Thursday, November 18, 2021

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Samantha Bowman
Central Washington
C • 6-3 • Rs-Jr. • Zillah, Wash.
Bowman was huge in the Wildcats’ two season-opening road wins, averaging 22 points and 20 rebounds per game. Bowman opened the season with 23 points and 23 rebounds in Friday’s 67-66 win over Stanislaus State, making 11 of 14 from the field. She followed that performance up with 21 points and 17 rebounds on 8 of 11 from the field and 5 of 5 from three-point range to go with eight blocks in Saturday’s 68-55 win at Cal State East Bay. Of her 40 rebounds on the week, 15 were on the offensive glass.

Also Nominated: Addison Gardner (Montana State Billings), Emily Nelson (Saint Martin’s), Jessica Wisotzki (Simon Fraser), Meadow Aragon (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington)

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska has yet to play in the 2021-22 season, but will tip off this upcoming weekend with two matches at the Seawolf Hoops Classic in Anchorage.
• Sam Tolliver was the Nanooks’ representative on the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team after averaging 14 points per game along with 54 assists, 19 blocks and 35 steals in 2019-20. She figures to have a large offensive load as the only returning starter from Alaska’s 2019-20 squad.
• Sophomore Olivia Kraska (50 points, 56 rebounds in 2019-20) will be counted on to have a much bigger role this season. Kraska attended Lathrop High School, the same school in Fairbanks where new Nanooks interim head coach Jessie Craig coached from 2010-2014.
• The Nanooks will being their season on Friday against Texas Permian Basin and on Saturday against Great Midwest Athletic Conference opponent Hillsdale. Both matches will be played at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage got off on the right foot against Johnson & Wales (N.C.), stomping the Wildcats 100-43 on Nov. 5.
• The Seawolves had a balanced attack and didn’t let off the gas, scoring 24 points in the first quarter, 25 points in each of the second and third quarters, and 26 points in the fourth quarter.
• Sophomore guard Rachel Ingram led UAA with 14 points and made four three-pointers, but freshman guard Jazzpher Evans, sophomore guard Ra’anna Bey, senior guard Lauren Johnson and senior forward Tennae Voliva all finished in double figures.
• The Seawolves currently lead the GNAC in scoring offense, scoring defense, field goal percentage (.559), field goal defense (.245) and three-point goal defense (.125).
• Alaska Anchorage improved to No. 2 in the D2SIDA Media Poll after being ranked No. 12 in the preseason WBCA Coaches Poll. The Seawolves are No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• Alaska Anchorage will host the Seawolf Hoops Classic in Anchorage this week. They will take on Hillsdale on Friday and Texas Permian Basin on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington began the season 2-0 with a 67-66 victory over Stanislaus State on Friday and a 68-55 win over Cal St. East Bay on Saturday. Both games were played at Stanislaus State.
• Samantha Bowman had a pair of absolutely monster performances to help the Wildcats to their 2-0 start. Against Stanislaus State, Bowman scored 23 points and pulled in 23 rebounds while shooting 11-for-14 from the field. Against East Bay, Bowman tallied 21 points and 17 rebounds. The junior center discovered a stroke from deep against the Pioneers, shooting 5-for-5 from three-point range.  Of her 40 rebounds on the week, 15 were on the offensive glass.
• Bowman currently leads Division II with her marks of 20 rebounds per game and five blocks per game.
• Kizzah Maltezo, a redshirt senior transfer from Concordia (Ore.), had a nice start to her Wildcat career. Maltezo scored nine points and dished out a game-high six assists against Stanislaus State before exploding for 25 points against the Pioneers on Saturday.
• Central Washington leads the GNAC with 46.5 rebounds per game and five blocks per game.
• The Wildcats joined the Nov. 15 D2SIDA West Region Rankings at No. 6.
