Wednesday, November 16, 2022

A SOLID START AGAINST RANKED COMPETITION: The GNAC was under the radar when it came to the preseason polls, but conference teams made some waves thanks to some wins against nationally ranked competition.

Both Saint Martin’s and Montana State Billings bolted out to undefeated starts to the season thanks to victories over No. 13 ranked Cal State San Marcos at the SMU Conference Challenge in Lacey. The host Saints opened with an 84-72 win over the Cougars on Friday, shooting a blistering 56.1% from the field and outrebounding CSUSM 34-24. Five Saint Martin’s players scored in double figures, led by senior guard Branden Bunn’s 16.

It was the Yellowjackets’ turn for the upset on Saturday, bouncing back from a three-point halftime deficit to down Cal State San Marcos 68-64 on Saturday. The free-throw line was the difference as MSUB went 17 of 21 from the stripe while the Cougars went just 5 of 7. Junior guard Steven Richardson finished with 20 points to lead the Yellowjackets.

While Central Washington was not among the teams to topple a top-25 team, they proved the ability to compete with the best with a 64-61 loss to No. 9 Cal State San Bernardino at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge at Western Oregon on Saturday. The Wildcats led for much of the second half but could not hold off a solid Coyotes’ run over the final six minutes. Junior guard Camron McNeil led CWU with 10 points off the bench while three starters each scored nine points.

Saint Martin’s and Montana State Billings are both off to 3-0 starts. After the two wins at the SMU Conference Challenge, the Saints collected a 94-44 win over Douglas at home on Monday. The Yellowjackets went to crosstown rival Rocky Mountain on Tuesday and took home a 71-56 win.

Western Washington opened the season 2-0 with a pair of big wins at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Vikings scored a 104-95 win over Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday before blowing out Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Saturday, 94-69.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shaw Anderson
Seattle Pacific
F • 6-6 • Jr. • Kelso, Wash.

Anderson averaged 30 points per game, shot 57.1% from the floor and 46.2% from three-point range and was a perfect 22 of 22 from the free-throw line in the Falcons’ opening weekend at the Cougar Classic. Anderson opened the season with 28 points, five rebounds and two steals in Friday’s 84-79 win over Chico State, making 8 of 14 from the field, 3 of 6 from outside and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line. He then added a 32-point performance in Saturday’s 83-78 loss to Cal Poly Pomona, connecting on 8 of 14 from the field, 3 of 7 from three-point range and 13 of 13 from the free-throw line. He also had three rebounds, two assists and a block.

Also Nominated: Bryan Nguyen (Alaska), Da’Zhon Wyche (Alaska Anchorage), Carrington Wiggins (Montana State Billings), Tru Allen (Northwest Nazarene), Georges Lefebvre (Simon Fraser), Cameron Cranston (Western Oregon), Daniel Hornbuckle (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska split its openers at the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge, taking a 74-64 loss to Hawaii Pacific on Friday and an 82-76 victory from Chaminade on Saturday.

• Junior guard Bryan Nguyen averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 64.2% from the field in his first games in a UAF uniform. Nguyen finished with 10 points on 3 of 5 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range against Hawaii Pacific. He led the Nanooks with 17 points at Chaminade on 6 of 9 from the field with three assists.

• Freshman forward Tyler Mrus averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds per game in his first collegiate starts. Mrus played 30 minutes in his debut against Hawaii Pacific, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds. He added 14 points and two rebounds with three steals against Chaminade.

• Junior forward Nick Hopkins led UAF on the board with an eight-rebound per game average, which included a 15-point, 10-rebound performance against Chaminade. Senior guard Jordan Kanoe led UAF with 16 points against Hawaii Pacific.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 78 points and 40 rebounds per game. The Nanooks lead the conference and rank 17th in Division II on the young season with a .844 free-throw percentage (38-45).

