Tuesday, December 7, 2021

WESTERN OREGON, SIMON FRASER ESCAPE UNDEFEATED: In what may be a sign of how truly competitive the GNAC will be in 2021-22, only two teams made it through the first week of conference play undefeated.

And if you had Western Oregon circled to be one of those undefeated teams, you might want to grab a lottery ticket this week.

After going 1-6 through November, the Wolves came home to Monmouth and proceeded to sweep the Alaska schools to move to 2-0 in the young conference season.

On Thursday, WOU shot 56.5 percent from the field, connected on 46.7 percent from three-point range and outrebounded Alaska 39-29 in a 99-74 rout of the visiting Nanooks. Four players scored in double figures in the victory, led by junior guard Yosani Clay’s 22 points on 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from outside.

On Saturday, the Wolves made a nine-point halftime lead stand up for an 80-71 victory over Alaska Anchorage. Once again, the WOU shooting was on fire, connecting on 55.4 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from outside.

Junior guard Cameron Cranston led WOU with 23 points on 8 of 15 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range to go with four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. He was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, two steals and two blocks per game.

While Simon Fraser played just one game, it emerged with the undefeated conference record thanks to an 82-80 overtime win at Western Washington on Saturday. The competitive contest featured 12 ties and 15 lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points after halftime.

In overtime, it was SFU that came up clutch, scoring the final six points of the game and winning it on junior guard Drew Bryson’s basket with 2.5 seconds left.

Senior forward Julian Roche led the way for SFU, recording his third double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds, connecting on 11 of 15 from the field.

The schedule focus now returns to non-conference play with eight of the league’s 10 teams competing. Montana State Billings and Saint Martin's are the only teams that will play more than once. The Yellowjackets play a home-and-home series with crosstown rival Rocky Mountain on Wednesday and Saturday. Saint Martin's will host Puget Sound on Tuesday and Evergreen State on Saturday.

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).

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.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cameron Cranston
Western Oregon
G • 6-6 • Jr. • Vancouver, Wash.

Cranston led Western Oregon to a 2-0 start to conference play, averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, two steals and two blocks per game. Cranston scored 18 points in Thursday’s 99-74 win over Alaska, adding five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He finished with 23 points in Saturday’s 80-71 win over Alaska Anchorage to go with four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. Cranston shot 8 for 15 from the field in both games and finished the week shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from the three-point line.

Also Nominated: Oggie Pantovic (Alaska Anchorage), Xavier Smith (Central Washington), Damen Thacker (Montana State Billings), Jaden Nielsen-Skinner (Saint Martin’s), Julian Roche (Simon Fraser), Dakota Ayala (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska took two road losses to open GNAC play, falling 99-74 at Western Oregon on Thursday and 87-74 at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Senior guard Koby Huerta averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game and shot 50 percent from three-point range to lead the Nanooks. Huerta finished with a game-high 22 points at Western Oregon with six rebounds and three assists. He made 5 of 10 from outside and 6 of 14 from the field. At Saint Martin’s, Huerta added 10 points and four rebounds. Huerta is averaging 12.4 points per game and is fourth in the GNAC with a .472 three-point percentage.

• Senior guard Shadeed Shabazz also averaged 16 points per game. After finishing with just two points at Western Oregon, Shabazz carried the Nanooks with 30 points, three steals and two rebounds at Saint Martin’s. It was his third 30-plus point performance of the season. Shabazz leads the GNAC with 19 points and 2.88 steals per game. He ranks ninth in Division II in steals per game and is sixth with 23 total steals.

• Junior forward Willie Thomas averaged 14.5 points and six rebounds per game, which was paced by his 16 points and six rebounds at Western Oregon. Thomas is averaging 7.8 points and five rebounds per game.

• Alaska is averaging 76.4 points and 33.2 rebounds per game while ranking second in the GNAC with a .749 free throw percentage and third with eight steals and 8.25 three-pointers made per game. The Nanooks rank 23rd in Division II with 125 free throws made.

