Wednesday, February 2, 2022

MAKING A CHARGE IN THE STANDINGS, THREE WINS AT A TIME: As conference teams enter a February that will extra busy with rescheduled games, building some win streaks will go a long way in the quest for the top seeds for the GNAC Championships.

Saint Martin’s and Western Washington took the first step of making that charge last week, cobbling together three-game win streaks as the page turns to the second half of the conference.

The Saints improved to a conference-best 7-2 on the season with their three-game sweep of recent games. Two of those wins came in decisive back-to-back wins over Western Oregon. Last Thursday in Lacey, the Saints limited the Wolves to 30 percent shooting and outrebounded the visitors 40-30 on the way to a 75-52 victory. The Saints were paced by a 21-point, seven-rebound performance by senior forward Brett Reed.

On Saturday in Monmouth, SMU essentially repeated the effort in an 89-67 victory. This time the Saints relied on the offense more, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three-point while outrebounding Western Oregon 38-20. Sophomore guard Alex Schumacher led the way with 27 points.

Against Central Washington in Ellensburg on Tuesday, the Saints found themselves down by as much as six points in the first half before going into halftime trailing 44-41. They exploded to outscore the Wildcats 53-39 in the second half, shooting 62.5 percent in the final 20 minutes of the 94-83 victory. Sophomore guard Kyle Greeley led the effort with 24 points, 16 of which came in the second half.

Western Washington improved to 4-3 in conference with its three-game sweep, but followed a much different script by winning all three games by two points.

In the first two games, the Vikings leaned on a pair of 25-point performances by Jalen Green that earned the junior forward selection as the GNAC Player of the Week. On Thursday, Green was the difference-maker as he put WWU ahead for good with three free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the 83-81 victory over Northwest Nazarene.

On Saturday, it was Green coming through again with a short jumper with a second left to take a 90-88 win from Central Washington. Green provided a double-double in the contest with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Against Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday, Western Washington saw the Seawolves bounce back from a 38-34 halftime deficit to force overtime. The Vikings made just two field goals in the extra five minutes but relied on clutch free-throw shooting to pull away for the 93-91 victory. The Seawolves had two opportunities to tie or win the game in the final five seconds, but a pair of close-range jumpers fell short.

Sophomore guard D’Angelo Minnis was the hero of the game with his 35-point outburst, connecting on 13 of 24 from the field. None of his points, however, were bigger than the three free throws he hit to close the overtime period.

Full slates of games await GNAC teams this week with most squads scheduled to play three games over the next week.

GNAC EXPANDS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD: In an effort to lessen the effects of postponements and cancellations of games this season due to COVID-19, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference has announced changes to the field sizes and qualifying criteria for its 2022 men’s and women’s basketball championships.

The conference’s Management Council and CEO Board unanimously voted to expand this year’s tournament to all 10 men’s and women’s programs. The GNAC Championships will run from March 2 to 5.

To accommodate full fields in both genders, the first two rounds of games will be split between Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, and Seattle Pacific University. In total, six games – two play-in contests and four quarterfinals matchups – will be contested at SPU’s Royal Brougham Pavilion. The other 12 games, including the semifinals and championship games in both genders, will be played at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin’s, which was awarded tournament-hosting rights two years ago.

For each gender, the No. 7 through No. 10 seeds will compete in play-in games on Wednesday, March 2. The winners will advance to an eight-team bracket, which will begin play on Thursday, March 3.

With the prospect of conference teams playing unbalanced schedules, tournament seeding in 2022 will be based on a points rating system rather than win/loss percentage.

The points rating system is an end-of-season calculation that attaches numeric values to each result based on whether the game was at home or on the road and where each opponent’s final conference winning percentage fell (i.e., .750 and above, .500 to .749, .250 to .499 and .249 and below). The better an opponent’s final winning percentage, the greater the point values for a win or a loss. It is similar to one of the key metrics used by Division II in ranking teams under consideration for NCAA postseason at-large berths in multiple sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.

