per game.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 63.8 points and 36.5 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets lead the conference in scoring defense (63.9 points allowed per game) and lead the GNAC in field goal defense (.402).

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene struggled in its first game since December 7, taking an 89-76 loss at home to Central Washington on Saturday.

• Originally scheduled to be played on February 5, the game was moved up to January 1 after both teams saw their scheduled games for the week postponed.

• Sophomore forward Gabriel Murphy posted a big double-double to lead the Nighthawks with 15 points and 15 rebounds to go with two assists and a block. He went 6 of 12 from the field while seven of his 15 boards were on the offensive glass. Murphy is averaging 12.5 points per game. He leads the conference and is seventh in Division II with 11.4 rebounds per game. Murphy is 12th in Division II with six double-doubles and 30th with 6.88 defensive rebounds per game.

• Sophomore guard George Reidy led NNU in scoring with 20 points, making 8 of 19 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. He also had five rebounds and two steals. Reidy is averaging 12.1 points and four rebounds per game.

• Freshman guard Tru Allen added 18 points in the loss, making 6 of 15 from the field and 4 of 7 from the free-throw line. Allen is averaging 10.1 points per game and is tied for fourth in the GNAC with 1.75 steals per game.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 72.1 points per game. The Nighthawks lead the conference with 40.6 rebounds per game and rank 18th in Division II with 13.88 offensive rebounds per game.

• The Nighthawks will play a rare back-to-back game with Central Washington this week, traveling to Ellensburg on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s has not played since December 18 after its scheduled game on Saturday against Western Oregon was postponed. The Saints will play at Montana State Billings on Saturday. Thursday’s scheduled contest at Seattle Pacific has been postponed.

• On December 18, Saint Martin’s closed out its non-conference schedule with a 98-34 rout of Douglas.

• Senior forward Brett Reed led the Saints with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in just 15 minutes of action. He made 7 of 10 from the field in the victory. Reed is averaging 14.2 points per game. He ranks fourth in the GNAC with 8.4 rebounds per game and fifth with a .615 field goal percentage.

• Freshman forward Champ Spencer added 15 points off the bench as five SMU players finished the game scoring in double figures. Spencer connected on 5 of 10 from the field, all from three-point range, to go with four rebounds. Spencer has played in 10 games off the bench this season and averages four points per game.

• Adding to the double-digit scoring parade was sophomore guard Kyle Greeley with 13 points, sophomore guard Christian Haffner with 11 points and sophomore forward Valjko Ilic with 10 points. As a team, Saint Martin’s made 55.4 percent of its shots from the field.

• Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC in scoring with 83.1 points per game while averaging 36.8 rebounds per game. The Saints are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.490). They rank second in the GNAC and sixth in Division II with a 1.72 assist/turnover ratio.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific took a loss in its return to conference play, falling 88-83 at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday. Saturday’s scheduled contest at Alaska was postponed.

• Senior guard Harry Cavell led the Falcons with 24 points, connecting on 7 of 14 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line to go along with three rebounds and three steals. Cavell is averaging 13.4 points per game and is ninth in the GNAC with 5.9 rebounds per game. He also ranks sixth in the conference with 1.57 steals per game.

• Senior guard Divant’e Moffitt added 15 points and five assists in the contest, going 6 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Moffitt is second in the GNAC with 18.4 points per game and sixth with four assists per game. He is ninth in Division II with 85 free throws attempted and 65 made.

• Junior forward Shaw Anderson added 14 points in the loss to go with five assists and three rebounds. He connected on 6 of 13 from the field and 2 of 7 from three-point range. Anderson is averaging 13 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 76.1 points and 35.2 rebounds per game. The Falcons lead the GNAC and rank ninth in Division II with a .793 free throw percentage and are 15th in Division II with 199 free throws made.

• Due to health and safety protocols, Seattle Pacific’s scheduled games against Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday have been postponed. The Falcons are scheduled to play next on Saturday, January 15 at Montana State Billings.

SIMON FRASER
• With the postponement of games against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday, Simon Fraser has not played since posting a 90-44 victory over Douglas on December 7. The team will host Alaska on Thursday. Saturday’s scheduled game with Alaska Anchorage has been postponed.

• Senior guard/forward Jordan Lyons led five SFU players in double figures against Douglas with 20 points on 9 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. He also had four rebounds and six assists. Lyons is averaging 12.3 points per game and is third in the GNAC and eighth in Division II with a .676 field goal percentage.

• Senior forward Julian Roche added 16 points and eight rebounds in the win, making 7 of 10 from the field. Roche is ninth in the GNAC with 15.1 points per game and third with 9.3 rebounds per game. He ranks sixth in Division II with 4.11 offensive rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Drew Bryson connected for 15 points on 5 of 7 from the floor and 2 of 3 from the three-point line. As a team, SFU finished shooting 58.5 percent from the field.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 79.4 points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 38.9 rebounds per game. The team is second in the conference and 23rd in Division II with 17.1 assists per game while ranking ninth in Division II with 18.22 turnovers forced per game and 20th with a +4.2 assist/turnover ratio.

WESTERN OREGON
• With Saturday’s scheduled game against Saint Martin’s postponed, Western Oregon has not played since taking an 80-77 loss to Corban on December 11. The Wolves return to action at Montana State Billings on Thursday. Saturday’s scheduled contest with Seattle Pacific has been postponed.

• The closely-contested game against Corban featured 13 lead changes and six ties and ended with Corban’s Jordan Newt hitting a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to seal the win.

• Junior forward John Morrill-Keeler led four Wolves scoring in double figures with 17 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 7 of 10 from the field in 29 minutes. Morrill-Keller is averaging 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston finished with 13 points and five rebounds, making 6 of 7 from the field and 1 of 2 from three-point range to go with three assists and two blocks. Cranston is third in the GNAC with 17.2 points per game and seventh with 1.50 steals per game. Cranston is also second in the GNAC with 359 minutes played.

• Western Oregon is averaging 73.5 points and 33.6 rebounds per game. The Wolves rank second in the GNAC with 9.60 three-pointers made per game.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington saw its two scheduled games against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene postponed. The Vikings return to the floor this week, hosting Alaska on Saturday. Thursday’s scheduled contest with Alaska Anchorage has been postponed.

• Western Washington played well in its two games at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, scoring a 60-58 win over Lindenwood on December 17 before a hard-fought 84-74 loss to No. 1 Lubbock Christian on December 18.

• The Vikings held their own against Lubbock Christian, holding as much as a seven-point lead in the first half and six early in the second half before the Chaps surged in the final 10 minutes for the victory.

• Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in Vegas. Against Lindenwood, Hornbuckle finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists. He led the Vikings with 22 points against Lubbock Christian with six rebounds, connecting on 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range. Hornbuckle is 10th in the GNAC in scoring with 15.1 points per game. He is second in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with a .487 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward Jalen Green averaged 10.5 points and five rebounds per game in the classic. Green finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists against Lindenwood. He then finished with 12 points and six rebounds against Lubbock Christian on 5 of 11 from the field. Green is averaging 14.4 points per game.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC in scoring with 83.4 points per game and is second with 39.5 rebounds per game. Western Washington ranks sixth in Division II with a .518 field goal percentage and is eighth with a +9.7 rebound margin.