Tuesday, February 7, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. - Three spots in the GNAC Championships have already been secured by Alaska Anchorage, Western Washington and Simon Fraser, leaving three spots available with three weeks left in the season. Seattle Pacific is the only team with a mathematical chance to clinch a berth this week, but the Falcons will have to get through two tough tests at home against Western Washington and Simon Fraser.

The Falcons lost to both teams on the road during a four-game skid earlier in the season, but SPU has earned sweeps in each of the last two weeks leading up to the rematches. The Falcons played particularly well last week, beating their opponents by a combined margin of 62 points on the road.

Seattle Pacific will host Western Washington on Thursday. The Vikings are currently on a 13-game winning streak, which is the third longest active streak in the West Region. They are ranked No. 12 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and tied for No. 21 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.

Western Washington holds claim to Division II’s leading scorer Taylor Peacocke, who is averaging 22.8 points per game this year. The defense, however, may be the most impressive aspect for the Vikings right now. They have held opponents to an average of just 57.2 points in their last five victories.

Simon Fraser, which will play Seattle Pacific on Saturday, suffered a surprising overtime loss to Central Washington last week. The Clan still managed to clinch its berth into the GNAC Championships for the fifth consecutive year thanks to some help from Seattle Pacific, which beat Montana State Billings. It was the first time this year that Simon Fraser lost to a team with under a .850 winning percentage.

Simon Fraser won its first game of last week in what turned out to be a free-throw shooting contest against Northwest Nazarene. The two teams made a combined 71 free throws, which accounted for more than a third of all scoring in the game. Northwest Nazarene made 37 free throws, which was one shy of the all-time GNAC single game record. The Clan attempted 46 free throws, which was four away from another GNAC record.

This week the Alaska schools will go to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. Alaska Anchorage is looking to build on its 17-game winning streak, while Alaska and Northwest Nazarene each need wins to improve their chances of reaching the GNAC Championships.

Central Washington, which is two games out of sixth place, looks to build on its upset of Simon Fraser last week. The Wildcats are two games behind sixth place tied with Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets will travel to Western Oregon and Concordia this week after having swept both teams earlier in the season.

Concordia and Western Oregon will get the week started in Monmouth on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers won the first meeting between the two teams, 55-46 thanks to a 13-point performance off the bench by Kizzah Maltezo.

GNAC TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS: Alaska Anchorage remained No. 2 in both the WBCA and D2SIDA national polls behind unanimous No. 1 Ashland. Western Washington moved up to No. 12 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and is tied for No. 21 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.

Following the loss to Central Washington, Simon Fraser dropped out of the WBCA poll, but remained in the top 25 of the D2SIDA poll, coming in at No. 22. In the D2SIDA West Region rankings, Alaska Anchorage remained the unanimous No. 1. All six voters also picked Western Washington at No. 3, while Simon Fraser narrowly remained No. 4 in the poll.

The GNAC is also represented in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings by Seattle Pacific at No. 7, giving the conference four of the top seven spots. The CCAA has three teams in the top 10 with UC San Diego at No. 6 and Chico State and Cal State East Bay at No. 9 and No. 10 respectively. The PacWest also has six teams with California Baptist as the unanimous No. 2, Point Loma at No. 5 and Hawaii Pacific at No. 8.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Autummn Williams
Alaska Anchorage
F • 5-10  • Sr. • Rochester, N.Y.

Williams led the Seawolves with 55 points in two wins, shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 88.2 percent from the free throw line. She opened the week with 28 points in Thursday’s 91-60 win over Concordia, connecting on 10 of 20 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line with five rebounds and seven assists. Williams then added 27 points in Saturday’s 91-50 win over Western Oregon, making 8 of 18 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw stripe.