“Given the significant disruption to the conference schedules this season, expanding the championship tournaments to include all members was the right thing to do for our basketball student-athletes,” said GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund. “Last year’s conference schedule and postseason tournaments were canceled as a result of COVID, which has also taken its toll on the first half of this year’s conference schedule. All told, there have been nearly as many postponements as games played to date.

“Since some GNAC teams could be affected by canceled contests more significantly than other teams, our Management Council believes a fairer system of seeding teams will be to use a points-rating formula that places a numeric value on the result of each completed contest, win or loss, depending on the quality of opponent. This is a system adopted by many Division II conferences to more fairly seed teams for their basketball tournaments.”

Championship brackets are expected to be announced on Saturday, February 26, following the conclusion of the final games of the regular season. Ticket information for both venues will be released at a later date.

County health and safety protocols will be in place for fans attending tournament contests at Seattle Pacific (King County) and Saint Martin's (Thurston County). Currently, for basketball games at Seattle Pacific, spectators 12 years of age or older will need to provide proof of full vaccination or results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event. Facemasks worn over the nose and mouth are required for all spectators over 5 years old, regardless of vaccination status. Currently, all fans attending basketball games at Saint Martin’s are required to wear facemasks regardless of vaccination status.

GNAC.TV: It is easy and free to access live streams and live stats for all 10 GNAC institutions. Visit GNAC.tv on your computer or device to access all that the conference’s digital network has to offer.

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
Jalen Green
Western Washington
F • 6-8 • Jr. • Renton, Wash.

Green posted a pair of 25-point performances to lead the Vikings to a pair of close victories at home. Green scored 25 to go with nine rebounds and two blocks in Thursday’s 83-81 win over Northwest Nazarene. He then registered a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 90-88 win over Central Washington, which included the game-winning basket with a second remaining. In the two games, Green shot 67.7 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Also Nominated: Tobin Karlberg (Alaska Anchorage), Xavier Smith (Central Washington), Carrington Wiggins (Montana State Billings), James Nelson (Northwest Nazarene), Alex Schumacher (Saint Martin’s), Divant’e Moffitt (Seattle Pacific), Wilfried Balata (Simon Fraser), Cameron Cranston (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both of its games last week, taking a 74-72 overtime loss at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 73-64 loss at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior guard Shadeed Shabazz led the way for the Nanooks, averaging 24 points per game and shooting 51.5 percent from the field. Shabazz went off for 39 points at Seattle Pacific, making 14 of 23 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds, four steals and two assists. He added a nine-point performance at Montana State Billings with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Shabazz leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II in scoring with 21.2 points per game. He also leads the league and is fifth in Division II with 3.07 steals per game.

• Senior guard Koby Huerta averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 58.3 percent from three-point range. After a five-point performance at Seattle Pacific, Huerta led the Nanooks with 20 points at MSUB on 7 of 12 from the field and 6 of 9 from three-point range. Huerta is averaging 11.4 points per game and is sixth in the GNAC with a .453 three-point percentage.

• Senior guard Quin Barnard also averaged 12.5 points per game. He posted an eight-point night at Seattle Pacific and finished with 17 points at Montana State Billings, making 6 of 11 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range. Barnard is averaging 13.1 points per game. He ranks fifth in Division II with 3.64 three-pointers made per game.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 77.2 points and 33.1 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are third in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with a .777 free-throw percentage.

• The Nanooks return home for three games, hosting Western Washington on Thursday, Simon Fraser on Saturday and Montana State Billings on Monday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage went 1-2 last week. The Seawolves opened the road trip with a 68-61 at Montana State Billings on Thursday before taking a 91-59 loss at Seattle Pacific on Saturday and a 93-91 overtime loss at Western Washington on Monday.

• The games were the first for the Seawolves since December 30 thanks to postponements due to health and safety protocols.

