Wednesday, November 23, 2016

A THREE-OVERTIME THRILLER: Western Oregon and San Francisco State provided fans at the WOU/Doubletree by Hilton D2 Shootout quite the game on Friday, going three extra periods before the Gators came away with the 99-93 three-overtime win at the New PE Building.
The Gators led by as much as eight points late in the second half before the Wolves charged back and forced overtime when Bryan Berg scored with 24 seconds left in the second half to knot it at 63-63. The two teams matched each other point for point until SF State scored the final five points of the third extra period to close the game.

The game was just the fifth three-overtime contest in GNAC history and only the seventh game in league history to go longer than two overtimes. The GNAC’s last three-overtime game was on Feb. 13, 2014, with Alaska winning at Northwest Nazarene 108-104. Western Oregon has played in one other three-overtime game in its GNAC history, beating Central Washington 118-113 on Dec. 1, 2012.

THREE GNAC GAMES TO AIR ON ROOT SPORTS: For the eighth consecutive year, Great Northwest Athletic Conference basketball will be featured throughout the Northwest on ROOT SPORTS.

The conference and the regional sports network have agreed to a three-game schedule that will feature six different GNAC men’s basketball programs. The slate begins on Thurs., Jan. 19, with Montana State Billings playing at Saint Martin’s in a game that will tip off at 9 p.m. (Pacific).

Two games will air in February. Western Oregon will host Seattle Pacific on Sat., Feb. 4, for a 5 p.m. (Pacific) tip off. One of the conference’s top rivalries completes the schedule as Central Washington plays host to Western Washington on Thurs., Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. (Pacific).

IT’S SHOOTOUT TIME: Once again, the eyes of many in the college basketball world will again be on Anchorage as Alaska Anchorage hosts the 38th GCI Great Alaska Shootout over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Seawolves will play host to seven Division I programs: Buffalo, Oakland, Nevada, Drake, Iona, UC Davis and Weber State. Alaska Anchorage will play Buffalo in the first round on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Alaska).

All four first round games, along with the semifinals and championship game, will be aired on the CBS Sports Network.

First played in 1978, the Great Alaska Shootout is the longest continuously running non-championship men’s basketball tournament in the nation.

AGAINST DIVISION I TEAMS: Alaska Anchorage will aim to be the first GNAC team to beat a Division I team this season. The league is currently 0-7 on the season against the big boys, but a number of GNAC teams have come close to breaking through.
Saint Martin’s played Eastern Washington to within 11 points on Oct. 30, falling 80-69. A week later, the Saints played Cal State Fullerton much closer before dropping a 70-67 decision on Nov. 5.

Western Washington gave Washington a handful at Seattle on Nov. 3, eventually falling to Lorenzo Romar’s squad 109-103. The closest GNAC contest, however, came in El Paso as Alaska led for the first 28 minutes in its contest with UTEP on Nov. 5. The game would go overtime before the Miners pulled away for the 87-85 victory.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: The following GNAC players have been selected to all-tournament teams during the 2016-17 season:
Veteran’s Day Pioneer Challenge (Nov. 11-12, Hayward, Calif.): Jeffrey Parker, WWU (Most Valuable Player), Taylor Stafford, WWU.
Sodexo Tip-Off Classic (Nov. 11-12, Seattle): Coleman Wooten, SPU (Most Valuable Player), Joe Rasmussen, SPU.
Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic (Nov. 18-19 at Seattle): Dom Hunter, CWU; Coleman Wooten, SPU.
Ron Logsdon Basketball Classic (Nov. 18-19 at Rohnert Park, Calif.): Tyler Copp, SMU.
Seawolf Jamboree (Nov. 18-19 at Anchorage): Brandon Davis, UAF; Connor Devine, UAA; Corey Hammell, UAA, Skui Wiggs, UAA (Most Outstanding Player).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dom Hunter
Central Washington
G • 6-0 • Sr. • Federal Way, Wash.

Hunter was named to the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic All-Tournament Team after scoring 60 points in the Wildcats’ two contests. He scored 33 points on 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 10 of 11 from the free throw line in a 99-95 overtime win over Dixie State and added 27 points on 10 of 22 from the field in Saturday’s loss to nationally-ranked Minnesota State.

Also Nominated: JJ Pankratz (Simon Fraser), Drew Martin (Concordia), Yanick Kulich (Western Oregon), Sekou Wiggs (Alaska Anchorage), Preston Beverly (Montana State Billings), Taylor Stafford (Western Washington), Kaileb Rodriguez (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska went 1-2 in its last three games to go to 2-4 on the season. At the Seawolf Jamboree, the Nanooks fell on Friday to Cal State LA 72-66 before defeating BYU-Hawaii 71-68 on Saturday. Alaska returned home for a rematch with Cal State LA on Monday and lost 82-72.

