Tuesday, February 14, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. -- No. 25 Western Washington opens the penultimate week of GNAC play at home on Tuesday against No. 25 Simon Fraser. The Vikings will put their 15-game winning streak on the line against their nationally-ranked opponent, while looking to stay within a game of current GNAC's standings leader Alaska Anchorage.

Seattle Pacific will travel to Alaska this week for an important series against the Nanooks and Alaska Anchorage. Seattle Pacific currently has eighth-best winning percentage in the GNAC while playing more games against teams that currently have a national ranking than any other team in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

The Falcons came in eighth in the final D2SIDA West Region poll. On Wednesday the first of three NCAA Regional Rankings will be released. Those rankings will determine which teams receive the five at-large berths into the NCAA West Regional tournament in March. Last year, two GNAC teams advanced to the tournament.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

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

Williams became the first Alaska Anchorage player to record consecutive 30-plus point games in the GNAC era and also became the third player in GNAC history to record four weekly honors in the same season. Williams scored a combined 65 points in wins against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington, while making 25 of 42 field goal attempts. She added eight assists and seven steals in the wins that extended Alaska Anchorage’s winning streak to 19 games. It is tied for the sixth longest winning streak in conference history.

Also Nominated: Mercedes Victor (Saint Martin’s), Meg Wilson (Simon Fraser), Tia Briggs (Western Washington), Tiana Hanson (Montana State Billings), McKenna Walker (Northwest Nazarene), Kizzah Maltezo (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both games last week at Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene to move into a tie for fifth place in the conference standings with four games left in the season.
• Jordan Wilson made 21 field goals in the two games to become the GNAC’s all-time leader in career field goals made in conference games with 442, surpassing the mark of 438 set by Montana State Billings’ Bobbi Knudsen in 2014.
• Kailee Skjold is the GNAC leader in rebounds with 8.8 per game and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with 16 points per game after scoring 30 against Central Washington.
• In the last 15 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 seventh in Division II in field-goal percentage, making 59.1 percent of the shots she has taken this year.
• The Nanooks return to Alaska this week to host Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday. The Nanooks defeated both teams on the road in the first half of conference play.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The Seawolves increased their GNAC-best winning streak to 19 games with wins against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. The winning streak is tied for the sixth 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.
• There have been 15 games this season in which a GNAC team has recorded at least 17 steals and 13 of them have been by Alaska Anchorage, including a 21-steal effort to beat Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.
• Alaska Anchorage has the nation’s leading defense, allowing just 51.6 points per game and 16.7 steals per game, which both lead Division II. The Seawolves also rank second in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 31.1 points per game. The Seawolves have beaten all of their last five opponents by more than 30 points.
• Autummn Williams is averaging 21 points per game, which ranks in the top 10 in Division II. She also ranks 30th in steals with 2.67 and 28th in field-goal percentage at 52.9 percent.
• Williams earned her fourth GNAC Player of the Week honor this season. She is the third player in GNAC history to win the honor four times in one season. She is also the first Seawolf to record consecutive 30-point games in the GNAC era.
• Williams made 14 field goals against Northwest Nazarene, which is a conference season high and was two away from the all-time record.
•Kiki Robertson averages 3.46 steals per game, which ranks fifth in Division II. She also ranks 18th in assists this season with 5.6 per game.
• The Seawolves will play against Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday. These will be the Seawolves final games at the Alaska Airlines Arena for the regular season.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington earned a split at home against the teams from the 49th state, beating Alaska 69-60 on Thursday before falling to Alaska Anchorage 69-48 on Saturday.
• The Wildcats are now two games behind the tie for fifth place with four games left in the season.
•Jasmin Edwards tallied eight assists in the win against Alaska to move into the top 10 in the GNAC’s all-time assists leaders list with 390. She needs 10 more assists to become the ninth player in GNAC history to reach the 400-assist mark. She ranks third among active players in career assists.
• Taylor Baird recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds against Alaska. She leads the team with 13.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. She ranks second in the GNAC in rebounds this season.
• The Wildcats rank fourth in the conference in scoring defense with 62.9 points allowed per game. Baird has been a big part of that with 24 blocks and 145 defensive rebounds this season.
• Central Washington will go to Oregon this week to play at Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers reeled in two more crucial victories towards securing a spot in the GNAC Championships for the first time since joining the conference in 2015. Concordia beat Western Oregon and Montana State Billings to move into a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings.
• This was Concordia’s third weekend sweep this season. The three-game winning streak is the team’s longest winning streak since joining the GNAC in 2015.
• Jordyn Peacock tallied five blocks in the win over Montana State Billings. It is the fourth time this year she has recorded five blocks in a game. She leads the GNAC with 57 blocks and paces Concordia’s conference-best 116 blocks as a team.
• Concordia will host Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Cavaliers are tied with NNU for fifth place in the conference with four games left in the season.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets earned a split last week with a 64-60 win over Western Oregon on Thursday before taking a 66-54 loss to Concordia on Saturday.
• Tiana Hanson set GNAC season highs in field goals attempted and field goals made, making 15 of 18 shots from the charity stripe against Western Oregon. She scored a total of 41 points on the weekend.
