Tuesday, February 15, 2022

DRIVING HARD IN THE SEASON’S STRETCH RUN: With all of the postponements due to health and safety protocols in January, there is an effort to make up as many games as possible over the final four weeks of the season.

All but one GNAC squad played three games last week and three teams played four games in a seven-day span.

Of those three four-game teams, two emerged with .500 records to keep themselves fighting for a top spot in the conference’s Points Rating System Rankings.

Alaska Anchorage picked up an 81-75 victory at home over Montana State Billings last Tuesday but struggled on the road to take a 70-66 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and an 81-80 overtime loss at Central Washington on Saturday.

The Seawolves trailed by as much as 10 points with just under six minutes to go at Simon Fraser on Monday but held SFU without a field goal the rest of the way to take a 75-70 win. The two victories improved Alaska Anchorage to 7-5 in conference play. The Seavolves were fifth in the latest GNAC PRS Rankings, which were released on Sunday.

Montana State Billings dropped both games to the Alaska schools to begin its four-game stretch but bounced back for a pair of solid victories. On Saturday, the Yellowjackets scored a 70-54 win at Seattle Pacific in a game that saw MSUB outrebound the Falcons 39-28. On Monday, the Yellowjackets earned an even bigger victory at Western Washington, 91-64. They hit on all cylinders, making 60 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 21 of 24 from the free-throw line.

With the win, MSUB improved to 8-5 in conference play. The Yellowjackets led the GNAC PRS Rankings as of games played through Feb. 12.

NIGHTHAWKS GO 3-0 TO EARN TEAM OF THE WEEK HONORS: In this season’s tight seeding race for the GNAC Championships, it takes a definitive stretch of sustained strong play to separate from the pack, and that’s exactly what Northwest Nazarene provided over the past seven days.

The Nighthawks went 3-0 on the week, including two consecutive wins over a team that entered the game at the top of the conference standings, beating Saint Martin’s 71-65 on Tuesday, Alaska Anchorage 70-66 on Thursday and Alaska 70-63 on Saturday. In the process, NNU advanced themselves into second place in the GNAC Points Rating System (PRS) standings and earned this week’s GNAC Team of the Week award.

“It was great to be able to compete against some really good GNAC teams at home again,” head coach Paul Rush said. “Our players brought a high level of focus to be able to move from a big game on Tuesday to other ones on Thursday and Saturday.”

GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS: 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.

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.

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
Xavier Smith
Central Washington
G • 6-4 • Sr. • Seattle, Wash.

Smith averaged 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to lead the Wildcats to a 2-1 week. Smith opened with a 19-point, six-rebound performance in Tuesday’s 97-86 loss to Western Washington. He bounded back to finish with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals in Thursday’s 76-73 win over Alaska. Smith saved his best for last, finishing with 26 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 81-80 overtime victory over Alaska Anchorage. In that game, Smith made the three-pointer that forced overtime and then hit the Wildcats’ final two baskets in overtime to seal the win.

Also Nominated: Abdullahi Mohamed (Alaska), Oggie Pantovic (Alaska Anchorage), Damen Thacker (Montana State Billings), Tru Allen (Northwest Nazarene), Kyle Greeley (Saint Martin’s), Julian Roche (Simon Fraser), Cameron Cranston (Western Oregon), Jalen Green (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska extended its win streak to three games last Monday with a 62-36 win over Montana State Billings. The Nanooks then lost two on the road, falling 76-73 at Central Washington on Thursday and 73-66 at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• The 36 points allowed against Montana State Billings last Monday is the second-fewest in a conference game in GNAC history and two points short of the record of 34 set by Seattle Pacific against MSUB in 2008. The .216 field goal percentage allowed tied the conference game record set by Western Washington against Saint Martin’s in 2013.

• Senior forward Coleman Sparling led the Nanooks in the three games, averaging 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Sparling notched a double-double last Monday with 20 points and 11 rebounds against MSUB, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. He also had a double-double at CWU with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8 of 15 from the field. Sparling closed the week with eight points and seven rebounds at NNU.  Sparling is averaging 10.2 points per game and is fourth in the GNAC with 8.5 rebounds per game.

