Tuesday, January 10, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Winning consecutive games against Western Washington and Simon Fraser is one of the toughest accomplishments in the GNAC this season.

Since the two squads are travel partners, any GNAC team that plays one of the two teams has to play the other two nights later. So far this year, Alaska Anchorage has been the only GNAC team able to get a win against SFU and WWU. Last week, Northwest Nazarene was undefeated in conference play and was coming off its biggest win of the season before dropping both of its home games against WWU and SFU.

This week, Seattle Pacific will take a shot at the two-headed monster. The Falcons are ranked No. 14 in NCAA Division II in the WBCA poll and are tied for second place in the GNAC standings with both Simon Fraser and Western Washington.

It will be the first meetings between any of the three teams tied for second place. Alaska Anchorage, meanwhile, has its own work cut out to remain atop the standings, hosting Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. The Crusaders have already earned one big road victory over Seattle Pacific on New Year’s Eve and are looking for another against UAA.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Ellen Kett
Simon Fraser
PG • 5-7  • Sr. • Melbourne, Australia

Kett scored 41 points and shot 58.3 percent from the field and 67.7 percent from 3-point range to go with her 17 assists, leading the Clan to a pair of road victories. She scored 19 points, making 8 of 13 shots from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc to go along with nine assists in Thursday’s 77-60 win at Central Washington. Kett registered a team-best 22 points in a 101-89 win at Northwest Nazarene, draining 6 of 11 shots from the field and 7 of 8 from 3-point range along with eight assists.

Also Nominated: Carly Parker (Northwest Nazarene), Taylor Peacocke (Western Washington), Courtney Hollander (Seattle Pacific), Kiki Robertson (Alaska Anchorage).

