Monday, November 30, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of standouts from the league’s Alaska schools in a pair of tournaments on their home floors netted this week’s GNAC Player of the Week awards.

Alaska Anchroage junior transfer guard Sekou Wiggs was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after being named to the all-tournament team at the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. Wiggs averaged 32.7 points per game in the Seawolves’ three games against their Division I guests, topped by a 71-65 win on Friday over Drexel. He scored 33 points, including seven three-pointers, in that game and went off for 35 in the opener against eventual tournament champion Middle Tennessee.

In the process, Wiggs scored 98 points and surpassed the Great Alaska Shootout scoring record of 97 set in 1993 by Purdue’s Glenn Robinson. Wiggs enters the start of GNAC play leading the league in scoring with an average of 24.3 points per game.

Alaska senior forward Stephanie Toumson was selected as the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she led the Nanooks to a 2-1 record in their own McKinley Bank North Star Invitational, earning selection to the All-Tournament Team. She averaged 16.7 points and 13 rebounds per game in the three games. Toumson scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds, two blocks and four steals in the Nanooks’ 88-77 win over Wis.-Parkside, a NCAA Tournament participant last year, and then added 18 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks in a loss to Northwood.

Toumson enters the first week of GNAC play ranked fourth in the league in scoring at 16.1 points per game and is second in rebounding with 9.9 boards per contest.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 13
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Sekou Wiggs (Alaska Anchorage, G, 6-4, 190, Jr., Seattle, Wash. – Univ. of Idaho) Wiggs was named to the GCI Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team after averaging 32.7 points per game in three games against Division I competition, including a 71-65 win over Drexel. He scored 98 points in the three games, breaking the tournament scoring record of 97 set in 1993 by Purdue’s Glenn Robinson. He scored 35 points in the Seawolves’ three-point loss to tournament champion Middle Tennessee and scored 33 in the win over Drexel. Also Nominated: Jace Anderson (Montana State Billings), Andy Avgi (Western Oregon), Fred Jorg (Saint Martin’s), Bryce Leavitt (Seattle Pacific), Bouna N’Diaye (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Stephanie Toumson (Alaska, F, 6-1, Sr., Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe – Coll. Of Southern Idaho): Toumson led the Nanooks to a runner-up finish at the McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. She averaged 16.7 points and 13 rebounds per game in the three games. Toumson scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Alaska’s 88-77 victory over 2015 NCAA Tournament participant Wis.-Parkside and added a double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Nanook’s loss to Northwood. Also Nominated: Alisha Breen (Montana State Billings), Jenna Buchanan (Alaska Anchorage), Krista Stabler (Saint Martin’s), Lexi Tubbs (Northwest Nazarene).