• The Nanooks play at the Cal State Monterey Bay Invite this week, facing the host Otters on Friday and Cal State East Bay on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• After opening the season with two wins at home over Midway in October, Alaska Anchorage dropped all three games in Hawaii last week. The Seawolves took an 82-77 loss to Chaminade on Friday, a close 74-73 loss to Hawaii Pacific on Saturday and an 87-82 overtime loss at Hawaii Hilo on Monday.

• Senior guard Da’Zhon Wyche averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game across the three contests. Wyche connected for 29 points with three rebounds, three assists and five steals against Chaminade. He added a 22-point, seven-point performance against Hawaii Pacific along with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists at Hawaii Hilo. In five games, Wyche is averaging 17.2 points per game.

• Junior forward Jaedon Bradley averaged 11.3 points per game and connected for 50% from three-point range in the Islands. Bradley opened with 10 points and five rebounds at Chaminade before scoring 12 points with five rebounds and two assists at Hawaii Pacific. He closed out the trip with 12 points on 4 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from outside at Hawaii Hilo. Bradley is averaging 13 points per game over his first five UAA contests.

• Junior forward Sawyer Storms averaged 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 56.5 percent from the floor. Storms opened with 12 points on 5 of 6 from the field with eight rebounds at Chaminade. He closed the trip with a 15-point performance at Hawaii Hilo. Storms is averaging 10.6 points per game and shooting 55.6% from the field in his first five games.

• Over five games, Alaska Anchorage is averaging 84.3 points and 32.8 rebounds per game. The Seawolves lead the conference with a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.

• Alaska Anchorage is off until it takes part in the Alaska Thanksgiving Tournament in Fairbanks, facing Westminster (Utah) on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) and Texas A&M International on Friday, Nov. 25.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington took two losses to open the season at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Monmouth, Oregon. The Wildcats took a 77-57 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday before dropping a close 64-61 decision to No. 9 Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.

• Junior guard Camron McNeil led the Wildcats in his debut for the team, averaging 9.5 points per game in the two contests. McNeil scored nine points in 18 minutes off the bench against Cal State Monterey Bay before leading CWU with 10 points against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Senior forward Matt Poquette averaged eight points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Poquette was the team’s leading scorer against Cal State Monterey Bay with 12 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and a block. He added totals of four points and 11 rebounds with four assists against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Junior forward Samaad Hector averaged 8.5 points and five rebounds per game in his CWU debut. Hector connected for nine points and six rebounds against Cal State Monterey Bay, which included 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. He added an eight-point, four-rebound performance against Cal State San Bernardino.

• Central Washington is averaging 59 points and 37 rebounds per game. The Wildcats rank third in the scoring defense, allowing 70.5 points per game.

• The Wildcats are in Southern California this week, taking on Cal State San Marcos on Thursday and Cal State LA on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened the season with a 3-0 mark. The Yellowjackets won both of its games at the SMU Crossover Challenge, knocking off Holy Names 70-65 on Friday and No. 13 Cal St. San Marcos 68-64 on Saturday. They added a 71-56 win over crosstown rival Rocky Mountain on Tuesday.

• Senior guard Carrington Wiggins has averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the first three games. He led MSUB against Holy Names, scoring 16 points with five rebounds and two assists. He had 19 points and six rebounds against Cal St. San Marcos on 7 of 13 from the field. Wiggins then led the Yellowjackets at Rocky Mountain with 14 points and four rebounds on 5 of 10 from the field.

• Junior guard Steven Richardson opened his MSUB career averaging 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and shooting 62% from the field. Richardson finished with 14 points and five rebounds against Holy Names, connecting on 6 of 8 shooting. He led MSUB with 20 points against Cal St. San Marcos with six rebounds on 7 of 12 from the field. Richardson added a 13-point performance at Rocky Mountain.

• Senior forward Bilal Shabazz averaged 10.7 points per game and was the team’s top rebounder with 6.7 per contest. His best efforts came in the SMU Conference Challenge, finishing with 13 points and seven assists against Holy Names and 12 points and five rebounds against Cal St. San Marcos.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 68.3 points and 36.7 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets rank third in the GNAC with 7.7 steals per game.