Also Nominated: Elin Johnasson (Saint Martin’s), Kiana Gandy (Western Washington), Kailee Skjold (Alaska), Meg Wilson (Simon Fraser), Kaylie Boschma (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Hosting the Oregon teams this week, Alaska did the opposite of what it did during the trip to Oregon, beating Western Oregon and losing to Concordia. Alaska beat WOU 79-65 on Thursday and lost to Concordia 59-55 on Saturday.
• Kailee Skjold has a conference-best eight double-doubles this year, giving her 16 in her career. That is the most by a Nanook in the last decade.
• Jordan Wilson scored 31 points last week and became the GNAC’s sixth all-time leading scorer last week with 1,659 career points. She is 287 points behind the all-time leader, Erin Chambers, from Simon Fraser.
• In the last 13 games, either Skjold or Wilson have been the team leader in points and rebounds.
• Jaylee Mays has recorded 2.22 steals per game in her career, which ranks 14th in GNAC history. She had three steals in the two games last week.
• Wilson ranks second in the conference and eighth in Division II in field-goal percentage, making 59.1 percent of the shots she has taken this year.
• The Nanooks will hit the road this week, traveling to Central Washington on Thursday and then to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in crucial games for the battle for the three remaining spots in the GNAC Championships.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The Seawolves increased their GNAC-best winning streak to 17 games, beating the two Oregon schools. The winning streak is tied for the seventh longest in conference history. The Seawolves’ longest streak since joining the GNAC is 22 wins in the 2008-09 season.
• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 2 in both the WBCA Coaches Poll and the D2SIDA Media Poll. The Seawolves also remained the unanimous No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region rankings.
• Alaska Anchorage has the nation’s leading defense, allowing just 51.6 points per game and 16.8 steals per game, which both lead Division II. The Seawolves also rank second in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 32.6 points per game. The Seawolves have beaten all of their last five opponents by more than 30 points.
• Autummn Williams is averaging 19.9 points per game, which ranks 15th in Division II. She also ranks 38th in steals with 2.59 and 35th in field-goal percentage at 52 percent.
• Williams earned her third GNAC Player of the Week honor this season. She is the 10th player in GNAC history to win the honor three times in one season.
• Zhara Laster got a late start to her season, but has already made an impact. She led the team in rebounds in each of the last two games with 10 against Concordia and 11 against Western Oregon. She is averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game off the bench in eight games this season.
• The Seawolves play against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and then will go over to Ellensburg, Wash. to face Central Washington on Saturday. If the Seawolves win both, they’ll tie the GNAC’s leading mark this decade of 19 consecutive wins by Western Washington in the 2010-11 season.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington lost to Western Washington 69-54 on Thursday, but bounced back with the biggest win of the week, beating Simon Fraser 73-66 in overtime.
• Central Washington joins Alaska Anchorage as the only other team to have avoided a sweep when playing Simon Fraser and Western Washington in the same week.
•Jasmin Edwards tallied 14 assists last week to move into 14th in the GNAC’s all-time assists leaders list with 381. She had nine against Simon Fraser and is three assists away from cracking the top 10 all-time.
• Taylor Baird led the team in scoring with 15 points. She is now averaging a team-best 13.4 points per game and has 8.2 rebounds per game.
• It was the Wildcats first overtime victory since beating Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 24, 2015 by a score of 68-66.
• Sadie Mensing made a crucial 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation against Simon Fraser to send the game into overtime. She tallied 12 points in the victory.
• Central Washington will host Alaska on Thursday and then face Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers gave their playoff hopes a significant boost with a 59-55 win over Alaska on Saturday to pull within two games of the Nanooks and one game of Northwest Nazarene, which currently holds the sixth and final spot in the GNAC Championships.
• It was Concordia’s first win in Alaska since joining the GNAC and the third for Concordia in any sport, joining the Cavaliers’ volleyball team’s two wins in Fairbanks.
• Jordyn Peacock tallied five blocks in the win over Alaska. It is the third time this year she has recorded five blocks in a game. She leads the GNAC with 51 blocks and paces Concordia’s conference-best 106 blocks as a team. Peacock also had 11 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end to help hold Alaska to just 55 points.
• Concordia will play at Western Oregon on Tuesday and then host Montana State Billings on Saturday with a chance to get back into the top six in the conference standings.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets earned a split last week with a 71-57 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday before taking a 98-57 loss to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.
• Tiana Hanson recorded her fifth 20-plus point game on Thursday with 24 in the win against Saint Martin’s. She is now averaging a team-best 15.7 points per game.
• Brina Hull added 14 points off the bench for Montana State Billings, making 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc.