• Alaska is off until Saturday, December 18 when it hosts Portland Bible.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage achieved a split in its first week of GNAC play, scoring a 76-67 win at Saint Martin’s on Thursday before taking an 80-71 loss at Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Senior forward Oggie Pantovic averaged 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to lead the Seawolves. He opened the week with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds at Saint Martin’s, making 6 of 10 from the field. He led all scorers with 26 points at Western Oregon to go with 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He made 12 of 19 from the field and finished the road trip shooting 62 percent from the field. Pantovic is 10th in the GNAC at 14.9 points per game. He leads the conference and is 30th in Division II with 1.75 blocked shots per game.

• Junior guard Tobin Karlberg averaged 15.5 points per game. Karlberg led all scorers with 22 points at Saint Martin’s, making 7 of 13 from the field and 6 of 12 from three-point range. He added a nine-point performance at Western Oregon to go with four rebounds and six assists. Karlberg is sixth in the GNAC at 16.7 points per game. He is tied for third in the GNAC with a .850 free throw percentage.

• Senior guard David Rowlands averaged 14.5 points per game with eight assists. Rowlands had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists at Saint Martin’s  before adding 14 points, three rebounds and four assists at Western Oregon. Rowlands is averaging 12.3 points per game. He leads the GNAC and is 24th in Division II with 5.6 assists per game.

• As a team, Alaska Anchorage is third in the GNAC with 77.6 points per game and fourth with 36.7 rebounds per game. The Seawolves rank seventh in Division II in assist/turnover ratio (1.79) and 14th in assists per game (19).

• Alaska Anchorage does not play again until it hosts Portland Bible on back-to-back nights on December 15 and 16.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington split in its opening conference weekend on the road, winning 68-65 at Seattle Pacific on Thursday before taking a 66-64 loss at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith led the Wildcats with an average of 18 points per game on the trip. Smith led all scorers with 23 points on 8 of 17 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line against Seattle Pacific. He then added 13 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals at Montana State Billings. Smith is seventh in the GNAC with 15.2 points per game.

• Senior guard David Thompson averaged 15 points and five rebounds per game. After eight points and five rebounds at Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Thompson led the Wildcats with 22 points at Montana State Billings. He made 8 of 17 from the floor and 4 of 6 from three-point range to go with another five rebounds. Thompson averages 13.8 points per game and is tied for sixth in the GNAC with a .455 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward Matt Poquette finished with 7.5 rebounds per game, tallying eight points and seven rebounds at Seattle Pacific along with eight rebounds and two blocks at Montana State Billings. Poquette is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game.

• Central Washington is averaging 74.8 points and 35.8 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are 16th in Division II in fewest turnovers (68) and 23rd in fewest fouls (88).

• Central Washington plays just one game this week, hosting Pacific Lutheran in a non-conference tilt on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings secured a split at home in the first week of conference play, taking a 68-67 overtime loss to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and beating Central Washington 66-64 on Saturday.

• Senior guard Damen Thacker led the Yellowjackets, averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games. Thacker had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds with four assists against Northwest Nazarene. Against Central Washington, Thacker led all scorers with 26 points on 8 of 15 from the field, 4 of 6 from three-point range and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Thacker is tied for eighth in the GNAC with 15 points per game. He leads the GNAC with a .879 free throw percentage (29-33).

• Junior guard Carrington Wiggins averaged 20 points and seven rebounds per game. Wiggins was the leading scorer against Northwest Nazarene with 20 points to go with five assists, three rebounds and two steals. He added a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds against Central Washington. Wiggins is fifth in the GNAC with 17 points per game and ninth with a .793 free-throw percentage.

• Freshman forward Emmanuel Ajanaku finished with 14 rebounds in the two games, 11 of which came against NNU on a night where he finished with six points in 26 minutes off the bench. Ajanaku is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 65.2 points and 35.6 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets are third in the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing 69 points per game.

• Montana State Billings has a home-and-home series this week with crosstown rival Rocky Mountain. The teams play at Rocky Mountain on Wednesday and at MSUB on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its start to the GNAC season, scoring an overtime win at Montana State Billings on Thursday before taking an overtime loss at Seattle Pacific on Saturday, both by 68-67 scores.

• Sophomore forward Gabriel Murphy led the Nighthawks, averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Murphy led a balanced scoring effort with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds at MSUB, shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from three-point range. He added 11 points and eight rebounds at Seattle Pacific. Murphy is averaging 12.5 points per game. He leads the conference and ranks 12th in Division II with 10.8 rebounds per game while ranking fourth nationally with four double-doubles.

• Freshman forward Christian Rose also averaged 12.5 points per game while adding six rebounds per game and shooting 50 percent from the field. Rose finished with 12 points at MSUB on 4 of 8 from the field with three rebounds and two blocks. He then led the Nighthawks with 13 points and nine rebounds at Seattle Pacific on 5 of 10 from the floor. Rose is averaging 11 points per game on the season.

• The Nighthawks saw four players score in double figures both nights. Sophomore guard George Reidy scored 12 points at both MSUB and Seattle Pacific. Freshman guard Tru Allen scored 13 at MSUB while freshman guard Timothy TenKley had 11 points at Seattle Pacific.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 71.7 points per game while leading the GNAC with 41.7 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC and rank 12th in Division II with 14.67 offensive rebounds per game.

• The Nighthawks play once this week, hosting the College of Idaho for the second leg of the Mayor’s Cup on Tuesday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s procured a home split with the Alaska schools to start conference play. The Saints took a 76-67 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before collecting an 87-74 win over Alaska on Saturday.

• Sophomore guard Alex Schumacher led the way with averages of 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two games. Schumacher was the Saints’ leading scorer against Alaska Anchorage with 18 points, including 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Schumacher shared top honors with 16 points against Alaska, going 7 of 16 from the field to go with seven rebounds. Schumacher is averaging 13.4 points per game. He ranks second in the GNAC with 1.88 steals per game, sixth with a .840 free throw percentage and eighth with three assists per game.

• Sophomore guard Jaden Nielsen-Skinner averaged 14 points per game with 11 assists and shot 69.2 percent from the field. Nielsen-Skinner finished with 17 points against Alaska Anchorage before posting a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists against Alaska. Nielsen-Skinner is fourth in the GNAC with 4.86 assists per game while averaging 10.9 points per game.

• While senior forward Brett Reed was quiet in the scoring column this week, he was big on the boards with an average of nine rebounds per game. That included a high of 11 rebounds against Alaska. Reed is fourth in the GNAC with 8.8 rebounds per game and is sixth in Division II with 4.25 offensive rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC in scoring with 78.8 points per game and averaging 34.1 rebounds per game. The Saints are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.474) and are sixth in Division II with only 12.5 personal fouls per game.

• The Saints host two non-conference games this week, welcoming Puget Sound on Wednesday and Evergreen State on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split in its start to GNAC play, taking a 68-65 loss to Central Washington on Thursday before scoring a 68-67 overtime win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. It was the Falcons’ third overtime game of the season.

• Senior guard Divant’e Moffitt led the Falcons offensively, averaging 18.5 points per game. Moffitt led the Falcons in scoring in both games, scoring 16 points to go with four rebounds and four assists against Central Washington. He led all scorers with 21 points against NNU to go with six rebounds and a 9 of 10 performance from the free-throw line. Moffitt is second in the GNAC with 18.1 points per game. He is fifth in Division II in both free throws attempted (63) and made (49).

• Sophomore guard Zack Paulsen averaged 8.5 points and five rebounds per game. Paulsen finished with 14 points and five rebounds against Central Washington before coming up with three points and five rebounds against NNU. Paulsen is averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific continues to be tops in the conference at the free-throw line. The team shot 86.1 percent (19-22) from the line last week. The team’s .774 free-throw percentage leads the GNAC and is 29th in Division II. The Falcons rank 26th in Division II in free throw attempts (177) and 12th in free throws made (137).