• Montana State Billings plays just once more this week, traveling to face Minot State on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its opening games of the season, collecting a 110-77 win over Evergreen State on Saturday before taking a 69-54 loss at Point Loma on Tuesday to open a two-game road trip.

• Sophomore guard Tru Allen led the Nighthawks in the openers, averaging 17.5 points per game and shooting 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Allen paced NNU against Evergreen State with 23 points on 8 of 15 from the field, 3 of 7 from three-point range and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line with six assists and five steals. He then scored 12 points with two rebounds and two steals at Point Loma.

• Sophomore forward Christian Rose averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 62.5% from the field and making 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Rose opened the season with a 20-point performance against Evergreen State on 7 of 9 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He added nine points at Point Loma.

• Junior forward Gabriel Murphy averaged 10.5 points per game and was the team’s leading rebounder with five boards per game. Murphy finished with nine points and seven rebounds against Evergreen State and added a 12-point, three-rebound performance at Point Loma.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 82 points and 37.5 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC and are 24th in Division II with 10 steals per game.

• The Nighthawks play just once more this week, closing the SoCal road trip at Cal State LA on Thursday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s is off to a 3-0 start thanks an 84-72 win over No. 13 Cal State San Marcos on Friday, 84-72, and a 75-67 win over Holy Names on Saturday in the SMU Conference Challenge. The Saints earned the third win, 94-44, over Douglas at home on Monday.

• Senior guard Branden Bunn averaged 16.7 points and shot 57.5% from the field to lead SMU in the start. Bunn opened his Saints career with 16 points on 7 of 13 from the field against Cal State San Marcos, led all scorers with 26 points against Holy Names on 9 of 16 from the floor and finished with eight points against Douglas.

• Junior guard Kyle Greeley averaged 12.7 points while shooting 72.7% from the field in the three wins. Greeley was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field and 1 for 1 from three-point range for 15 points against Cal State San Marcos. He notched a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds against Holy Names before adding a seven-point performance against Douglas.

• Every player on the Saints’ roster scored in Monday’s rout of Douglas. Sophomore guard Champ Spencer led four players in double figures with 14 points, connecting on 6 of 10 from the field and 2 of 6 from three-point range.

• Saint Martin’s is third in the GNAC in scoring with 84.3 points per game and leads the conference in scoring defense at 61 points per game. The Saints also rank second in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.513) and assists (17 per game).

• Saint Martin’s was among teams receiving votes in this week’s D2SIDA Men’s Basketball Media Poll.

• Saint Martin’s plays just once this week, traveling to Salt Lake City on Saturday for a meeting with Westminster (Utah).

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific procured a split on the first weekend of the season at the Cougar Classic in Azusa, California. The Falcons beat Chico State on Friday, 84-79, before taking a 93-78 loss to Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.

• Junior forward Shaw Anderson was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 30 points per game in SoCal, shooting 57.1% from the field, 46.2% from three-point range and a perfect 22 of 22 from the free-throw line. Against Chico State, Anderson finished with 28 points and five rebounds, shooting 8 of 14 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line. He then went off for 32 points against Cal Poly Pomona on 8 of 14 from the field and 13 of 13 from the line. Anderson is second in Division II in points per game after the opening weekend.

• Junior guard Zack Paulsen averaged 18 points per game and shot 50% from the field, 52.9% from three-point range and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. After a quiet seven points against Chico State, Paulsen led SPU with 29 points against Cal Poly Pomona on 8 of 12 from the field (all three-pointers) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He also had three rebounds, two assists and four steals.

• Junior guard Ben Baker-McCann averaged 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his SPU debut. He did his most damage against Chico State, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds on 25 minutes off the bench.

• Seattle Pacific is averaging 81 points and 30 rebounds per game. The Falcons are second in the GNAC with a .808 free-throw percentage and a .408 three-point percentage.