• Junior guard Tobin Karlberg averaged 19.3 points per game over the three games, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range. Karlberg led all scorers with 23 points at MSUB, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range, to go with seven steals. He scored 13 points with seven rebounds at SPU and led the team with 22 points at WWU on 8 of 14 from the field and 5 of 9 from long range. Karlberg is fifth in the GNAC in scoring with 17.5 points per game and ranks sixth with a .833 free-throw percentage.

• Senior guard David Rowlands averaged 14.3 points per game and led the team with 10 assists in the three games. Rowlands scored 14 points and had four assists at MSUB. He then finished with 11 points and three assists at SPU before adding 18 points and three assists at WWU. Rowlands is averaging 13.3 points per game. He is second in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with 5.2 assists per contest.

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 77.2 points per game and 34.5 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank 14th in Division II with 17.5 assists per game. The team also leads the GNAC and is ninth in Division II with 11.2 three-pointers made per game.

• The Seawolves return home for a three-game stretch, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday, Western Washington on Saturday and Montana State Billings on Tuesday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The busiest team in the GNAC, Central Washington played in four games last week, going 2-2. The Wildcats swept Simon Fraser, winning 84-61 in Ellensburg last Tuesday and 92-65 in Burnaby on Thursday. The Wildcats lost at Western Washington on Saturday, 90-88, and took a 94-83 home loss to Saint Martin’s on Tuesday.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith averaged 23.5 points per game in the four games, shooting 69.8 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range. Smith led CWU in the first game against Simon Fraser with 20 points on 9 of 11 from the field and 2 of 4 from three-point range. He went off for 32 points at Western Washington, making 11 of 17 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Against Saint Martin’s, Smith led all scorers with 29 points on 12 of 17 from the field. Smith is second in the GNAC in scoring with 19.8 points per game and ranks fourth with a .870 free-throw percentage.

• Senior guard David Thompson averaged 13.5 points per game in the four-game stretch and had 17 assists. Thompson scored 16 points on 7 of 13 from the field in the first meeting with SFU and led the Wildcats with 22 points on 9 of 11 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range with five assists. Against WWU, Thompson finished with 10 points. Thompson is ninth in the GNAC in scoring at 15.2 points per game. He leads the conference with a .900 free-throw percentage (36-40).

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is 26th in Division II in scoring at 84.3 points per game while averaging 39.4 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with a .793 free-throw percentage.

• The Saint Martin’s game on Tuesday started a five-game homestand for Central Washington. The Wildcats will host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Western Washington next Tuesday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split its home games against the Alaska schools last week, taking a 68-61 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before collecting a 73-64 win over Alaska on Saturday.

• Junior guard Carrington Wiggins averaged 20 points per game and shot 57.6 percent from the field in the two games. Wiggins finished with 12 points against Alaska Anchorage, connecting on 5 of 9 from the field. In the win over Alaska, Wiggins led all scorers with 28 points on 10 of 17 from the field, including four three-pointers, and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. Wiggins is sixth in the GNAC in scoring at 17.2 points per game.

• Senior guard Damen Thacker averaged 15 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last week. Thacker led the Yellowjackets with 16 points against Alaska Anchorage, shooting 8 of 10 from the free-throw line, along with five rebounds. He added a 14-point, four-rebound performance against Alaska, shooting 5 of 8 from the field. Thacker is averaging 13.7 points per game. He is third in the GNAC and 29th in Division II with a .873 free-throw percentage.

• Junior forward Bilal Shabazz averaged eight rebounds per game in the two games. He fell just short of a double-double against Alaska Anchorage, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Shabazz is averaging 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 65.4 points and 36.8 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets lead the GNAC and rank 23rd in Division II in scoring defense, allowing 64.4 points per game. The team also leads the GNAC and is 19th in Division II in field goal percentage defense (.404).

• Montana State Billings hits the road to play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday, Western Oregon on Saturday, Alaska on Monday and Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene played just once last week, taking a hard-fought 83-81 loss at Western Washington on Thursday. Saturday’s scheduled game at Simon Fraser was postponed due to health and safety protocols.

• Sophomore guard James Nelson led the Nighthawks with 25 points, making 9 of 17 from the field, 2 of 5 from three-point range and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds. It was just Nelson’s third game of the season after missing the first eight due to injury. Nelson is averaging 22.3 points per game in those three games.

• Freshman guard Tru Allen scored 13 points in the loss. Most of those points came at the free-throw line, going 8 for 8 on a night where the Nighthawks went 21 of 27 from the line. Allen is averaging 10.8 points per game.

• Sophomore guard Jaylen Fox scored 11 points in the game, going 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from long range. He also had four rebounds and three assists. Fox is averaging 6.9 points per game.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 75.5 points per game and leads the GNAC with 39.4 rebounds per game. The team leads the GNAC and is 25th in Division II with 13 offensive rebounds per game. They also rank third in the GNAC in fewest fouls (180).

• The Nighthawks hit the road to face Central Washington on Thursday before returning home to host Saint Martin’s on Tuesday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s won all three games it played over the last week. The Saints took both meetings from Western Oregon, winning in Lacey 75-52 on Thursday and in Monmouth 89-67 on Saturday. The Saints then came back from a three-point halftime deficit to win at Central Washington on Tuesday, 94-83.

• Sophomore guard Alex Schumacher led the Saints in the victories, averaging 19.3 points and seven rebounds per game. Schumacher finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first game against WOU before finishing with a game-high 27 points in the second meeting with six rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Against CWU, Schumacher finished with 20 points and five rebounds. Schumacher is averaging 13.9 points and five rebounds per game. He is second in the GNAC with a .875 free-throw percentage (35-40).

• Senior forward Brett Reed averaged 19 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in the three games. Reed led all scorers with 21 points in the first WOU meeting to go with seven rebounds and two assists. He notched a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds in the second WOU meeting and then finished with 17 points and six rebounds at Central Washington. Reed is averaging 14.8 points per game and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 8.3 rebounds per game.

• Sophomore guard Kyle Greeley averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 64.2 percent from the field in the victories. Greeley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in the second WOU meeting on Saturday before going off for a team-leading 24 points at Central Washington on 10 of 13 from the field. Greeley enters the week averaging 12.6 and 4.4 rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s is third in the GNAC in scoring with 81.6 points per game while averaging 36 rebounds per game. The Saints lead the GNAC and rank seventh in Division II in three-point percentage (.421). They are also second in the GNAC and 18th in Division II with a .498 field goal percentage.

• Saint Martin’s will host Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday before heading east to take on Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific swept a pair of home games last week, taking a 74-72 overtime win from Alaska on Thursday before overwhelming Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, 91-59.

• Senior guard Divant’e Moffitt averaged 25.5 points per game in the two wins, making 58 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line. Moffit scored 20 points against Alaska, going 7 of 16 from the field. He hit the game-winning shot with one second left in overtime. Moffitt went off for 31 points against UAA, going 11 of 15 from the field, 4 of 5 from three-point range and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. Moffitt is fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 18.4 points per game. He ranks 18th in Division II in free throws made (91) and 19th in free throws attempted (117).

• Sophomore guard Zack Paulsen averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, making 70 percent of his shots from the field. Paulsen connected for 18 points and nine rebounds against Alaska, making 8 of 12 from the field. He then added a 13-point performance against UAA on 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from three-point range. Paulsen is averaging 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

• Junior forward Shaw Anderson averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the wins, making 58.8 percent of his shots from the field. Anderson finished with 20 points against Alaska, making 8 of 13 from the field. Anderson enters the week averaging 13.9 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific is averaging 75.2 points and 34.3 rebounds per game. The Falcons lead the GNAC and rank second in Division II with a .801 free-throw percentage.

• The Falcons travel to Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday before coming home to host the Wolves on Tuesday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 1-2 in a three-game week. After taking back-to-back losses to Central Washington, 84-61 in Burnaby last Tuesday and 92-65 in Ellensburg on Thursday, SFU collected a 75-73 overtime win over Western Oregon on Tuesday. A scheduled Saturday matchup against Northwest Nazarene was postponed due to health & safety protocols.

