Saturday, February 26, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Winning four its last five games and capturing a close regular-season title race, Saint Martin’s has emerged as the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships, which begins on Wednesday in Lacey and Seattle.

The Saints finished the regular season with an 11-6 conference record, 18-8 overall, and earned the No. 1 seed in the GNAC’s Points Rating System with a 3.62, just edging out Northwest Nazarene at 3.60 for the regular-season title. Alaska Anchorage finished No. 3 with a rating of 3.37, followed by Montana State Billings at 3.26 and Central Washington at 3.25.

Saint Martin’s enters the tournament averaging 78.8 points per game. The Saints lead the conference in scoring margin (+10.8) and are second in the scoring defense, allowing 68.5 points per game. They also lead the league with a .427 three-point percentage. Individually, sophomore guard Alex Schumacher leads the Saints with 14.3 points per game while senior forward Brett Reed is second in the conference with 8.5 rebounds per game.

Northwest Nazarene is the No. 2 seed in the tournament one year after advancing to the finals of the NCAA West Regional. The Nighthawks own a 10-5 conference record and 18-8 overall record. Alaska Anchorage won three of its last four games of the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed. The Seawolves went 9-6 in conference play and 14-8 overall.

Two first-round games will open the tournament on Wednesday. No. 8 Western Washington and No. 9 Western Oregon will square off at 4:30 p.m. in Lacey, while No. 7 Simon Fraser and No. 10 Alaska will play at the same time in Seattle.

The quarterfinals commence on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., with No. 4 Montana State Billings taking on No. 5 Central Washington in Lacey while No. 2 seed Northwest Nazarene will play the Simon Fraser/Alaska winner. At 7:30 p.m., Saint Martin’s will play the Western Washington/Western Oregon winner in Lacey while No. 3 Alaska Anchorage and No. 6 Seattle Pacific will square off in Seattle.

The semifinal games will be played at 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion with the championship game taking place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. All games at the GNAC Basketball Championships will be streamed live at GNAC.tv.

Tickets for the GNAC Basketball Championships will go on sale beginning in Sunday at noon PT at gnactickets.com. Single-session tickets will be available for $13 for general admission seats and $18 for reserved seats. General admission tickets for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $8. Children five and under are admitted free.

Tournament passes for all games, regardless of venue, will be available for $48 for general admission seats and $65 for reserved seats. General admission tournament passes for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $30.

County health and safety protocols will be in place for fans attending tournament contests at Seattle Pacific (King County) and Saint Martin's (Thurston County). At both venues, all fans attending the tournament are required to wear facemasks regardless of vaccination status.

GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Mar. 2 - First Round
No. 8 Western Washington vs. No. 9 Western Oregon (at Lacey), 4:30 p.m.
No. 7 Simon Fraser vs. No. 10 Alaska (at Seattle), 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Mar. 3 - Quarterfinals
No. 4 Montana State Billings vs. No. 5 Central Washington (at Lacey), 5:15 p.m.
No. 2 Northwest Nazarene vs. Simon Fraser or Alaska (at Seattle), 5:15 p.m.
No. 1 Saint Martin's vs. Western Washington or Western Oregon (at Lacey), 7:30 p.m.
No. 3 Alaska Anchorage vs. No. 6 Seattle Pacific (at Seattle), 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Mar. 4 - Semifinals
Semifinal Game 1, 5:15 p.m.
Semifinal Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 5 - Championship
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m.