• The Yellowjackets protect the ball better than any team in the GNAC with just 13.8 turnovers per game, which is the least in the conference and 39th best in Division II.
• The Yellowjackets will play at Western Oregon on Thursday and then travel to Concordia on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders took a sweep on the road last week against Simon Fraser and Western Washington.
• The Crusaders made 37 of 41 free throws against Simon Fraser, missing the GNAC record for most free throws made in a single game by one. Northwest Nazarene also sent the Clan to the line 46 times in the 99-90 loss.
• Kaitlyn Merritt remained in the top five nationally in assist-turnover ratio at 3.10. Merritt had just one assist with three turnovers against Western Washington on Saturday.
• Ellie Logan scored team-highs of 21 points in both victories. They were only the second and third time that any single player had eclipsed the 20-point mark for the Crusaders, who average 78.6 points as a team.
• The Crusaders will host the Alaskan teams this week while holding onto a one-game lead over Concocordia in the race for the three remaining spots in the GNAC Championships.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints’ losing streak increased to seven games after falling to Seattle Pacific, 72-51, and Montana State Billings, 71-56.
• Baylee Olsen has 22 blocks this year, which leads the Saints, who average 3.18 blocks per game, ranked third in the GNAC.
• Elin Johansson scored a team-best 15 points with eight rebounds in the loss to Montana State Billings. She now has 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year.
• The Saints will next host Simon Fraser on Thursday and host Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons returned to form in a big way this week, beating Montana State Billings 98-57 on Saturday following a 72-51 win over Saint Martin’s, boostin their winning streak to four games.
• The win over MSUB was the Falcons’ highest scoring game in over a decade after having beaten Dixie State 106-62 on Jan. 27, 2007. It was also largest margin of victory in a conference game since Jan. 29, 2011 when they beat Alaska 93-39.
• Despite the impressive wins, SPU dropped to No. 7 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• Seattle Pacific could clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships on Saturday with two wins this week and a loss from Concordia or one win and two losses from Concordia.
• Defense has been the key for Seattle Pacific, which has won every game in which it has held its opponents to less than 70 points and lost every game in which opponents have scored 70 or more points. The Falcons rank 13th in the nation in scoring defense with just 56.1 points allowed per game.
• Courtney Hollander has led the team in rebounds in each of the last three games, tallying 28 rebounds during the victories. She now averages 7.4 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the GNAC.
• Seattle Pacific hosts a crucial pair of games this week with implications for the NCAA West Regional tournament. The Falcons will play Western Washington on Thursday and then host Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Falcons were swept by the two teams on the road earlier in the season.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser defeated Northwest Nazarene 99-90 in a free-throw shooting contest on Thursday and then lost in overtime to Central Washington on Saturday, 73-66.
• It was the first time this year Simon Fraser lost to an unranked team with the previous losses coming against No. 6 California Baptist, No. 2 Alaska Anchorage and No. 12 Western Washington.
• The Clan dropped out of the WBCA Coaches Poll, but remained inside the D2SIDA media poll at No. 22. The Clan also remained No. 4 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.
• Meg Wilson recorded seven steals this week to crack the top 10 in the GNAC’s all-time steals list with 208 career steals. Her 58 steals this year rank second in the GNAC.
• Ellen Kett averages 6.8 assists per game this year, which leads the GNAC and ranks third in Division II.
• Elisa Homer made three 3-pointers this week to move into a tie for 14th most 3-pointers made in a career with 177 on the GNAC’s all-time list.
• Simon Fraser will play at SMU on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 0-2 in its trip to Alaska last week. The Wolves now have a four-game losing streak.
• Shelby Snook, the team’s leading scorer, did not make the trip to Alaska.
• Snook leads the Wolves with 15.2 points per game this season, which ranks sixth in the GNAC.
• Jasmine Miller ranks 14th in the conference in field-goal percentage, making 81 of 168 shots from the field this season.
• The Wolves will host Concordia on Tuesday night and then host Montana State Billings on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings boosted their winning streak to 13 games last week with wins over Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. It is the 11th longest winning streak in GNAC history.
• Western Washington reached its highest ranking this season in the D2SIDA poll, coming in at No. 12. They also moved up to a tie for No. 21 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.
• After scoring 37 points last week, including 28 in the win against Northwest Nazarene, Taylor Peacocke remained Division II’s leading scorer with 22.8 points per game. Peacocke became Western Washington’s all-time leading scorer in the GNAC era with 1,697 career points. She needs 250 points this season to become the GNAC’s overall all-time leading scorer.
• Western Washington is beating its opponents by an average of 15.9 points per game, which ranks 15th in the nation this year and second in the GNAC. The Vikings are also making 80.9 percent of free-throw attempts, which ranks third in the nation.
• The Vikings will travel to Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.