• Junior guard Wilfried Balata led SFU by averaging 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game through the three contests. Balata finished 13 points and nine rebounds in the first CWU game before tallying 10 points in the second matchup. He was a key factor in the win at Western Oregon, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds on 8 of 15 from the field. Balata averages 13.3 points per contest and is seventh in the GNAC with 6.4 rebounds per game.

• Senior forward Julian Roche averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game. Roche fell short of a double-double in Thursday’s game with Central Washington with nine points and eight rebounds. He found that double-double at Western Oregon, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds while making 7 of 14 from the field. Roche is 10th in GNAC in scoring at 14.9 points per game and is second with 9.2 rebounds per game.

• Sophomore guard David Penney averaged 9.7 points per game and had 13 assists, topped by eight assists in the win over Western Oregon.

• Simon Fraser is averaging 75 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 36.9 rebounds per game. The team leads the GNAC and is 24th in Division II with 8.92 steals per game and is second with 12.33 offensive rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser heads north to Alaska this week, playing at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went winless in a three-game week. The Wolves dropped back-to-back games to Saint Martin’s, 75-72 in Lacey on Thursday and 89-67 in Monmouth on Saturday, before taking a 75-73 overtime loss to Simon Fraser on Tuesday.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston led WOU offensively once again, averaging 15.3 points per game and going a perfect 13 for 13 from the free-throw line. After finishing with 11 points against SMU on Thursday, Cranston finished with 20 points on Saturday while making 6 of 15 from the field. Against Simon Fraser, Cranston finished with 15 points. Cranston is third in the GNAC with 18.6 points per game and ranks 13th in Division II in minutes played at 36 minutes, 58 seconds per game. He ranks ninth in the GNAC with a .824 free-throw percentage.

• Junior guard Yosani Clay averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over the three games. Clay scored 11 points and 16 points in each of the two Saint Martin’s games before posting a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds against Simon Fraser where he made 7 of 18 from the field. Clay is averaging 10.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Daisone Hughes averaged 10 points per game and was a perfect 10 for 10 from the free-throw line while playing in two games last week. Against Simon Fraser, Hughes finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. On the season, Hughes is averaging 7.1 points per game.

• Western Oregon is averaging 70.2 points and 31.9 rebounds per game. The Wolves rank third in the GNAC with nine three-pointers made per game and rank 23rd in Division II in fewest fouls with 240.

• Western Oregon finishes a four-game homestand this week, hosting Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington swept its three games at home last week, winning all three by two points. The Vikings beat Northwest Nazarene 83-81 on Thursday, Central Washington 90-88 on Saturday and Alaska Anchorage in overtime on Monday, 93-91.

• Junior forward Jalen Green was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after a pair of 25-point performances in the wins over Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. He added nine rebounds and two blocks to his performance against NNU and had 12 rebounds against CWU. In the two games, Green connected to shoot 67.7 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. Green is eighth in the GNAC in scoring at 15.2 points per game and is sixth in the league with a .580 field goal percentage.

• Sophomore guard D’Angelo Minnis averaged 15.7 points per game and had 12 assists in the three wins. Minnis finished with 10 points and eight assists against Central Washington before going off for a 35-point performance against Alaska Anchorage. He made 13 of 24 from the field, 3 of 7 from three-point range and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line in the game. Minnis is averaging 11.2 points per game and is fifth in the GNAC with 4.53 assists per game.

• Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 13 points per game in the three games, paced by his 19 points against Central Washington. Hornbuckle is averaging 14.4 points per game. He ranks 13th in Division II with a .464 three-point percentage.

• Western Washington is second in the GNAC with 82.8 points and 37.6 rebounds per game. The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 11th in Division II with a .504 field goal percentage.

• The Vikings head north this week to face Alaska on Thursday before a rematch with Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.