Tuesday, January 31, 2023

While the league’s top three teams continue to separate themselves in the GNAC standings, it is becoming clearer that the road to the regular-season championship will likely go through Billings.

Montana State Billings became the first team to reach 10 conference wins, pulling a game ahead in the standings thanks to a pair of road wins that were likely too close for comfort for head coach Mick Durham.

In Nampa on Thursday, the Yellowjackets bounced back from two points down to Northwest Nazarene at halftime and trailed 57-56 with just under two minutes left before sophomore guard Jalen Tot hit four free throws over the final minute to escape the with 60-58 victory.

In Ellensburg on Saturday, MSUB found itself down 11 points to Central Washington in the first half but rebounded to build as much as a five-point advantage with seven minutes to go. The Wildcats closed to within one on a Matt Poquette free throw with 42 seconds left. Central had two chances to win in the final 10 seconds, but senior forward Bilal Shabazz blocked one of those as the Yellowjackets escaped with the 70-69 victory.

Shabazz was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game in the two wins.

That playoff road will also likely go through Lacey, where Saint Martin’s extended its win streak to four games with a pair of solid road wins. The Saints were down by as much as nine points at Western Washington on Thursday but took the lead for good on the first made basket of the second half en route to the 75-71 victory. The Saints led most of the way on Saturday, cruising to an 82-63 win at Simon Fraser.

After winning seven straight games and emerging as one of the top shooting teams in Division II, Seattle Pacific stumbled and took a 69-62 loss at Central Washington on Thursday and a 78-62 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Falcons entered the games leading the division with a .533 field-goal percentage but were limited to 40.7% in the two games and just 23.8% from three-point range.

This week’s matchups should prove critical in the movement of those top three teams. Both Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific will be home, hosting Western Washington and Simon Fraser. Saint Martin’s plays just one this week, hosting a Western Oregon squad that has won four straight and now sits in fourth place in the GNAC standings.

Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene aim to separate themselves in the fifth and sixth-place spots. Both teams will be in Alaska this week for matchups with the Seawolves and the Nanooks.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bilal Shabazz
Montana State Billings
F • 6-8 • Sr. • Milwaukee, Wis.

Shabazz helped the Yellowjackets retain first place in the GNAC standings with two road wins, averaging 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game and shot 54.2% from the field. Shabazz finished with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 60-58 win at Northwest Nazarene. On Saturday, Shabazz finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three assists and two steals in a 70-69 win at Central Washington. He made 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range and had his final block on the Wildcats’ potential game-winning shot with time expiring.

Also Nominated: Bryan Nguyen (Alaska), Caleb Larsen (Alaska Anchorage), Gabriel Murphy (Northwest Nazarene), Jaden Nielsen-Skinner (Saint Martin’s), Jahmal Wright (Simon Fraser).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska opened the second half of conference play with a victory over its in-state rivals, Alaska Anchorage, 89-79 on Saturday.

• Junior guard Bryan Nguyen led the Nanooks in the victory with 22 points, going 4 of 6 from the field, 3 of 4 from three-point range and a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Nguyen is averaging 9.3 points per game and ranks eighth in the GNAC with a .439 three-point percentage.

• Freshman forward Tyler Mrus added 18 points and five rebounds, which included 2 of 4 from three-point range and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. He also had two assists, two steals and a block. Mrus enters the week averaging 12.6 points per game and ranks second in the GNAC with a .894 free-throw percentage.

• The Nanooks finished the game shooting 29 of 30 from the free-throw line, setting a GNAC single-game record for free throws made with just one miss. Central Washington set the previous record against Alaska Anchorage in 2004, which was equaled by Seattle Pacific against Colorado Christian in 2013.

• Alaska is averaging 71.2 points and 35.5 rebounds per game. The Nanooks rank 21st in Division II with a .492 field goal percentage and 23rd with a .406 opponent field goal percentage.

• The Nanooks close out a three-game homestand this week, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage took the loss in Fairbanks on Saturday, falling 89-79 to split the season series with the Nanooks.

• Senior guard AJ Garrity and junior guard Caleb Larsen each finished with 16 points to lead six UAA players that scored in double figures Garrity went 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range to go with three rebounds. Larsen connected on 5 of 9 from three-point range in 24 minutes off the bench. Garrity enters the week averaging 7.4 points per game and is third in the GNAC with a .522 three-point percentage. Larsen is averaging 4.4 points per game.

• Junior guard Dathan Satchell and junior forward Jaedon Bradley each scored 11 points in the loss. Satchell connected on 4 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point range. Bradley went 2 of 3 from outside and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to go with three rebounds. Satchell is averaging 10.1 points per game and ranks third in the GNAC with 2.40 three-pointers made per game while Bradley averages 8.8 points per contest.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 78.9 points and 30.1 rebounds per game. The Seawolves rank second in Division II with a 9.3 turnover margin, 12th with a 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio and 18th with 17.1 assists per game, leading the GNAC in all three categories.

