Sunday, March 5, 2023
PORTLAND, Ore. – After an exciting GNAC Championships that provided for plenty of drama, three conference teams have been invited to the field of eight teams for the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships, which begins on Friday in San Diego.
Saint Martin’s leads the conference as the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 seed Academy of Art in the quarterfinals. Montana State Billings earned the No. 7 seeded and will face No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino in the opener while No. 8 seed Northwest Nazarene will play No. 1 seed and regional host Point Loma.
The fourth matchup in the West Regional will pit No. 3 seed Azusa Pacific against No. 6 seed Cal State San Marcos.
The GNAC regular-season champion, Saint Martin’s is in the West Regional field for the third time in program history and for the first time since 2019 when the Saints advanced to the regional final. Saint Martin’s enters the NCAA Championships with a 24-6 record after going 15-3 in GNAC play to earn its second consecutive regular-season title. The Saints lost in the finals of the GNAC Championships on Saturday to Northwest Nazarene, 65-57. As a team, the Saints are averaging 80.6 points per game, second in the GNAC, and 37.9 rebounds per game.
Outside of the conference, Saint Martin’s is 2-1 against other West Region teams this season. The Saints opened the season with an 84-72 win over Cal St. San Marcos on Nov. 11 and took a 78-73 loss to Academy of Art on Nov. 25.
Montana State Billings is also in the West Regional field for the third time in program history and for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Yellowjackets amassed a 20-9 overall record and finished second in the GNAC with a 14-4 mark. The No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships, MSUB fell in the semifinals to Northwest Nazarene on Friday, 54-38. Montana State Billings enters the regional averaging 67.3 points and 33.6 rebounds per game.
The Yellowjackets are 2-0 against West Region teams outside the GNAC this season, which included a 68-64 win over Cal St. San Marcos on Nov. 12.
The GNAC’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships, Northwest Nazarene is in the West Region for just the second time in program history. The first was in 2021 when the Nighthawks advanced to the West Regional final. Entering the tournament with a 15-14 mark, Northwest Nazarene punched its ticket by winning three games in the GNAC Championships as the No. 6, including a 65-57 victory over Saint Martin’s in the final. The Nighthawks were one of three teams to finish tied for fourth in the conference regular season at 9-9, falling to the No. 6 seed on tiebreakers. Northwest Nazarene averages 66.2 points and 36.7 rebounds per game.
Northwest Nazarene is 1-1 in its non-conference West Region matchups, which includes a 69-54 loss to Point Loma on Nov. 15.
The four quarterfinal games will be played on Friday with the semifinals taking place on Saturday. The West Regional championship game is scheduled for Monday.