• The Falcons return to Azusa this weekend for the GNAC/PacWest Challenge, taking on host Azusa Pacific on Friday and Concordia on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Opening the season at home, Simon Fraser split at its own GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge. The Red Leafs fell to Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Friday, 66-63, before leveling a 97-79 rout on Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Georges Lefebvre averaged 15.5 points and nine rebounds per game in his SFU debut. Lefebvre shared top scoring honors with 17 points against Cal St. Dominguez Hills to go with seven rebounds. He then added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds against Cal Poly Humboldt. For the week, Lefebvre shot 52.3% from the field.

• Senior guard/forward Jahmal Wright averaged 12.5 points and three rebounds per game and connected on 61.5% from the field. Wright finished with 13 points against Cal St. Dominguez Hills, making 5 of 7 from the field. He then added 12 points against Cal Poly Humboldt on 3 of 6 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

• Freshman guard/forward Immanuel Oludele led SFU against Cal Poly Humboldt, coming off the bench to finish with 20 points and nine rebounds. He made 6 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range.

• Simon Fraser is averaging 80 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 44.5 rebounds per game. The Red Leafs lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II with six blocked shots per game.

• Simon Fraser stays home to play a pair of Canadian opponents this week, hosting Okanagan on Friday and Douglas on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split as it opened the season at its own GNAC/CCAA Challenge. The Wolves took a 76-64 loss to No. 9 Cal St. San Bernardino on Friday before scoring an 87-80 win over Cal St. Monterey Bay on Saturday.

• Junior guard Cameron Cranston led the Wolves, averaging 18.5 points per game on 11 of 24 from the field and 14 of 17 from the free-throw line. Cranston opened the season by scoring 15 points against Cal St. San Bernardino. He came alive against Cal St. Monterey Bay to score 22 points on 5 of 8 from the field and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line to go with five rebounds and four assists.

• Senior forward John Morrill-Keeler averaged 13 points and five rebounds per game while connecting on 75% from the field. Morrill-Keeler finished with 12 points and eight rebounds against Cal St. San Bernardino on 4 of 5 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. He added 14 points against Cal St. Monterey Bay, making 5 of 7 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line with two rebounds and two steals.

• Senior guard Yosani Clay shared top scoring honors with 15 points against Cal St. San Bernardino, making 5 of 10 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range in 22 minutes of action. He also had five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

• Western Oregon is averaging 75.5 points and 34 rebounds per game. The Wolves lead the GNAC and rank 22nd in Division II with 17.5 assists per contest.

• Western Oregon plays at the Ron Lodgson Basketball Challenge at Sonoma State this week, facing Stanislaus State on Friday and the host Seawolves on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington opened the season 2-0 at the GNAC/CCAA Challenge in Burnaby, B.C. The Vikings took a 104-95 victory from Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday and cruised to a 94-69 win over Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Saturday.

• Senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 21.5 points per game to lead WWU, connecting on 48.1% from the field, 56.2% from three-point range and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Hornbuckle led six WWU players to score in double figures against Cal Poly Humboldt, finishing with 22 points on 7 of 15 from the field and 6 of 9 from three-point range to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. He added 21 points against Cal St. Dominguez Hills on 6 of 12 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line to go with five assists and two rebounds. Hornbuckle ranks third in the GNAC in scoring on the young season.

• Freshman forward BJ Kolly averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds per game in his Vikings debut week, making 66.7% from the field. Kolly scored 21 points against Cal Poly Humboldt, making 10 of 14 from the field to go with eight rebounds. He added a 12-point, four-rebound performance against Cal St. Dominguez Hills on 4 of 7 from the field.

• Senior guard Lucas Holden led Western Washington on the board, averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. His best effort came against Cal Poly Humboldt, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.

• Western Washington enters the week second in the GNAC in scoring at 99 points per game and is third with 42 rebounds per game. The Vikings led the conference with a .435 three-point percentage.

• The Vikings play this week at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Azusa, California, facing Concordia on Friday and Azusa Pacific on Saturday.