Tuesday, February 12, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sadie Mensing
Central Washington
G • 5-9 • Sr. • Snohomish, Wash.

Mensing led Central Washington to a road sweep of Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific with 40 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, connecting on 66.7 percent from the field. Mensing led all scorers with 25 points and five rebounds in Thursday’s 74-56 win at Seattle Pacific, connecting on 12 of 19 from the field to go with four assists. Mensing then led the Wildcats with 15 points and five rebounds and three assists in Saturday’s 84-62 win at Saint Martin’s.

Also Nominated: Keesha Sarman (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Natalie DeLonge (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks fell in a pair of games against rival Alaska Anchorage (88-43) and Montana State Billings (84-65) last week.

• Guard Kylie Wallace led Alaska on the week, averaging 13.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Holding down things in the post was senior Ashlie Blackburn, who tallied a total of 24 points and 21 rebounds on the week.

• Senior Marian Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the final month of the regular season rolls on. The forward is averaging 12.2 points per game with guard Kylie Wallace following closely at 11.4 points per game.

• The Nanooks will be back at home this week, beginning with a Thursday night date against Western Oregon. They will then cap the week against Concordia on Saturday at 1 p.m.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage picked up another pair of victories last week, improving its record to 21-1 on the season. The team blew out rival Alaska for an 88-43 victory in Fairbanks before handling Montana State Billings to end the week.

• The Seawolves’ 45-point margin of victory against the Nanooks matched a season high and was their largest on the road in 18 years of GNAC play. Playing her first collegiate game in her former hometown, freshman Jahnna Hajdukovich scored a career and game-high 22 points while grabbing four rebounds.

• Hajdukovich was one of five players to score in double figures in at least one game last week.

• Senior Hannah Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. She is followed by guard Yazmeen Goo, who is scoring at a clip of 9.8 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 10 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team returns home this week, facing Concordia on Thursday night and Western Oregon two days later.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• The Wildcats went on the road and emerged with a pair of victories last week, handling Seattle Pacific before blowing out Saint Martin’s for a 84-62 victory. The team sits in fourth place as the final month of the regular season continues.

• The team was led by senior Sadie Mensing, who averaged 20 points and five rebounds across the two victories. The guard’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week, her club’s second such award on the 2018-19 campaign.

• Guard Alexis Pana leads the team in both scoring (15.3 points per game) and assists (5.5 per game).

• The team is defending at one of the highest rates in the country, including a figure of 4.6 blocks per game. That has CWU ranked first in the GNAC and 28th nationally.  

• The Wildcats will be in action for just a single game this week, heading east to face Montana State Billings on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. (MST). 

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its two-game homestand last week, falling by three points to Simon Fraser before topping Western Washington for a 60-57 victory.

• The win against WWU moved the Cavaliers to 6-0 this season when holding their opponents to 60 points or less.

• Senior Keesha Sarman shined in her team’s three-point victory at LCEF Court, scoring a game-high 25 points. She was one of two players to finish scoring in double figures. Guard Olivia Vezaldenos added 15 points and three rebounds.  

• Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game through 14 weeks of play. On the glass, Sarman tops CU with 7.6 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers will return to the floor on Thursday night at Alaska Anchorage. They will then round out the week two days later with a Saturday afternoon date at Alaska.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets returned home last week and split a pair of games, blowing out Alaska for an 84-65 victory before falling to Alaska Anchorage.

• Freshman Taryn Shelley led her team in the victory over the Nanooks, recording a double-double consisting of a game-high 25 points and 18 rebounds. Shelley leads the team on the glass this year (8.5 per game) while sophomore Hannah Collins has paced Montana State Billings in scoring (15.5 points per game).

• The team has shined at taking care of the ball this year, leading the GNAC and ranking 17th nationally in fewest turnovers (259).

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday night and Central Washington two days later.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks stayed hot last week, going on the road to sweep their Puget Sound trip. The club blew out Saint Martin’s for a 70-43 victory before capping its trip with a 19-point win at Seattle Pacific.

• Guard Avery Albrecht shined for NNU in the week’s victories, leading her team with an average of 16.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. She was one of five players to finish at least one game scoring in double figures.  

• Albrecht leads the team with 13.6 points per game as the fourth month of the season continues. Senior Ellie Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 11.7 points per game.

• The Nighthawks are ranked No. 7 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and D2SIDA Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene will stay on the road this week, meeting Montana State Billings on Thursday night. The tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Alterowitz Gymnasium. 

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was in action for a pair of games last week, dropping contests to Northwest Nazarene (70-43) and Central Washington (84-62).

• Freshman Claire Dingus led SMU in the two games, averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per outing. The guard/forward’s 7.6 rebounds per game leads the Saints on the glass.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu has led Saint Martin’s in scoring this season, averaging 13.6 points per game. Simpson-Patu ranks third in the conference in free throw attempts (87).

• An emphasis on hitting the offensive boards has helped the team this season, ranking second in the GNAC with 14 offensive rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s hits the road this week, heading north to face Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser two nights later. Both games will tip-off at 7 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific was in action for two games last week, falling to Central Washington (74-56) and Northwest Nazarene (90-71).  

• The Falcons were led on the week by senior Cici West, who finished the two contests averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Wildcats and Nighthawks. The forward tallied a double-double in each game.

• Guard Riley Evans leads the team in scoring through 14 weeks of play at a clip of 13.5 points per game. West is next at an average of 10.4 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific will hit the road next week, playing at Western Washington and Simon Fraser on Thursday and Saturday. Both meetings will tip-off at 7 p.m.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan swept their Oregon swing last week. The team topped Concordia for a 66-63 victory before going to Western Oregon and emerging with a two-point win to cap the week.

• Point guard Tayler Drynan led the team in the two wins, averaging 12 points and 7.5 assists per game. Her 10 points in Saturday’s game at Western Oregon led all Simon Fraser starters in the winning effort.  

• Senior Sophie Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 21 games, averaging 14.4 points per game. Sophomore Jessica Jones is closely behind at 12 points per game.

• The team will return to Burnaby this week to host Seattle Pacific on Thursday night and Saint Martin’s two days later. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. 

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action for two contests, falling in a tight game against Western Washington before being edged by Simon Fraser in a 59-57 defeat.

• Center Natalie DeLonge led the Wolves on the week, compiling 35 points and 19 rebounds across the two games. She was one of four players to finish at least one contest scoring in double figures.

• DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 14.9 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 9.9 points per game.

• The Wolves hit the road this week, traveling to Fairbanks on Thursday night to face Alaska before meeting Alaska Anchorage on Saturday afternoon. 

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings were in action twice last week, taking down Western Oregon for a 62-53 victory before falling by three points at Concordia.  

• Western Washington was led in the win by guard Emma Duff, who tallied a game-high 16 points while recording four rebounds and steals.

• Sophomore Kelsey Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game after 14 weeks of action. A pair of other Vikings, Dani Iwami (12.1 points per game) and Anna Schwecke (11.5 points per game), are scoring in double figures as the fourth month of the season continues.  

• The Vikings will return home this week, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday night and Seattle Pacific two days later. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.