SAINTS LOOK FOR 4TH STRAIGHT WIN: Saint Martin’s (10-1, 1-1 GNAC) will look for its fourth straight win when it hosts Douglas on Friday night at Marcus Pavilion. It will be SMU’s final non-conference game of the season, as the preseason favorites will rest up over the break before pursuing their third straight GNAC regular-season title. The lone hiccup thus far was an 80-79 loss in overtime to Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 30, as SMU ranks ninth nationally with its winning percentage of .909.

NEXT STOP, HONOLULU: Both GNAC Alaska schools are headed to the Big Island to finish their non-conference schedules, with Alaska Anchorage (8-2, 0-2) set to face three opponents and Alaska (2-6, 1-1) taking on two. The Seawolves will have their work cut out for them against No. 9 Cal State San Bernardino (7-1) in a highlight game on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Hawaii time. UAA will also take on Texas Tyler (1-7) on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. and Hawaii Pacific (5-2) on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Nanooks meanwhile will square off against a Hawaii Hilo team that is off to a 7-2 start and received votes in the latest NABC poll. That matchup is set for Sunday at 6 p.m., followed by a Monday night affair against San Francisco State (5-4).

COUGARS HEAD NORTH TO FACE ‘CATS, FALCONS: Cal State San Marcos (3-5) will head to Washington this week to face a pair of GNAC opponents in Central Washington (6-3, 1-1) on Sunday at 4 p.m. Pacific and Seattle Pacific (6-7, 1-1) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Wildcats will also host Evergreen State (1-7) on Tuesday afternoon at Nicholson Pavilion while the Falcons will challenge Division III Linfield (4-5) on Saturday afternoon at Brougham Pavilion.

‘JACKETS BUZZ DOWN TO FLORIDA: Montana State Billings (6-4, 2-0) will escape the Magic City winter for the weekend with games against St. Mary’s (4-4) on Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern and Rollins (3-5) on Monday at 3 p.m. Eastern at the Daytona Beach Shootout in Florida. The early conference leaders after beating Alaska Anchorage 66-59 and Alaska 65-39 on opening weekend, the Yellowjackets will look to head into the holiday break with momentum against a pair of Division II opponents.

Longtime Yellowjacket veteran Zharon Richmond recently put his name atop MSUB’s all-time blocks leaders with 98 in a career that began in 2017-18. Overcoming multiple injuries now in his seventh year in the program, the Billings native has given the team a spark with 13.2 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game.

JUST 1 FOR VIKINGS, NIGHTHAWKS: Northwest Nazarene (4-4, 2-0) will close its non-conference schedule at Westmont (4-5) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Pacific, and will have one final tune-up against Douglas (2-10) on Dec. 30 before restarting its league schedule. Western Washington (8-3, 1-0) meanwhile will host a feisty Division III George Fox team that is off to a 7-2 start on Sunday afternoon at Sam Carver Gym. The Vikings and Nighthawks join the Yellowjackets as the three undefeated GNAC teams in league play as the calendar year comes to an end.

RED LEAFS BACK WITH BIG TEST: Simon Fraser (3-7, 0-1) is set for its first game since falling 96-74 to Western Washington in its GNAC opener on Dec. 2, as it will head to Sin City for the High Desert Classic this weekend. SFU will take on Rogers State (3-4) on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific, before facing No. 8 Colorado Mesa (7-1) on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

The NABC Division II rankings are released every Monday throughout the 2023-24 season. The D2CSC regional rankings are released on Mondays, with the national rankings following on Tuesdays.

Player of the Week – Tru Allen, Northwest Nazarene

Leading the Vikings to a 124-70 blowout of Langara, Welp was a force in the paint both offensively and defensively. The junior had season highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds, marking the second-highest rebounding single-game total by any GNAC player this season. Welp also chipped in three assists, a block and a steal while making 8 of 10 shots including 3 of 4 3-pointers. Welp is averaging 9.4 points per game and ranks sixth in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game. “Nic has been working really hard at being consistent,” WWU head coach Tony Dominguez said. “He has done a good job all year and has high expectations for himself, and Saturday he showed a concerted effort to increase his intensity level. He has a high I.Q. and allows us to function well on both ends of the court.”

Also Nominated: Maverick Sanders, CWU; Zharon Richmond, MSUB; Kaden Hansen, SMU.

The 2023-24 GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships will be held March at Nicholson Pavilion on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. The top-six teams in the final GNAC regular-season standings will advance to the single-elimination tournament. The winner of the event will earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships.