Wednesday, January 10, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – The only unbeaten team in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball play thus far, Montana State Billings will play host to a pair of opponents as league play rolls on this week.

The first-place Yellowjackets (10-4, 4-0 GNAC) square off against Western Washington (10-4, 2-1) on Thursday night with a 5:15 p.m. (MT) tipoff inside Alterowitz Gym. In what figures to be one of the best games of the conference season, the defensive-minded ‘Jackets, who rank third in the GNAC with 67.7 points allowed per game, will try to slow down the fifth-ranked scoring team in Division II in WWU (95.6 ppg).

GNAC FINDS SUCCESS AMONG WEST REGION MBB: With non-conference play having concluded for the 2023-24 season, the GNAC realized notable success among the three NCAA Division II west region conferences. GNAC schools went 29-23 (.558) against CCAA and PacWest opposition during early season competition. Saint Martin’s led the way going 5-0 against the PacWest and 2-0 against the CCAA, while Central Washington went 4-2 against regional foes.

Read More: GNAC Post Winning Marks Against CCAA, PacWest Hoops Opposition (GNAC Commissioner’s Corner)

SAINTS KEEP MOMENTUM GOING: No. 5 Saint Martin’s (13-1, 3-1) took down Simon Fraser 74-68 and out-gunned WWU 112-105 last week to extend its winning streak to six games. The Saints have now reached triple digits in three of their last four games ahead of their lone contest this week, a Saturday evening tie with Western Oregon (4-8, 1-3).

Reigning GNAC Player of the Week Kyle Greeley ranks third in the GNAC with 17.3 points per game and sixth in the conference with 7.1 rebounds per game. Tyke Thompson is also among the conference’s elite rebounders, ranking eighth with 6.6 boards per game, while Jaden Nielsen-Skinner is second in the conference with 4.2 assists per game. The Saints are among the nation’s most well-balanced teams, ranking seventh in Division II in bench points per game at 41.14. SMU is 19th nationally in overall scoring at 88.1 points per game.

Read More: KG & Co. Start 2024 With 2 Wins (SMU Recap)

MOODY MAKING CASE AS ONE OF GNAC’S BEST: Establishing himself as one of the leading candidates for the GNAC Newcomer of the Year Award, MSUB’s Daniel Moody has been one of the primary factors in the team’s rush to the top of the standings. Moody enters the week ranking third in the GNAC in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game and 12th in the conference in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Fellow newcomer Famous Lefthand and seventh-year senior Zharon Richmond have done their part as well, each averaging 12.4 points per game. Richmond is the conference’s active career leader in blocked shots with 98, as he broke the MSUB career record earlier this season.

Read More: ‘Jackets Down Nighthawks, Move Into First Place (MSUB Recap)

WWU OFFENSE TOUGH TO STOP: If the ‘Jackets want to keep their conference record spotless they’ll have to get through a daunting WWU offense, as the Vikings have three of the conference’s top-10 scorers. Kai Johnson leads the league and ranks 13th nationally with 21.7 points per game, while Will Wilson is chipping in 16.5 points and Jonathan Ned is adding 13.4 points. The Vikings have passed the century mark in points in five of their last seven games, and will travel to the Emerald City on Saturday to square off against Seattle Pacific (8-9, 1-3) after Thursday’s game in Billings.

ANDERSON A PREMIER SCORER: The Falcons take on Simon Fraser on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Brougham Pavilion before meeting the Vikings at home on Saturday. SPU’s offense runs through one of the most prolific scorers in GNAC history, as Shaw Anderson enters the week 15th all-time in the conference with 1,664 points. Anderson ranks second in the GNAC this season and 21st nationally with 21.0 points per game.

WILDCATS, NIGHTHAWKS HEAD TO LAST FRONTIER: Each coming off a split last week, Central Washington (9-4, 2-2) and Northwest Nazarene (7-5, 3-1) will take their longest trip of the season to face the Alaska schools this week. Alaska Anchorage (11-3, 1-2) is coming off its first conference win of the season with a 64-58 triumph over its in-state rival last Saturday. The Seawolves will host the Wildcats on Thursday at 7 p.m. (AK) and the Nighthawks on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (AK).

Read More: Seawolf Men Finally Back At Home (UAA Preview)

CWU’s Samaad Hector has lived up to his preseason all-conference recognition thus far, as he enters the week leading the GNAC with 8.7 rebounds per game while ranking seventh in scoring with 13.4 points per game and second in blocked shots with 1.3 per game. Thursday’s tilt at the Alaska Airlines Center pits the conference’s top defense against its third-leading offense. UAA’s 59.9 points allowed per game are the second fewest in all of Division II basketball, while the Wildcat offense trails only WWU and SMU in production with 78.2 points per game. Tyson Gilbert has been a defensive catalyst for the Seawolves, ranking third in the GNAC with 1.9 steals per game and second in assist-turnover ratio at plus-5.2.

Read More: Wildcats Head To Last Frontier For 2 GNAC Matchups (CWU Preview)

The Nighthawks had a modest three-game winning streak snapped with a 67-55 loss to MSUB last Saturday, as they’ll look to bounce back against the Nanooks on Thursday evening in Fairbanks. NNU’s Gabriel Murphy has maintained his high-level production, ranking second in the conference in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and 10th in scoring (13.3 ppg).

Cameron Benzel, Western Oregon

In his second season as a full-time starter for the Wolves, Benzel has increased his production across the board averaging 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Benzel has increased his efficiency on the offensive end, entering the week leading the conference in field-goal percentage at 65.5. Benzel needs 100 more field-goal attempts to qualify among the GNAC all-time list, but his current mark of 63.8 % would slot him second in GNAC history behind Joseph Stroud’s record of 64.6 % (Central Washington, 2014-16). Defensively, Benzel has been a force as he leads the conference with 1.5 blocks per game. The senior from Yoncalla, Ore., will look to keep up his current production in Saturday’s test against No. 5 SMU, as he has scored 16 or more points and grabbed at least six rebounds in each of his last four games. His 17-point, 12-rebound effort in WOU’s 67-58 win at Simon Fraser last Saturday marked his first double-double of the season.

Read More: Wolves Pull Away In Final Minutes To Beat Simon Fraser (WOU Recap)

Saint Martin’s maintained its spot in the top-5 for the second straight set of rankings, after winning both of its conference games last week. The Saints also stood at No. 1 in the latest D2CSC regional rankings for the third consecutive week, while Western Washington checked in seventh for the second straight week. A pair of victories for Montana State Billings pushed the Yellowjackets into the regional top-10 for the first time this season, while Central Washington continued to hover on the bubble receiving votes for the second week in a row.

Through games Jan. 9.