• Sophomore Abdullahi Mohamed averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over the three contests. Mohamed finished with 14 points in the win over Montana State Billings. He led the Nanooks in the loss at NNU with a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds on 8 of 12 from the field and 10 of 13 from the free-throw line. Mohamed is averaging 9.2 points and five rebounds per game.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 75.1 points and 33.1 rebounds per game. The Nanooks are second in the GNAC with a .382 three-point percentage. They also rank third in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with a .771 free-throw percentage.

• Alaska will play at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday before hosting Seattle Pacific on Monday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage went 2-2 last week. After posting a 64-57 win over Montana State Billings last Tuesday, the Seawolves took a 70-66 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and an 81-80 overtime loss at Central Washington on Saturday. On Monday, UAA rallied from 10 down with under six minutes left to win at Simon Fraser, 75-70.

• Junior guard Tobin Karlberg paced the UAA offense, averaging 20 points and six rebounds per game in the four games. He scored in double figures in all four games, paced by a 24-point performance at Northwest Nazarene where he shot 8 of 15 from the field. Karlberg finished with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds at Central Washington. Karlberg is fifth in the GNAC with 17.6 points per game and is fourth with 2.64 three-pointers made per game.

• Senior forward Oggie Pantovic played in just three of the four games, averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. Pantovic notched a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds at Northwest Nazarene, shooting 8 for 10 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range. He then finished with 17 points and nine rebounds at Central Washington. For the week, Pantovic shot 60 percent from the field and 80 percent from long range. Pantovic is seventh in the GNAC with 15.9 points per game and third with 8.8 rebounds per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 75.8 points per game and 33.6 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank 21st in Division II with 16.8 assists per game. The team also leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 10.3 three-pointers made per game.

• After the long four-game stretch, Alaska Anchorage plays just once this week when it hosts Alaska on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 2-1 at home last week. After taking a 76-73 loss to Western Washington last Monday, the Wildcats scored for a 76-73 win over Alaska on Thursday and an 81-80 overtime win over Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Senior guard Xavier Smith was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the three contests. Smith scored 19 points with six rebounds at Western Washington before adding totals of 17 points and five rebounds against Alaska. On Saturday, Smith finished with 26 points and eight rebounds against UAA. He scored the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime and then scored the Wildcats’ final two baskets in the extra period to seal the win. Smith leads the GNAC in scoring with 19.2 points per game and is second in the GNAC in free-throw percentage (.866).

• Senior guard David Thompson averaged 14.7 points per game over the three games. Thompson scored 17 points at Western Washington with five assists. He then connected for 10 points and six assists against Alaska and then finished with 17 points and two assists against Alaska Anchorage. Thompson is ninth in the GNAC in scoring at 15.3 points per game and is ranked 10th with 3.60 assists per game.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC in scoring and is 19th in Division II with 84.2 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 36.1 rebounds per game. The Wildcats lead the conference and rank 17th in Division II with a .495 field goal percentage. They are also second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with a .775 free-throw percentage.

• The Wildcats are on the road to play at Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 2-2 in a four-game stretch last week. The Yellowjackets took a 62-36 loss at Alaska last Monday and a 64-57 loss at Alaska Anchorage last Tuesday. They rebounded to collect a 70-54 win at Seattle Pacific on Saturday and a 91-64 win at Western Washington on Monday.

• Senior guard Damen Thacker averaged 16.5 points per game over the four games. Thacker led MSUB with 25 points at Alaska Anchorage on 9 of 17 from the field and 7 of 11 from three-point range. He then finished with 18 points and seven rebounds at Seattle Pacific and added 20 points with eight rebounds at Western Washington. Thacker is 10th in the GNAC in scoring with 14.9 points per game, seventh with 3.74 assists per game and 10th with 1.39 steals per game.

• Junior guard Carrington Wiggins averaged 14.5 per game, shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Wiggins scored 13 points at Alaska Anchorage and then added 11 points at Seattle Pacific. Wiggins led all scorers in the win at Western Washington with 28 points, making 11 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from three-point range. Wiggins is sixth in the GNAC in scoring with 17.3 points per game and ranks seventh with 2.09 three-pointers made per game.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 66.7 points and 36 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets lead the GNAC and rank 21st in Division II in scoring defense, allowing 64.6 points per game. They also rank 22nd in Division II in fewest personal fouls per game (14.2).

• Montana State Billings returns home after a six-game road trip to host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene swept its three home games last week, collecting a 71-65 win over Saint Martin’s on Tuesday, a 70-66 win over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and a 73-66 victory over Alaska on Thursday.

• For its efforts to win three in a row and two over teams which NNU is dueling with in the Points Rating System standings, Northwest Nazarene was named the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Freshman guard Tru Allen averaged 17 points per game and shot 48.3 percent from the field to lead the Nighthawks in the three games. Allen scored 16 points against both Saint Martin’s and Alaska Anchorage, connecting for 50 percent from the field in both contests. He led the Nighthawks with 19 points against Alaska. Allen is averaging 12.5 points per game and ranks second in the GNAC with 1.80 steals per game.

• Sophomore forward James Nelson continued to impress, averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the three games. After scoring eight points with four steals against Saint Martin’s, Nelson led NNU with 19 points and nine rebounds against Alaska Anchorage, making 7 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range. Nelson finished with 16 points and nine rebounds against Alaska. After missing the first part of the season due to injury, Nelson has played in seven games and is averaging 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 74.3 points per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC with 38.9 rebounds per game. They are second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II in field goal percentage defense (.406) and rank seventh nationally in fewest turnovers (211).

• The Nighthawks play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday before returning home to host Simon Fraser next Tuesday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped two of three road games last week, taking a 71-65 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday and a close 64-63 loss at Simon Fraser on Thursday. The Saints bounced back for an 86-68 win at Western Washington on Saturday.

• Sophomore guard Kyle Greeley once again led the Saints, averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three-point range. Greeley opened the week with 19 points at Northwest Nazarene on 7 of 9 from the field and 2 of 3 from long range. He added 12 points at Simon Fraser before leading the Saints with 24 points at Western Washington, shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range. Greeley is averaging 13.4 points per game and is 10th in the GNAC with a .531 field goal percentage.

• Sophomore guard Alex Schumacher averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in the three contests. Schumacher finished with 14 points at Northwest Nazarene on 4 of 6 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range. He added a 10-point performance at Simon Fraser and scored 17 at Western Washington on 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from outside. For the week, Schumacher shot 56 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from three-point range. Schumacher is averaging 13.8 points per game and is third in the GNAC with a .449 three-point percentage.

• Saint Martin’s is third in the GNAC in scoring with 79.6 points per game while averaging 35.9 rebounds per game. The Saints lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II in three-point percentage (.421). The Saints are also second in the GNAC and 18th in Division II with a .493 field goal percentage.

• Saint Martin’s returns home this week to host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The rare GNAC team that played just two games last week, Seattle Pacific collected a 76-65 win over Western Oregon on Tuesday before taking a 70-54 loss to Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior guard Harry Cavell averaged 13 points per game in the two contests to lead the Falcons, shooting 50 percent from both the field and three-point range. Cavell scored 12 points against Western Oregon to go with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He then scored 14 points against Montana State Billings with two steals. Cavell is averaging 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

• Junior forward Shaw Anderson averaged 12.5 points per game with eight assists, shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Anderson finished with 10 points and four rebounds against Western Oregon. He then led the Falcons with 15 points against Montana State Billings on 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point range. Anderson averaged 13.7 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 74.2 points and 33.7 rebounds per game. The Falcons lead Division II with a .801 free-throw percentage (296-368) and are third in the GNAC in scoring defense, allowing 69.8 points per game.

• The Falcons will close out a four-game homestand this week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser posted another 1-2 week. After scoring a 64-63 victory over Saint Martin’s on Thursday, SFU took a 76-63 loss to Western Oregon on Saturday and a 75-70 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Monday.

• Senior guard Josiah Mastandrea averaged 12.7 points per game over the three contests to lead SFU. He scored 12 points against both Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon and included three rebounds against the Wolves. Against Alaska Anchorage, Mastandrea finished with 14 points on 5 of 15 from the field and 4 of 14 from three-point range. Mastandrea is averaging 7.9 points per game on the season.

• Senior forward Julian Roche finished with averages of 11.7 points and seven rebounds per game over the three games, shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Roche opened the week with a 16-point, 10-rebound performance against Saint Martin’s, making 7 of 11 from the field. He scored 14 points with eight rebounds against Western Oregon before being limited to five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes against Alaska Anchorage. Roche is averaging 13.5 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 8.9 rebounds per game.

• Simon Fraser is averaging 72 points and 35.9 rebounds per game. The team is second in the GNAC in blocked shots (3.55 per game), steals (7.45 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.10 per game).

• Simon Fraser will play three of its final four scheduled regular-season games on the road. They will travel to Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Montana State Billings on Saturday and Northwest Nazarene next Tuesday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 2-1 over its three-game stretch. The Wolves took a 76-65 loss at Seattle Pacific on Tuesday before collecting a 73-71 win at Western Washington on Thursday and a 76-63 win at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston once again was the offensive leader for the Wolves, averaging 19.3 points per game over the three contests. Cranston opened the week with a 12-point performance at Seattle Pacific. He then led all scorers with 27 points at Western Washington, making 10 of 18 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range with four rebounds and four assists. Cranston finished with 19 points at Simon Fraser, making 6 of 8 from the field, 2 of 2 from long range and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. Cranston is third in the GNAC in scoring with 19.1 points per game, fifth with 1.20 blocked shots per game and seventh with a .437 three-point percentage.

• Junior forward John Morrill-Keeler averaged 12 points and 8.7 rebounds across the three games. He finished just shy of a double-double at Seattle Pacific with 10 points and nine rebounds. After a six-point, six-rebound performance at Western Washington, Morrill-Keeler led the Wolves with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds at Simon Fraser. Morrill-Keeler is averaging 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

• Western Oregon is averaging 70.8 points and 31.8 rebounds per game. The Wolves rank third in the GNAC with 8.95 three-pointers made per game and rank 15th in Division II in fewest fouls with 291.

• Western Oregon is home for its next three games, hosting Central Washington on Thursday, Northwest Nazarene on Saturday and Western Washington next Tuesday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 1-3 in a four-game stretch last week. The Vikings scored a 97-86 win at Central Washington last Tuesday. Returning home to Bellingham, the Vikings took a 73-71 loss to Western Oregon on Thursday, an 86-68 loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday and a 91-64 loss to Montana State Billings on Monday.

• Junior forward Jalen Green led the Vikings in the four-game stretch, averaging 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game with 13 assists, seven blocks and eight steals. Green notched a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds at Central Washington, making 9 of 15 from the field. Green scored 15 points against Western Oregon with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. He connected for 17 points and nine rebounds against Saint Martin’s and 16 points against Montana State Billings. Green is eighth in the GNAC in scoring at 15.7 points per game and seventh with 6.6 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC with 1.35 blocked shots per game.

• Junior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 13.3 points in the four games, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range with 12 assists. Hornbuckle finished with 14 points at Central Washington. He then connected for 21 against Western Oregon on 8 of 15 from the field and 5 of 12 from the arc. He went on to score 15 against Saint Martin’s on 5 of 10 from three-point range. Hornbuckle is averaging 14.2 points per game. He leads the GNAC and ranks 14th in Division II with a .450 three-point percentage.

• Western Washington is second in the GNAC in scoring at 80.7 points and 36.9 rebounds per game. The Vikings lead the GNAC and rank 26th in Division II with 4.4 blocked shots per game. They are also third in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with a .487 field goal percentage.

• The Vikings will play the remainder of their regular-season schedule on the road, traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday, Seattle Pacific on Saturday and Western Oregon next Tuesday.