• The Wildcats will head to Nampa, Idaho to participate in the NNU Classic.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• After going 2-1 at their own D2CCA Tip-Off Classic, Montana State Billings hit the road to the Holy Names Classic in Oakland and went 2-0, beating host Holy Names 88-58 on Friday and San Francisco State 64-51 on Saturday.
• Senior guard Addison Gardner led the way for the Yellowjackets with 25 points. She scored 14 points with three three-pointers and two blocks against Holy Names before scoring 11 points against San Francisco State.
• Junior forward Cariann Kunkel also scored 14 points against Holy Names before adding seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds against San Francisco State.  
• Point guard Danielle Zahn scored 13 points against Holy Names and had six assists against San Francisco State.  
• Montana State Billings leads the GNAC in free throw percentage (.771) and ranks second in scoring offense (70.2 points per game), three-point percentage (.341) and rebounding margin (+14 per game).
• The Yellowjackets’ hot start has lifted them into the No. 8 spot in the D2SIDA West Regional Rankings.
• The Yellowjackets have a pair of home games this weekend, taking on South Dakota Mines on Saturday and NAIA foe Carroll (Mont.) on Sunday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped two games at the GNAC/CCAA Crossover in Turlock, California this past weekend, falling 60-54 to Cal St. East Bay on Friday and 76-67 to Stanislaus State on Saturday.
• Against East Bay, Teagan Thurman led the way for the Nighthawks with 14 points while adding five rebounds. Thurman shot 7-for-9 from the free-throw line over the course of the week.
• Ashlynn Silve was NNU’s top scorer, averaging 12.0 points per game, including a 16-point performance against Stanislaus State. Forward and Preseason All-Conference Selection Erin Jenkins scored 14 points with a team-high eight rebounds against the Warriors.
• Jordan Pinson dished out seven assists against Stanislaus State, tied for the most in a game so far this season by a GNAC player.
• The Nighthawks will host the NNU Tournament at their home gym this weekend in Nampa. They will welcome West Texas A&M on Friday and Westminster (Utah) on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s tallied two wins in Lacey to open the year, beating Hawaii Pacific 62-53 on Saturday and Pacific Luthern 64-41 on Tuesday.
• The Saints scheduled tough early, getting blown out by Division I Pac-12 teams Washington State, Oregon and Cal in exhibition matches, but it’s seemed to have helped the battle-tested Saints, whose +16 average scoring margin is the highest of any GNAC team that has played multiple games.
• Freshman forward Rian Clear averaged 14.5 points per game for the Saints, led by an 18-point performance on 8-for-14 shooting against PLU.
• Senior guard Tierney DeDonatis leads the GNAC with six assists per game, including seven against Hawaii Pacific.
• Sophomore center Emily Nelson recorded a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds against Hawaii Pacific. The 13 rebounds were the third-most by a GNAC player this past week.
• Saint Martin’s has made sure they have plenty of the ball during their 2-0 start. The Saints rank third in the GNAC in rebounding margin (+13), second in turnover margin (+2) and first in assist to turnover ratio (1.4).
• The Saints are receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• Saint Martin’s will travel to the WOU Tournament in Monmouth, Ore. to clash with two CCAA foes. They will meet Sonoma State on Friday and Chico State on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific went 2-1 in a trio of home games. The Falcons beat Corban 63-38 on Friday and Humboldt State 54-52 on Saturday before losing to Hawaii Pacific 69-60 on Monday.
• Natalie Hoff filled the stat sheet all week long. She opened with nine points and seven rebounds against Corban before a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds against Humboldt State. In the losing effort against Hawaii Pacific, she led all scorers with 18 points to go with six rebounds.
• Guard Anna Eddy and forward Beth Pettingill each came off the bench to score 12 points in the comfortable win over Corban. Eddy shot 5-for-7 and made both of her three-point attempts while dishing four assists, while Pettingill shot 5-for-8, went 2-for-5 from three and grabbed four rebounds.  
