Tuesday, February 7, 2023

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Katrina Gimmaka
Western Washington
F • 5-11 • Sr. • Everson, Wash.

Gimmaka earned GNAC Player of the Week recognition after averaging 16 points per game in a pair of wins to help the Vikings clinch a GNAC Championships berth. Gimmaka opened the week with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in WWU’s 73-41 win over NNU on Thursday. She was red-hot on Saturday, leading all scorers with 22 points on 11 of 16 from the field in 23 minutes of the Vikings’ 78-60 win over Central Washington. For the week, Gimmaka shot 66.7% from the field.

Also Nominated: Jahnna Hajdukovich (Alaska Anchorage), Asher Cai (Central Washington), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Gemma Cutler (Simon Fraser)

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska dropped its only game of the week, 69-39, to in-state rival Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Sophomore guard Sam Tolliver was the top scoring Nanooks player, knocking down 13 points to go with two rebounds, a block and a steal. Tolliver shot 3 for 8 from the field, 2 for 6 from three-point range and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. She ranks 21st in the GNAC in scoring with an average of 10.4 points per game.

• Junior guard Emma McKenney added nine points, two assists and a steal on Saturday. McKenney leads the GNAC and ranks sixth in Division II with .456 three-point percentage. She also leads the conference and ranks 19th in the division with 2.76 three-pointers made per game.

• Alaska will cap off a three-game road trip this week, facing Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage got its revenge against in-state rival Alaska on Saturday, defeating the Nanooks 69-39 in Anchorage.

• Senior guard Jahnna Hajdukovich led the charge for the Seawolves with 14 points while shooting 5 for 9 from the field and 4 for 7 from three-point range. She also finished with six rebounds, two steals and an assist. Hajdukovich ranks 16th in the GNAC averaging 11.1 points per game.

• As a team, the Seawolves lead GNAC and Division II with a 1.40 assist-turnover ratio. They also rank 15th in the division with 17 assists per game and 17th with 11.9 steals per game.

• Alaska Anchorage will be back on the road this week, facing Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington opened its week with an 88-81 win over Simon Fraser on Thursday in Burnaby before falling 78-60 to Western Washington on Saturday in Bellingham.

• The triple threat of Samantha Bowman, Valerie Huerta and Asher Cai was dominant on Thursday, with all three players surpassing the 20-point mark and out-scoring the Red Leafs’ leading scorer. Bowman led the way with 29 points, 21 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block while shooting 11 for 20 from the field, 3 for 4 from three-point range and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. Huerta added 24 points, two rebounds and two assists while Cai finished with 22 points, four boards and two assists.

• It was Cai’s turn to lead the Wildcats on Saturday as she put up 19 points on 5 of 13 from the field, 3 of 7 from long range and 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. She also added totals of four rebounds, three assists and a block.

• Central Washington will host the Alaska schools this week with the Nanooks coming to Ellensburg on Thursday and the Seawolves on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings extended its win streak to nine games last week with a 76-57 decision over Western Oregon on Thursday and a 59-49 win over Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Senior forward Taryn Shelley paced the Yellowjackets' offense for the week, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 56% from the field. Shelley led all scorers against WOU with 19 points on 9 of 14 from the field to go with four rebounds and two blocks. She added nine points and seven rebounds against the Saints.

• Junior guard Kortney Nelson put together another strong week, averaging 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the two wins. Nelson’s highlight of the week was a 16-point performance on Thursday where she went 4 for 8 from the field, 2 for 3 from long range and a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line. Nelson also added nine rebounds, five assists and a steal.

• Montana State Billings starts its final road trip of the regular season this week traveling to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped both of its games on the road last week, falling 73-41 to Western Washington on Thursday and 67-60 to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Freshman forward Danika Starr was the top offensive performer for the Nighthawks, averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the field. Starr’s week was capped by a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on Saturday where she also added a block and a steal.

• The Nighthawks remain one of the most dangerous teams in the conference without the ball and rank second in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with 11 steals per game. They also lead the conference and rank 25th in the division with an average of 21.71 turnovers forced per game.