• Rylee Kane ranks third in the conference and 28th in the nation in assists per game with 5.4. She also ranks 15th in assist-turnover ratio at 2.39. She scored 17 points in the win against Western Oregon.
• The Yellowjackets protect the ball better than any team in the GNAC with just 13.9 turnovers per game, which is the least in the conference and 38th best in Division II.
• The Yellowjackets will host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday. They need to win at least one to keep their playoff hopes alive going into the final week of the season.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Crusaders shook off a three-game losing streak with a big 93-60 win against Alaska to move back into a tie for fifth place in the conference.
• McKenna Walker scored a combined 39 points in the two games against the Alaska schools. Her 22 points against Alaska Anchorage was her first 20-point game of the season.
• Kaitlyn Merritt remained in the top 10 nationally in assist-turnover ratio at 2.73. Merritt had six assists this week and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the win against Alaska.
• Eleven different players scored for the Crusaders against Alaska, including 15 points off the bench from Carly Parker, who was a perfect 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.
• As a team, NNU went 14 for 21 from 3-point territory, which is the best 3-point percentage in a single game this season with at least 11 attempts.
• The Crusaders will play WOU on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints’ losing streak increased to nine games after falling to Simon Fraser, 57-41, and Western Washington, 59-57.
• The Saints put together their best defensive weekend since conference play began, holding the two nationally-ranked teams to a combined 116 points.
• The 59-57 loss was the narrowest margin of victory for Western Washington during its 15-game winning streak. Saint Martin’s led by as much as six in the fourth quarter and still had the lead with less than two minutes left in the game.
• Elin Johansson scored a team-best 26 points in the two games. She now has 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year.
• The Saints will travel to Alaska to play UAA on Thursday and UAF on Saturday. On Thursday, SMU will become the first team in the West Region to have played seven games against teams that currently have a national ranking.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons dropped both games last week against Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday, but remained in fourth place with a two-game lead on the three times tied for fifth place.
• Seattle Pacific fell to No. 8 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings. It’s the lowest ranking for the Falcons this season. They have the eighth-best winning percentage in the region this season after having played five games against nationally-ranked opponents. No other team in the regional rankings has played more nationally-ranked oponnents.
• Seattle Pacific could clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships as soon as Thursday with a win over Alaska and losses by both Northwest Nazarene and Concordia.
• Defense has been the key for Seattle Pacific, which has won every game in which it has held its opponents to less than 65 points and lost every game in which opponents have scored more than 65 points. The Falcons rank 23rd in the nation in scoring defense with just 57.3 points allowed per game.
• Seattle Pacific’s trip to Alaska represents a crucial opportunity for the Falcons to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships and add to its case for a spot in the West Regional tournament. The team’s trip will be documented on the team’s GNAC Instagram Takeover, which begins on Wednesday. Follow the takeover  @gnacsports on Instagram for an inside look at the trip to Alaska.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser bounced back quickly with wins over Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific to return to the national rankings in the WBCA Coaches Poll. Simon Fraser is ranked No. 25 following the pair of victories. The Clan is also ranked No. 20 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 4 in the West Region.
• Ellen Kett recorded 12 assists in the win against Saint Martin’s, adding to her GNAC record of 12 career games with double-digit assists. She averages seven assists per game this season, which ranks second in Division II. She also ranks ninth in 3-point percentage and 19th in assist-turnover ratio.
• Meg Wilson recorded eight steals this week, remaining in the top 10 of the GNAC’s all-time steals list with 216 career steals. Her 66 steals this year rank second in the GNAC.
• Elisa Homer made three 3-pointers this week to move into a tie for 13th-most 3-pointers made in a career with 180 on the GNAC’s all-time list.
• The Clan ranks 19th in the nation in winning percentage this season and has played each of the other three teams in the West Region with a national ranking.
• Simon Fraser will play at WWU on Tuesday and MSUB on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon’s losing streak increased to six with losses to Concordia and Montana State Billings last week. The Wolves must win every game for the rest of the year to have a shot at reaching the GNAC Championships.
• Kaylie Boschma scored 16 points against Concordia on Tuesday. It was her second consecutive game scoring at least 16 points and leading the team in scoring. She also led the team in rebounds in both games with a total of 15 between the two games.
• Leading scorer Shelby Snook came off the bench for the first time this year against Montana State Billings and scored six points, making a pair of treys.
• The Wolves will host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday. They split against these teams on the road earlier in the season.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings boosted their winning streak to 15 games last week with wins over Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s. It is tied for the ninth longest winning streak in GNAC history.
• Western Washington cracked the top 10 in the D2SIDA poll for the first time this season and is ranked No. 17 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. The Vikings have the 11th-best winning percentage in the nation and has played against three teams that currently have a national ranking.
• After scoring 44 points last week, including 27 in the win against Seattle Pacific, Taylor Peacocke remained Division II’s leading scorer with 22.8 points per game. She needs 206 points this season to become the GNAC’s overall all-time leading scorer.
• Western Washington needed a fourth-quarter comeback to pull off a 59-57 victory against Saint Martin’s. It was the Vikings’ narrowest victory during the 15-game winning streak.
• The Vikings will put their winning streak on the line against No. 25 Simon Fraser on Tuesday before having to travel to Montana State Billings on Thursday. The Vikings are just a game out of first place with four games left in the season.