• The Seawolves return home to Anchorage this week to host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opened the second half of GNAC play with a huge 69-62 win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday before taking a close 70-69 loss to league-leading Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Junior forward Samaad Hector led the way for the Wildcats, averaging 17 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Hector notched a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds against Seattle Pacific on 8 of 14 from the field and 2 of 4 from three-point range to go with three blocks. Hector finished with 16 points and seven rebounds against Montana State Billings on 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 6 from outside. Hector is averaging 11.9 points per game and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 6.6 rebounds per game and second with 1.42 blocks per game.

• Junior guard Camron McNeil averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. McNeil opened the week with 12 points and five rebounds against Seattle Pacific with three steals. He then shared the game’s top scoring honors with 21 points against Montana State Billings. He shot 8 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range to go with six rebounds. McNeil is fourth in the GNAC in scoring with 14.6 points per game and is tied for seventh with two three-pointers made per game.

• Senior forward Matt Poquette averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds against SPU and added 11 points and six rebounds against MSUB. Poquette averages 12.6 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 6.8 rebounds per game.

• Central Washington is averaging 74.7 points and 36.2 rebounds per game. The Wildcats rank 15th in Division II in fewest fouls with 13.6 per game.

• The Wildcats head north to Alaska this week, facing the Nanooks in Fairbanks on Thursday and the Seawolves in Anchorage on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings picked up the road sweep with a pair of nail-biters last week, defeating Northwest Nazarene 60-58 on Thursday and Montana State Billings 70-69 on Saturday.

• Senior forward Bilal Shabazz was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after he averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game in the two wins. Shabazz opened with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds at NNU, shooting 6 of 13 from the field. Shabazz then finished with 18 points and seven rebounds against CWU to go with four blocks, three assists and two steals. He connected on 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 8 from three-point range and had a block on CWU’s potential game-winning shot. Shabazz is averaging 11.9 points per game and ranks second in the GNAC with 8.8 rebounds per game. He ranks ninth in Division II with 7.67 defensive rebounds per game.

• Senior guard Carrington Wiggins also averaged 16.5 points per game last week, connecting on 54.2% from the field. Wiggins finished with 12 points at NNU, making 4 of 8 from the field, to go with two assists and two steals. Wiggins then shared top scoring honors with 21 points at CWU, making 8 of 14 from the field and 3 of 7 from three-point range. Wiggins ranks second in the GNAC in scoring at 17.6 points per game. He leads the GNAC and ranks fifth in Division II with a .929 free-throw percentage.

• Montana State Billings is averaging 68.4 points and 34 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets rank 26th in Division II in fewest fouls with 14.2 per game.

• The Yellowjackets received votes in both of this week’s NABC and D2SIDA national polls.

• Montana State Billings returns home this week to host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene secured a home split to open the second half of GNAC play, taking a 60-58 loss to Montana State Billings on Thursday before scoring a 78-62 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Junior forward Gabriel Murphy averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per game and shot 55% from the field to lead the Nighthawks. Murphy flirted with a double-double against MSUB, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds with three assists and a block. He added a 17-point, seven-rebound performance again Seattle Pacific, connecting on 7 of 13 from the field. Murphy is averaging 11.6 points per game and leads the GNAC with nine rebounds per game. Murphy ranks 18th in Division II with 3.38 offensive rebounds per game.

• Sophomore guard Tru Allen averaged 13 points and five rebounds per game in the two games. Allen opened the week with 12 points and four rebounds against MSUB. He then finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals against Seattle Pacific, connecting on 5 of 10 from the field. Allen ranks eighth in the GNAC in scoring with 12.9 points per game. He is second in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with two steals per game.

• Sophomore forward Aaron Murphy averaged 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, led by his 13-point, six-rebound performance against Seattle Pacific. Aaron Murphy enters the week averaging 5.5 points per game.

• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 65.8 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 36.9 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks rank 20th in Division II with 13.05 offensive rebounds per game.

• Northwest Nazarene hits the road to face Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s has now won four games in a row after collecting a 75-71 come-from-behind win at Western Washington on Thursday and an 82-63 victory at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Senior guard Branden Bunn averaged 15 points per game and shot 62.5% from the field in the victory. Bunn led all scorers with 18 points at Western Washington on 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point range. He added 12 points and six rebounds at Simon Fraser, shooting 5 of 7 from the field. Bunn is averaging 11.8 points per game

• Sophomore guard Jaden Nielsen-Skinner averaged 12.5 points and 10 assists per game. Nielsen-Skinner had a double-double against Western Washington, finishing with 13 points and 11 assists. He then connected for 12 points to go with nine rebounds at Simon Fraser. Nielsen-Skinner is averaging 9.4 points per game. He ranks third in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 5.7 assists per game.

• Senior guard Hunter Sipe also averaged 12.5 points per game and connected on 50% shooting from the field and three-point range. Sipe finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds at Western Washington. He then finished with 15 points at Simon Fraser on 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. Sipe enters the week averaging 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC in scoring at 82.3 points per game and leads the conference with 39 rebounds per game. The Saints rank fifth in Division II with 11.2 three-pointers per game and 25th with 16.6 assists per game.

