Monday, January 2, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – Big scoring performances for Montana State Billings’ guard Marc Matthews and Western Washington guard Taylor Peacocke have earned the duo selections as the first GNAC Players of the Week for 2017.

Matthews was named the Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he led the Yellowjackets’ to a pair of road wins at Simon Fraser and Western Washington to re-start conference play. He finished with 48 points in the games, shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from the three-point line. Matthews scored 20 points on 7 of 11 from the field in MSUB’s 107-66 win at Simon Fraser. In the process, Matthews scored his 1,000th career point. He then paced all scorers with 28 in a big 100-93 win at Western Washington as he connected on 10 of 17 from the field and 6 of 11 from three-point range to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.

The performance helped Montana State Billings collect their first ever win over Western Washington in Bellingham. It also allowed the Yellowjackets to move into a tie for first place in the GNAC standings with the Vikings and Alaska Anchorage at 3-1. The team’s 8-4 overall record is just three wins shy of its total win total from the 2015-16 season.

Peacocke was the model of consistency, notching back-to-back 29-point performances to earn the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award. In the Vikings’ 92-53 win over Concordia on Thursday, she scored the 29 on 11 of 19 from the field to go along with four rebounds and four assists. In an 86-65 victory over Western Oregon on Saturday, Peacocke scored her points on 10 of 18 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range. She also had four assists and four rebounds in the contest. For the two games, Peacocke shot 56.8 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from three-point range and was 9 of 13 from the free throw line.

Peacocke helped the Vikings keep pace in a tightly grouped GNAC race. Western Washington enters the week tied for third in the GNAC with Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser at 3-1 and are 9-3 overall.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SELECTIONS – WEEK 18
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Marc Matthews (Montana State Billings, G, 6-2, Sr., Sierra Vista, Calif. - Buena): Matthews finished with 48 points and shot 60.7 percent from the field (17-28) and 55.6 percent from three-point range (10-18) to lead the Yellowjackets to a pair of road wins. He opened the week with 20 points in a 107-66 win at Simon Fraser on Thursday, connecting on 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point range to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Matthews then had a game-high 28 points in Saturday’s 100-93 victory at Western Washington, connecting on 10 of 17 from the field and 6 of 11 from the three-point arc to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Also Nominated: Deandre Dickson (Western Washington), Tyler Copp (Saint Martin’s), Diante Mitchell (Alaska Anchorage), Drew Martin (Concordia), Bouna N’Diaye (Northwest Nazarene).

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Taylor Peacocke (Western Washington, G, 5-9, Sr., Kenmore, Wash. – Sacramento State Univ.): Peacocke put together back-to-back 29-point performances as Western Washington scored GNAC wins over Concordia and Western Oregon. She finished the week shooting 56.8 percent from the field (21-37), 46.7 percent from three-point range (7-15) and 9 of 13 from the free throw line. Against Concordia, Peacocke’s 29 came on 11 of 19 from the field to go with four rebounds and four assists. Against Western Oregon, Peacocke connected on 10 of 18 from the field and 5 of 9 from the three-point arc to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Also Nominated: Baylee Olson (Saint Martin’s), Kiki Robertson (Alaska Anchorage), Kizzah Maltezo (Concordia), Ellie Logan (Northwest Nazarene), Taylor Baird (Central Washington).