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• The Nanooks pulled off a comeback on Thursday to beat Concordia 79-74. Alaska’s Saturday game was moved to Friday where the Nanooks took a 72-67 loss to Western Oregon.
• Alaska is making 80.6 percent of its free throws this year, which ranks third in the nation.
• Jordan Wilson scored a conference-best 50 points last week, including 30 in the loss to Western Oregon. It was her fourth time this year scoring exactly 30 points in a game and second time making 13 field goals in a game, which is the single-game high in the conference this year. She remained ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring with 22.7 points per game. She ranks eighth in the nation for field-goal percentage at 59.8 percent. In free-throw percentage, Wilson dropped to No. 12 at 90.2 percent after making 14 of 18 last week.
• Kailee Skjold recorded her conference-best sixth double-double of the season on Thursday against Concordia with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Nanooks to a comeback victory after trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter. Skjold had 13 rebounds against Western Oregon and her 9.5 rebounds per game leads the GNAC.
• Jaylee Mays hit two 3-pointers to spark a 13-0 run to start the fourth-quarter comeback. She went 9 for 16 from beyond the arc last week and now leads the conference in 3-pointers made per game with 3.1. Mays is also second in 3-point percentage, making 45.5. She made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc against Western Oregon, which was the second-best single-game performance of the season.
• Alaska will host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday. Alaska is currently tied for sixth in the GNAC standings, while Northwest Nazarene is in sole possession of fifth place. The top six teams in the conference will advance to the GNAC Championships hosted, by Saint Martin’s in Lacey, Wash.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage extended its winning streak to nine games. The Seawolves beat Western Oregon on Thursday, 105-62. Their Saturday game was moved to noon in preparation for a snow storm and Alaska Anchorage beat Concordia 67-58.
• The Seawolves’ 105 points against Western Oregon is the most by a GNAC team in a single game this year. The 43-point margin was the second largest for a GNAC game.
• Alaska Anchorage moved up one spot to No. 7 in the WBCA poll. In the D2SIDA Media Poll, the Seawolves are still ranked No. 1 in the West Region for the fifth week in a row. They are tied for No. 3 in the national poll.
• The Seawolves have the No. 1 defense in the nation which is allowing just 51 points per game. Alaska Anchorage also ranks first in steals with 17.2 per game and second in turnovers forced with 28.3 per game.
• Alaska Anchorage is scoring on average 32.1 more points than its opponents, which is the second-best scoring margin in NCAA Division II so far this year.
• Kiki Robertson tallied 15 steals and eight assists in the Seawolves two wins last week. She now ranks sixth in the nation in assists  with 6.6 per game and ranks fifth in steals with a GNAC-best 3.5 per game.
• Tara Thompson went 5 for 10 from beyond the arc last week to become the GNAC’s leading 3-point shooter. She is shooting 48.1 percent from 3-point range, which ranks eighth in NCAA Division II.
• Yazmeen Goo ranks ninth in NCAA Division II in assist-turnover ratio at 3.14 and ranks 39th in assists with 4.9 per game.
• Autummn Williams went 11 for 16 from the field for 24 points against Western Oregon. It is the third time this year she has made 11 field goals in a game, joining Jordan Wilson and Taylor Peacocke as the only players in the GNAC to have done so this year.
• Kimijah King came off the bench to score 17 points against Western Oregon. She was averaging only 5.3 points per game before that.
• The Seawolves will host Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington this week. They are 6-1 at the Alaska Airlines Arena this season with the only loss coming against a Division I opponent.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats dropped both of its home games last week, falling to Simon Fraser, 77-60, on Thursday and to Western Washington, 60-53, on Saturday.
• Against Western Washington, Taylor Baird tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds, which was just enough for her sixth double-double this year, which is tied for the most in the conference. Baird now has 125 rebounds this year, which is the most in the GNAC.
• Sadie Mensing had a team-high 15 points and three steals against Western Washington. She is now averaging 8.8 points per game.
• Jasmin Edwards did not score a point against Western Washington, but did have a team-high six assists. She also had five assists against Simon Fraser.
• Central Washington will travel to Alaska this week to face Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Five of the Wildcats’ six wins this year have come away from home.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia hosted the two GNAC schools from the 49th state and lost both contests, falling to Alaska 79-74 on Thursday after leading 31-16 in the first half. The Cavaliers then lost to Alaska Anchorage, 67-58.
• Concordia leads the conference in blocked shots per game with five. Jordyn Peacock leads the conference in blocks with 33 this year, while nobody else in the conference has more than 17.
• Concordia led Alaska by 13 going into the fourth quarter, but allowed a 13-0 run over the span of three minutes to narrowly miss out on the upset.
• Against Alaska Anchorage, Concordia managed to tie the score against the Seawolves in the fourth quarter. It was the first time a team had been tied with or led Alaska Anchorage in the final frame since NCAA Division I Portland defeated Alaska Anchorage.
• Bailey Cartwright recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to Alaska.
• This week, Concordia will host Western Oregon on Tuesday and then travel to Montana State Billings on Thursday for a 5:15 p.m. (Mountain) game.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets dropped to 1-5 in conference play this season after losing to Seattle Pacific on Thursday, 67-50, and then taking a 64-57 loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.
• Montana State Billlings protects the ball better than any team in the GNAC this season with only 13.8 turnovers per game. Rylee Kane has been a big reason for that with her 1.82 assist-turnover ratio, which ranks sixth in the GNAC.
• Tiana Hanson had a team-high 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Yellowjackets in the loss to Saint Martin’s. Her 14 rebounds are tied for the second most in a single game in the GNAC this year. She is now averaging 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this year, making her the only player in the GNAC to rank in the top five in both categories.
• This week, Montana State Billings will host Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday. The Yellowjackets were a perfect 4-0 against the two Oregon schools last year.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took its first two losses of conference play this season last week. On Thursday, the Crusaders lost to Western Washington, 86-81, and then lost again on Saturday to Simon Fraser, 101-89.
• Northwest Nazarene is averaging 78.7 points per game, which ranks 21st in NCAA Division II and second in the GNAC. Kate Cryderman, who is only playing 16.5 minutes per game, is leading the Crusader offense with 10.9 points per game.
• Danielle Jardin went 5 for 5 from the field against Western Washington, which was the fourth time this year a GNAC player had made at least five field goals in a game without a miss.
• The Crusaders’ have a total of nine players averaging at least six points per game. The Crusaders are making 45.7 percent of shots from the field, which ranks 14th in the nation.
• Among the players averaging less than six points per game is Kaitlyn Merritt, who has a team-best 34 assists. She ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division II in assist-turnover ratio at 4.00 this season.