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

• The Saints open a three-game homestand this week, hosting Western Oregon on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific saw its seven-game win streak end with two losses last week, taking a 69-62 defeat at Central Washington on Thursday and a 78-62 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior forward Shaw Anderson averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to lead the Falcons. Anderson led SPU in scoring in both games. He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds at Central Washington. Anderson led all scorers at Northwest Nazarene with 18 points and eight rebounds, making 8 of 19 from the field. Anderson leads the GNAC in scoring with 20 points per game. He ranks 29th in Division II with 399 total points.  

• Sophomore guard Maui Sze averaged eight points and four rebounds per game. He opened the week with totals of 10 points and four rebounds at Central Washington, connecting on 4 of 8 from the field. Sze added six points, four rebounds and three assists at Northwest Nazarene. Sze is averaging seven points per game. He ranks fourth in the GNAC with a .476 three-point percentage and ninth with 3.05 assists per game.

• Sophomore guard Zack Paulsen averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, finishing with five points and seven rebounds at CWU along with 10 points and two rebounds at NNU. Paulsen is ninth in the GNAC in scoring at 12.6 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific ranks third in the GNAC in scoring at 82.2 points per game and is averaging 33.3 rebounds per game. The Falcons are second in Division II with a .415 three-point percentage and fifth with a .520 field-goal percentage.

• Seattle Pacific returns home this week to host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser has now dropped five games in a row after taking a 75-73 home loss to Western Oregon on Thursday and an 82-63 loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Senior guard/forward Jahmal Wright averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game, shooting 57.1% from the field. Wright finished with 13 points and six rebounds against Western Oregon, connecting on 5 of 7 from the field. He then led the Red Leafs with 15 points and eight rebounds against Saint Martin’s on 7 of 14 from the field. Wright is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

• Freshman guard/forward Immanuel Oludele averaged 12 points per game. Oludele finished with 11 points against Western Oregon on 4 of 9 from the field and 3 of 7 from three-point range to go with three rebounds and three assists. He added 13 points and five rebounds against Saint Martin’s, including 3 of 9 from long range. Oludele enters the week averaging 10.5 points per game and is tied for fourth in the GNAC with 2.14 three-pointers made per game.

• Junior guard David Penney averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game in the two contests. Penney led the Red Leafs with 15 points against Western Oregon with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. He added a five-point, five-rebound performance against Saint Martin’s. Penney is averaging 10 points per game.

• The Red Leafs enter the week averaging 69.2 points and 35.6 rebounds per game. They lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II with 5.7 blocked shots per game.

• Simon Fraser takes to the road this week for games at Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon made it four wins in a row with a pair of close games, beating Simon Fraser 75-73 on Thursday and Western Washington 72-70 on Saturday.

• Junior guard Jahville Collins averaged 13 points per game and shot 55% from the field to lead the Wolves. After a quiet six-point performance against Simon Fraser, Collins led all scorers with 20 points at Western Washington on 8 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range. Collins is averaging 9.1 points per game and ranks seventh in the conference with a .554 field-goal percentage.

• Junior forward Cameron Benzel averaged 11 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Benzel finished with 14 points at Simon Fraser, shooting 6 of 8 from the field, to go with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He then added an eight-point, 14-rebound performance at Western Washington with two steals and two blocks. Benzel is ranked 10th in the GNAC in scoring at 12.6 points per game and is fifth with 6.4 rebounds per contest.

• Senior forward John Morrill-Keeler averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per game. His week opened with a 10-point, nine-rebound performance at Simon Fraser with two assists, two steals and three blocks. At Western Washington, Morrill-Keeler added 12 points and five rebounds on 6 of 7 from the field. Morrill-Keeler is averaging 10.2 points per game and ranks seventh in the GNAC with 6.1 rebounds per game.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 73.6 points and 34.9 rebounds per game. The Wolves rank third in the GNAC with 7.94 steals per game.

• The Wolves take to the road again this week, traveling to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington dropped a pair of close home games to open the second half of GNAC play, falling 75-71 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday and 72-70 to Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Senior guard Daniel Hornbuckle averaged 15.5 points per game and shot 50% from the field to lead the Vikings. Hornbuckle finished with 16 points against Saint Martin’s, connecting on 5 of 8 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point range and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. He added a 15-point performance against Western Oregon, which included three three-pointers. Hornbuckle is averaging 12.6 points per game. He leads the GNAC with 2.67 three-pointers made per game and is 24th in Division II with 152 three-point attempts.

• Freshman BJ Kolly averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game. Kolly finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Martin’s on 8 of 12 from the field to go with three assists and two blocks. Kolly added 10 points and eight rebounds against Western Oregon. Kolly is averaging 11.8 points per game and ranks sixth in the GNAC with 6.2 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and ranks 12th in Division II with 2.19 blocks per game.

• Junior forward Jonathan Ned averaged 11 points per game, led by his 15-point performance against Western Oregon. Ned enters the week averaging 11 points per game and ranks fourth in the GNAC with a .864 free-throw percentage.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC and ranks 17th in Division II in scoring with 85 points per game. The Vikings are second in the conference with 37.8 rebounds per game. They also rank ninth in Division II with 4.9 blocks per game.

• Western Washington hits the road for a pair of games this week, traveling to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.