• Guard Brandon Davis leads the Nanooks with an average of 13.3 points per game. He led the team in scoring against Cal State LA, finishing with 16 points. He was named to the Seawolf Jamboree All-Tournament Team. Davis is sixth in the GNAC in free throw shooting at 90.5 percent (19-21) and sixth in assists with 3.83 per game.

• Forward Bangaly Kaba leads the Nanooks on the boards, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game. He led UAF in rebounding in all three games, led by eight rebounds in both games against Cal State LA.

• Forward Zach Peterson put together a pair of solid contests. He led the Nanooks with 19 points on 8 of 13 from the field to go along with eight rebounds in Monday’s loss to Cal State LA and had 15 points on 7 of 9 from the field in Saturday’s win over BYU-Hawaii.

• Guard Nahjee Matlock enters the week third in the GNAC in assists, averaging 5.00 per game. He is also 11th in Division II with 30 assists.

• Alaska enters the week second in the GNAC in tunrover margin (+4.00) and third in the GNAC in field goal percentage defense (.407), blocked shots (3.50 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.27).

• The Nanooks plays at Western Washington Chuck Randall Classic, facing Quest on Saturday and Fresno Pacific on Sunday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage snapped a two-game losing streak with a pair of wins at their own Seawolf Jamboree. The Seawolves defeated BYU-Hawaii on Saturday 75-50 and beat Cal State LA 73-68 on Saturday.

• Guard Sekou “Suki” Wiggs led UAA in scoring in both games and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Seawolf Jamboree. He scored 21 points on 6 of 14 from the field and 9 of 12 from the free throw line against BYU-Hawaii and had 27 points on 8 of 16 from the field against Cal State LA. Wiggs is second in the GNAC and 29th in Division II with 23.2 points per game. He also leads Division II with 55 free throw attempts and is second with 41 free throws made.

• Forward Corey Hammell had double-doubles in both games. He finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds against BYU-Hawaii and 12 points and 11 rebounds against Cal State LA. Hammell is fourth in the GNAC in rebounding with 9.8 boards per game. He lead the GNAC and is third in Division II with six offensive rebounds per game.

• The Seawolves currently lead the GNAC in scoring defense (62.3 points allowed per game), scoring margin (+22.2), field goal percentage defense (.397), rebounding offense (46 rebounds per game), rebounding defense (24.8 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+21.2), blocked shots (3.67) and offensive rebounds (19.83 per game). Alaska Anchorage leads Division II in free throw attempts (183), free throws made 132), offensive rebounds per game and rebounding margin.

• Alaska Anchorage was among teams receiving votes in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll with 15 points. The Seawolves remerged in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings tied at No. 10 with Seattle Pacific.

• The Seawolves host the annual GCI Great Alaska Shootout this weekend and will play Division I Buffalo in their first game on Wednesday night. The rest of the tournament field includes Oakland, Nevada, Drake, Iona, UC Davis and Weber State.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington split two games at the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic in Seattle. The Wildcats secured a hard-fought 99-95 overtime win over Dixie State on Friday before falling to nationally-ranked Minnesota State, 104-93, on Saturday.

• Guard Dom Hunter was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 30 points per game in the two contests. He led all scorers with 33 points on 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 10 from three-point range and 10 of 11 from the free throw line in the win over Dixie State and connected for 27 points in the loss to Minnesota State. He was named to the All-Tournament Team. Hunter leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 28.3 points per game and is 10th in Division II with 113 total points scored.

• Guard Naim Ladd continued his solid supporting scoring role playing opposite Hunter. He poured in 25 points against Dixie State and scored 18 points against Minnesota State, going 8 of 17 in both games. Ladd enters the week sixth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 19 points per game.

• The Wildcats lead the GNAC and 16th in Division II in scoring, averaging 93.5 points per game. Central Washington is second in the GNAC in free throw percentage ay 76.8 percent.

• Central Washington will not play over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Wildcats return to action next Friday, opening the GNAC schedule at home against Alaska Anchorage.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia dropped both games at the WOU/Doubletree by Hilton D2 Shootout. The Cavaliers fell to UC San Diego on Friday, 66-57, and dropped an 86-62 decision on Saturday to San Francisco State. Concordia returned to the win column on Tuesday with a 109-81 win over NAIA Multnomah.

• Forward Drew Martin enters the week tied for eighth in the GNAC in scoring with 17 points per game. He led CU in both tournament games, connecting for 15 points on 7 of 11 from the field against UC San Diego and 14 points against San Francisco State.

• Guard Taylor Harris is second in the GNAC in field goal shooting, making 61.5 percent of his shots (16-26). He went 5 of 7 from the field to score 11 points against San Francisco State and hit 3 of 5 from the field in the win over Multnomah.

• Forward Christopher Edward was a double-digit scorer in all three games. He scored 10 points against both UC San Diego and San Francisco State and connected for 16 against Multnomah. Edward enters the week sixth in the GNAC in rebounding with eight boards per game, topped this weekend by 10 rebounds against the Gators.

• Concordia enters the week third in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.478) and three-point percentage defense (.315). The Cavaliers are averaging 76 points and 36.6 rebounds per game.

• Concordia is off for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Cavaliers will open GNAC play on Tuesday at Western Oregon.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets opened the home schedule on Saturday, taking a 54-50 loss to Cal State East Bay. They returned to the win column on Tuesday, posting an 89-69 win at Chadron State.

• Guard Preston Beverly enters the week seventh in the GNAC in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He led the Yellowjackets in scoring in both games, going off for 25 points and 14 rebounds against Cal State East Bay and adding 13 points in a balanced scoring effort against Chadron State. Beverly is also ninth in the league in rebounding with 7.2 rebounds per game.

• Forward Christian Evans enters the week third in the GNAC in rebounding with 10 rebounds per game and is tied for 23rd in Division II with two double-doubles. He led all players with 23 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Chadron State.

• As a team, Montana State Billings leads the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with a .785 free throw percentage. The Yellowjackets also lead the league with a .288 three-point percentage defense. The team is averaging 77.2 points and 39.4 rebounds per game.

• Montana State Billings’ will play two games in Grand Junction, Colo., over the weekend. The Yellowjackets will play Colorado Mesa on Friday and Western State on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split a pair of weekend contests in the Taco Bell Shootout, which the Crusaders co-hosted with College of Idaho. The Crusaders beat Portland Bible on Friday, 102-45, before taking a 103-84 loss to Colorado Christian.

• The Crusaders continued the week with their annual showdown with College of Idaho on Tuesday, falling in the exhibition contest 77-53.

• Forward Kaileb Rodriguez enters the week second and 23rd in Division II with 11.3 rebounds per game and is tied for eighth in the league in scoring with 17 points per game. He also ranks 19th in Division II with 8.33 defensive rebounds per game.Rodriguez had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Portland Bible and led all scorers with 25 points to go with 12 rebounds against Colorado Christian.

• Guard Bouna N’Diaye scored double digits in both contests, scoring a game-high 19 points against Portland Bible and 16 points against Colorado Christian. N’Diaye enters the week averaging 15 points per game, 15th in the GNAC.  

• Guard Jalen Shepard is second in the GNAC in assists, dishing out 5.33 per game. He finished with three assists against Portland Bible and had a GNAC seaosn high nine against Colorado Christian.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene lead the GNAC with 17.67 assists per game. The Crusaders are second in the GNAC in scoring margin (+21.0), field goal percentage (.517), rebounding margin (+8.7), and assist/turnover ratio (1.39).

• Northwest Nazarene will play two games this weekend at Chico State’s Carl’s Jr., Mac Martin Invitational. The Crusaders play Cal State East Bay on Friday and Chico State on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped both contests last weekend at the Ron Logsdan Classic in Rohnert Park, Calif. The Saints saw it’s three game season-opening win streak ended with a 77-60 loss on Friday to host Sonoma State and fell 80-75 to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.

• Senior guard Tyler Copp is fourth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 21.2 points per game, and is fourth in three-pointers made per game per game (2.80). Copp led the SMU scoring charge over the weekend, scoring 20 points against Sonoma State and 16 points against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Guard Cole Preston is fifth in the GNAC in assists, averaging 4.00 per game. He had three assists in both tournament contests and led the Saints in scoring with 17 against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week 16th in Division II in free throws attempted (131) and 25th in free throws made (86). Copp is ranked 10th in the GNAC in free throw shooting at 88.2 percent (30-34).

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC in three-point percentage (.383), third in rebounding defense (32.4 allowed per game) and fourth in field goal percentage (.471). The Saints are also 22nd in Division II with 46 three-pointers made.

• Saint Martin’s plays just one game over the Thankgiving Break, hosting Capilano on Wednesday. The Saints open conference play on Dec. 1 as they host Western Washington.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped both contests at its own Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic to drop to 2-2 on the season. The Falcons fell to Minnesota State on Friday, 78-69, and lost in overtime to Dixie State on Saturday, 74-72.

• Forward Coleman Wooten was named to the All-Tournament Team after leading SPU in scoring. He scored 24 points and pulled down 16 rebounds against Minnesota State, connecting on 8 of 16 from the field. He then scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds against Dixie State. Wooten leads the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with 11.8 rebounds per game. He is also fifth in the GNAC in scoring at 20 points per game.