• Of the teams outside the top four in the GNAC standings, Northwest Nazarene is the only one that has beaten a team inside the top four when NNU beat Seattle Pacific, 73-66, on New Year’s Eve, handing SPU its first loss of the year.
• Northwest Nazarene has the worst scoring defense in the conference at 78.6 points allowed per game, but is still one of six GNAC teams that has a positive scoring margin this year.
• Undefeated on the road this year, Northwest Nazarene will travel to the largest of the 50 United States to play at Alaska on Thursday and then play at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. In Fairbanks, the tempurature is expected to drop as low as negative 43 this week.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints earned their first conference victory of the season on Saturday against Montana State Billings, winning 64-57 to move into a four-way tie for eighth place in the conference standings.
• Saint Martin’s is the toughest team to shoot 3-pointers against in the GNAC with opponents only making 27.1 percent of its 3-point attempts.
• Elin Johansson had 13 points and six rebounds against MSUB. She is one of just five players in the conference to rank in the top 10 for both points and rebounds. Johansson has 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
• Shelbie Drey came off the bench to go a perfect 5 for 5 from the field against Montana State Billings. It was the fifth time this year a GNAC player has scored five field goals without a miss in a game.
• Saint Martin’s will travel to Western Washington on Thursday and then go across the border on Saturday to face Simon Fraser. The Saints are still looking for their first road victory this year.
• The Saints will host the GNAC Championships this year and the top six teams in the conference standings will advance to the tournament.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons won back-to-back games after losing for the first time this season on New Year’s Eve. The Falcons beat Montana State Billings 67-50 on Thursday to improve to 13-1 on the season.
• The Falcons moved up one spot in the WBCA poll to No. 14. In the D2SIDA Media Poll, the Falcons remained No. 11 nationally and were picked unanimously for the No. 2 slot in the West Region Poll.
• The Falcons rank second in the nation in defense with just 52.0 points allowed per game. They also have the GNAC’s best field-goal defense with opponents making only 35 percent of field goals.
• Seattle Pacific blocked eight shots against Montana State Billings, which is the fourth most blocks by a team in a single GNAC game this year.
• Courtney Hollander led Seattle Pacific in scoring against MSUB with 17 points, including a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc with eight rebounds. The has the rare combination of being her team’s leading rebounder and 3-point shooter. She ranks seventh in the GNAC in 3-point percentage (40.8) and third in rebounds (7.8).
• Seattle Pacific is in a three-way tie for second place in the GNAC standings with Western Washington and Simon Fraser. The Falcons will travel to both schools this week, playing the Clan on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday. This is only the second time the Falcons have played a conference opponents with a winning record. They lost 73-66 to NNU two weeks ago.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser recorded a sweep last week to improve to its winning streak to six games. The Clan beat Central Washington on Thursday, 77-60, and then defeated Northwest Nazarene 101-89 on Saturday.
• The Clan is still receiving votes in both national polls. Simon Fraser received 30 points in the WBCA poll for third place among the teams receiving votes. In the D2SIDA poll, Simon Fraser leads all teams receiving votes with 24. In the regional poll, the Clan remains the unanimous selection for fifth place.
• Simon Fraser’s 101 points against Northwest Nazarene was the second most in a single game in the GNAC this year and only the third time a team has reached triple digit scoring in a single game.
• Ellen Kett tallied nine assists on Thursday against Central Washington. GNAC players have recorded at least nine rebounds in a game 11 different times and four of them have been by Kett.
• Kett had a team-high 41 points on the week, including a season-high 22 points against Northwest Nazarene to earn the GNAC Player of the Week award. She is now the only player in the conference to rank in the top 15 for points, rebounds, assists and steals.
• Against Central Washington, Simon Fraser made 33 for 55 shots from the field, which is the third highest team field goal percentage in a single game in the GNAC this year.
• Rachel Fradgley had a breakthrough week against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene, scoring a combined 40 points. She made 19 of 23 shots from the field this week, including a 10-for-11 effort on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene. That was the most field goals made with only one miss in a single game by any GNAC player this year. Fradgley also led the team in rebounds in both games for a total of 13.
• This week, Simon Fraser will host No. 14 Seattle Pacific on Thursday and then host Saint Martin’s on Saturay. The Clan is tied with SPU for second place in the GNAC.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon bounced back from the second most lopsided loss in GNAC play this year against Alaska Anchorage to upset Alaska just 24 hours later. The Wolves lost 105-62 against the Seawolves on Thursday before defeating the Nanooks, 72-67, in a game that was moved a day earlier to avoid a snow storm forecasted for Saturday.
• The Wolves had two 20-plus point efforts in the upset of Alaska. Shelby Snook had a team-high 23 points despite a cold shooting night by her standards from beyond the arc, making just 1 of 5. Sydney Azorr was the more efficient scorer, making 6 of 11 shots from the field, 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and all four free-throw attempts for 20 points.
• Jasmine Miller had eight rebounds in the win and now ranks eighth in the conference in rebounding with 6.3 per game.
• Snook ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.6 points per game. She also is making 2.15 three-pointers per game this year, which ranks fourth in the conference.
• The Wolves will travel to Concordia on Tuesday night and play at Montana State Billings on Saturday. The Wolves are currently tied for sixth place in the GNAC standings and the top six teams in the conference advance to the GNAC
Championships.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings handed Northwest Nazarene its first conference loss of the season on Thursday, winning 86-81 to move into a four-way tie for second place with the Crusaders along with Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific. On Saturday, the Vikings beat Central Washington, 60-53 to improve the team’s winning streak to five games.
• In the D2SIDA poll, Western Washington moved up two spots to No. 20 in the nation and remained No. 4 in the West Region.
• Western Washington is one of the best shooting teams in the nation ranking 10th in field-goal percentage (46.6), 25th in 3-point percentage (37.0) and fifth in free-throw percentage (78.9).
• The Vikings lead the GNAC in rebounding margin at 6.3 more rebounds than their opponents per game.
• Taylor Peacocke scored 43 points last week to remain the nation’s leading scorer with 23.2 points per game.
• Hannah Stipanovich went 7 for 7 from the field against Northwest Nazarene, which is the most field goals made in a game without a miss this year in the GNAC.
• Lexie Bland went 4 for 5 from beyond the arc on Thursday against Northwest Nazarene for 15 points. She made eight of those points in the fourth quarter to help WWU secure the win over NNU.
• On Thursday, the Vikings will host Saint Martin’s before a crucial contest agaisnt No. 14 Seattle Pacific on Saturday. In the D2SIDA West Region Poll, Seattle Pacific is No. 2 and Western Washington is No. 4.