• Seattle Pacific is averaging 74.3 points and 34.2 rebounds per game.

• The Falcons play just once this week, hosting Northwest (Wash.) on Wednesday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser scored a big win in its only game of the week, going to overtime to win at Western Washington on Saturday, 82-80.

• The game saw 12 ties and 15 lead changes with neither team leading by more than five points after halftime. Simon Fraser scored the final six points in overtime with junior guard Drew Bryson hitting the game-winner with 2.5 seconds left.

• Senior forward Julian Roche led Simon Fraser with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, connecting on 11 of 15 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Roche is tied for eighth in the GNAC with 15 points per game and is second with 9.5 rebounds per game. Roche ranks 29th in Division II with rebounding and 30th with three double-doubles.

• Sophomore guard David Penney and junior guard Wilfried Balata each scored 15 in the win. Penney added eight assists while Balata had seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Balata is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Penney is averaging nine points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 5.13 assists per game.

• Simon Fraser is averaging 77.4 points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 38.5 rebounds per game. Simon Fraser is also third in the GNAC in scoring margin (+5.4), rebounding margin (+4.4), blocked shots (3.38 per game) and assists (16.25 per game).

• Simon Fraser plays Douglas on Tuesday in a late addition to the schedule. After that, SFU will not play again until GNAC play resumes on December 30.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was the only team to emerge from the start of GNAC play with a 2-0 record, scoring a 99-74 win over Alaska on Thursday and an 80-71 win over Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, two steals and two blocks in the two wins. Cranston opened by scoring 18 points against Alaska with five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. On Saturday, Cranston led the way with 23 points with four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks against UAA. He went 8 of 15 from the field in both games. Cranston is third in the GNAC with 17.7 points per game, sixth with 1.56 steals per game and 10th with 5.8 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Yosani Clay averaged 16.5 points per game, shooting 63.1 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three-point range. Clay led the Wolves with 22 points against Alaska, going 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from outside to go with six rebounds and four assists. Clay scored 11 points against UAA on 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from the three-point line. Clay is averaging 9.4 points per game.

• Junior guard Elihu Cobb averaged 13.5 points and five rebounds per game, coming off the bench to score 16 points with five rebounds against Alaska Anchorage. Cobb is averaging 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

• Western Oregon is averaging 73.1 points and 34.4 rebounds per game. The Wolves rank second in the GNAC with 3.44 blocked shots per game.

• Western Oregon plays just once more before GNAC play resumes at the end of the month, hosting Corban on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• After opening the week with a 139-59 non-conference rout of Northwest Indian on Tuesday, Western Washington opened GNAC play with an 82-80 overtime loss to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• The 80-point margin of victory against Northwest Indian is the largest in the GNAC this season and saw three WWU players score 20 or more points and two scored 30 or more points. Junior guard Erwin Weary, Jr. was the leading scorer with 36 points on 15 of 20 from the field. Freshman forward Nic Welp had a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds while freshman guard Kai Johnson scored 20.

• Senior forward Dakota Ayala averaged 14.5 points and seven rebounds per game in the two contests. Ayala had eight points and seven boards in 18 minutes against Northwest Indian. He was the Vikings’ leading scorer against Simon Fraser with 21 points on 9 of 20 from the field. Ayala is averaging 10 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 11.5 points per game. He was one of three WWU players to score 14 points against Simon Fraser, making 5 of 12 from the field and 4 of 10 from three-point range. Hornbuckle is averaging 13.5 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 3.13 three-pointers made per game.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC with 82.8 points per game and is second with 38.8 rebounds per game. The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 24th in Division II with 4.6 blocked shots per game and 19th with 37 total blocks.

• Western Washington plays just once this week, hosting Northwest Indian for a rematch on Sunday.