• Northwest Nazarene will play host to the Alaska schools this week, facing the Seawolves on Thursday and the Nanooks on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped both of its games last week, falling 71-58 to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and 59-49 to Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Freshman guard Kiana Rios led the offense for the Saints with 13 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 36% from the field and 46% from beyond the three-point arc. Rios opened her week with a 19-point performance against the Falcons to go with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. On Saturday, Rios finished with seven points, six rebounds an assist and a steal.

• Sophomore forward Rian Clear led the team on Thursday, knocking down 20 points to go with two boards and an assist while shooting 7 for 13 from the field, 4 for 6 from three-point range and 2 for 3 from the free-throw line.

• Junior guard Anjel Galbraith played in all but two minutes of last week’s games for the Saints, averaging 12.5 points per game and going a perfect 9 for 9 from the free-throw line. She continues to lead the GNAC  and ranks ninth in Division II with an average of 37.39 minutes per game.

• Saint Martin’s will return home this week to face Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its week at home, taking a 71-58 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday before falling 57-52 to Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Sophomore guard Maya Hoff led the Falcons for the week with an average of 12.5 points per game off the bench on the back of an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in Thursday’s win. Hoff shot efficiently against the Saints, going 5 for 8 from the field and 8 for 10 from the free-throw line while adding two blocks and a steal. For the week she shot 50% from the field and 75% from the free-throw line.

• Senior guard/forward Ashley Alter was a threat with and without the ball last week and led the Falcons on Saturday with 15 points, six rebounds and seven steals. Alter is tied for seventh in the GNAC with 14.6 points per game and ranks fourth with 2.1 steals per game.

• Seattle Pacific will cap off its penultimate home stand of the regular season by hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser took a split at home last week, falling 88-81 to Central Washington on Thursday before bouncing back with a 67-60 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• The Wisotzki sisters continue to be a tour de force for the Red Leafs with Jessica Wisotzki leading the team for the week with 17.5 points per game followed by Sophia Wisotzki with 15.5 points per game. Both Jessica and Sophia’s best performances came in Saturday’s win. Jessica notched a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while going 10 for 11 from the free throw line and Sophia knocked down 17 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.

• Sophomore forward Gemma Cutler continues to be a menace for opposing shooters and added seven more blocks to her total last week while averaging nine points and six rebounds per game. Cutler leads the GNAC and ranks first and ninth in Division II with 2.88 blocks per game and 49 total blocks, respectively.

• Simon Fraser hits the road this week for games against Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its week on the road, falling 76-57 to Montana State Billings on Thursday before taking a 57-52 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Junior guard Cali McClave led the Wolves with 16 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the field and 71% from the free-throw line. McClave’s top offensive performance of the week came on Thursday where she knocked down 18 points while shooting 6 for 15 from the field, 2 for 8 from three-point range and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line to go with three rebounds and five assists.

• Senior guard Princy Paaluhi-Caulk averaged 13 points per game and led all scorers in Saturday’s win over Seattle Pacific with 16 points. Paaluhi-Caulk shot 35% from the field and 40%  from three-point range in the win while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

• Redshirt freshman Kylee Arzner backed up Paaluhi-Caulk on Saturday, putting up 15 points by knocking down five three-pointers.

• Western Oregon hosts Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday this week.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington rattled off another pair of victories last week, defeating Northwest Nazarene, 73-41, on Thursday and Central Washington, 78-60, on Saturday to become the first team to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships.

• Senior forward Katrina Gimmaka was named the GNAC Player of the Week after leading the Vikings with 16 points per game while shooting 66% from the field for the week. Gimmaka was red-hot on Saturday, leading all scorers with 22 points on 11 of 16 from the field in 23 minutes of the Vikings’ 78-60 win over Central Washington.

• Senior center Carley Zaragoza put together a strong week for the Vikings, averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 56% from the field in 32 minutes off the bench.

• Western Washington rose to No. 8 in the WBCA Poll and remains No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region rankings.

• Western Washington will hit the road this week for its final road trip of the regular season to face Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.