• Abril Rexach Roure had five steals to go with four assists and six rebounds against Corban. Rexach Roure leads the GNAC in total steals with eight.
• Pettingill led the Falcons again with 15 points against Humboldt State. Sophomore guard Hailey Marlow had nine points, including a go-ahead layup that gave SPU the lead for good with 27 seconds to go.
• Seattle Pacific is receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• The Falcons will be in San Marcos, California this weekend for the Cal State San Marcos Hoops Classic. While there, SPU will battle the host Cougars on Friday before taking on Azusa Pacific on Saturday. Azusa Pacific and Cal State San Marcos are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser continued their busy start to the season, playing three games in four days on the road against Golden State competition. Simon Fraser fell to San Francisco State 83-68 on Friday before rebounding with a 79-59 win over Holy Names on Saturday. On Monday, Simon Fraser went to overtime with the Academy of Art, but lost 59-56.
• Any SFU fan is going to need to get used to the last name Wisotzki. Sophomore guard Jessica Wisotzki has been SFU’s leading scorer in three of their six games, including a career-high 26 points against Holy Names, which is the most points in a game by a GNAC player this year.
• Her sister, freshman Sophia Wisotzki, is a playmaker in her own right, averaging 7.2 points per game and leading the team with 17 assists.
• Emma Kramer is also thriving with increased playing time this season. Against Holy Names, Kramer had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, and then led SFU with 11 points against the Academy of Art.
• Along with Kramer, senior forward Claudia Hart leads the team with five rebounds per game. Hart pulled down a season-high 11 boards in Tuesday’s loss.
• Simon Fraser ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (.667) and third in steals per game (9.2).
• Simon Fraser has played six games, tied for the most in the conference, so they will get some much-deserved rest this week while the GNAC’s other teams catch up. They next take the court on Nov. 26 and 27 in San Diego, California.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon lost their season opener 85-61 to Hawaii Pacific on Friday, but got in the win column with a 72-39 Sunday victory over Willamette.
• Meadow Aragon has been the Wolves’ best player in the early going. The sophomore forward scored 12 points and led the team with eight rebounds in the Hawaii Pacific game before shutting down Willamette with 16 points and five blocks in WOU’s win. For the week, Aragon shot 11-for-17 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. She ranks eighth in the GNAC in field goal percentage.
• Ana McClave is averaging four rebounds per game for the Wolves, led by a team-high six against Willamette. Sophomore center Alexis Wright was a force down low against the Bearcats, scoring 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
• Western Oregon leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.360), going 9-for-25 from beyond the arc. Some of the chief contributors are McClave (2-for-3) and freshman forward Kylee Arzner (2-for-4).
• The Wolves host the WOU tournament at their Monmouth campus this weekend and will battle a pair of CCAA schools in Chico State on Friday and Sonoma State on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington put on an impressive display in their one non-exhibition match of the year, defeating Humboldt State 68-56 on Friday.
• Emma Duff had perhaps the biggest game of the week by anybody not named Samantha Bowman. Duff lit up the Lumberjacks for 22 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Duff shot 9-for-15 from the field, including making two of five three-pointers. Four of her 11 rebounds were on the offensive glass.
• Mollie Olson chipped in nine points and had a team-high five assists. Freshman guard Riley Dykstra also had nine points, coming off the bench to drain all three of her field-goal attempts, including two three-pointers.
• The Vikings rank third in the GNAC in scoring offense and fourth in scoring defense after a game.
• Western Washington is receiving votes in both the WBCA Coaches Poll from Nov. 3 and the most recent D2SIDA Media Poll from Nov. 17. They rank fourth and second among GNAC teams in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• The Vikings will put that ranking to the test in both their matchups this week, which come at the Cal State San Marcos Hoops Classic. Western Washington faces No. 2 West Region team Azusa Pacific on Friday before battling with host and No. 3 West Region squad Cal State San Marcos on Saturday.