• Freshman Tony Miller came off the bench to score 21 points against Dixie State, connecting on 8 of 13 from the field go ao along with seven rebounds.

• In addition to Wooten, Sam Simpson is fifth in the GNAC in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game. His weekend high was eight rebounds in Friday’s loss to Minnesota State.

• As a team, the Falcons lead the GNAC and are 19th in Division II in defensive rebounds with 19.00 per game. Seattle Pacific leads the GNAC in three-pointers made (10.50 per game), is second in rebounding (44.8 per game) and third in offensive rebounds (13.75 per game).

• Seattle Pacific will play two games at the Cougar Classic in Azusa, Calif., this weekend. The Falcons play tournament host Azusa Pacific on Friday and Point Loma on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser gave new head coach Steve Hanson his first wins over the weekend, sweeping a two-game home series with Lindenwood. The Clan scored an 81-73 win on Friday and pulled out a close 73-62 win over Saturday.

• JJ Pankratz led the Clan with 24 points on 10 of 16 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds in Friday’s win and added nine points in Saturday’s victory. He enters the week leading SFU in scoring with 14.8 points per game and is 10th in the GNAC with 6.8 rebounds per game. Pankratz is also tied for fourth in the GNAC with 1.75 blocked shots per game.

• Guard Michael Provenzano is seventh in the GNAC with 3.75 assists per game and fifth with a 2.50 assist/turnover ratio. Provenzano led SFU in scoring with 14 points in Saturday’s win while also dishing five assists. He also had five assists in Friday’s opener.

• As a team, Simon Fraser is third in the GNAC in free throw shooting at 76.5 percent and third in blocked shots with 3.50 per game. The Clan is also second with 30 defensive rebounds per game. Simon Fraser is averaging 72.2 points and 38.5 rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser will play two games in Riverside, Calif., against Cal Baptist on Friday and Concordia-Irvine on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• The Wolves dropped both contests in their own WOU/Doubletree by Hilton D2 Shootout over the weekend. Western Oregon lost a thrilling 99-93 triple-overtime contest to San Francisco State on Friday and then fell in a 75-63 contest to UC San Diego in a rematch of last year’s West Region Championship final on Saturday.

• The triple-overtime game on Friday was just the fifth three-overtime game in conference history and the seventh in GNAC history that went longer with two overtimes. The last three-overtime game game in the GNAC was on Feb. 13, 2014, with Alaska beating Northwest Nazarene 108-104.

• Guard Ali Faruq-Bey enters the week as the Wolves’ leading scorer at 14.8 points per game. He led the Wolves with 21 points in the loss to San Francisco State, most of which came from 11 of 14 from the free throw line.  

• Guard Tanner Omlid enters the week leading the GNAC and 14th in Division II with 3.50 steals per game. Omlid is also second in the GNAC with 2.25 blocked shots per game, fourth with a 2.57 assist/turnover ratio and sixth in rebounding with eight boards per game. Omlid finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals against San Francisco State.

• Forward Yanick Kulich is ninth in the GNAC with a .565 field goal percentage. He came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points on 7 of 9 from the field against UC San Diego.

• Western Oregon leads the GNAC with 9.25 steals per game and an assist/turnover margin of 5.75. The Wolves are also tied for first with 10.50 three-pointers made per game. Western Oregon is averaging 76.2 points and 37.5 rebounds per game.

• Western Oregon travels to St. George, Utah, for the Dixie State Classic. The Wolves play Westminster (Utah) on Friday and host Dixie State on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington was the only GNAC team to come out of the second weekend of the season undefeated. The Vikings played just one game last week, opening the home scheduled with a 94-68 win over Holy Names.

• Forward Jeffrey Parker led five Western Washington players scoring double digits in the game with 24 points, connecting on 10 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 6 from three-point range. Parker enters the week third in the GNAC and 30th in Division II in scoring with 23 points per game.

• Center Logan Schilder leads the GNAC and is 22nd in Division II with 2.33 blocked shots per game. He had a GNAC season high five in the win over Holy Names.

• Forward Daulton Hommes enters the week third in the GNAC in field goal shooting at 61.3 percent. He went just 5 for 12 in the win over Holy Names, but has gone 19 of 31 in three games this season.

• Western Washington just missed the NABC Division II Coaches Poll, listed second among teams receiving votes with 29 points. The Vikings are fourth in the DIISIDA West Region Rankings.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC and is10th in Division II with a .539 field goal percentage. The Vikings also lead the league and are 24th in Division II with a .437 three-point percentage. Western Washington is averaging 91 points and 36.7 rebounds per game.

• Western Washington will host the Chuck Randall Classic this weekend. The Vikings play Fresno Pacific on Saturday and Quest on Sunday.