Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Keesha Sarman
Concordia
G • 5-6 • Sr. • Union, Ore.

Sarman led Concordia with 38 points and 17 rebounds as the Cavaliers stayed alive in the GNAC Championships hunt. She finished the week shooting 62.5 percent from the field and also had 10 assists and seven steals. Sarman led all players with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 64-47 win over Western Oregon on Tuesday. She then finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 75-61 win over Montana State Billings.

Also Nominated: Kian McNair (Alaska Anchorage), Kaelie Flores (Central Washington), Vanessa Stavish (Montana State Billings), McKenna Walker (Northwest Nazarene), Claire Dingus (Saint Martin's), Natalie DeLonge (Western Oregon), Lexie Bland (Western Washington).

#GNACWBB In 280

#ClosingTime After four full months of action, GNAC regular season play winds to a close this week. The slate is headlined by a matchup that could decide the conference’s regular season title when co-leaders Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene meet on Thursday evening.

#BellinghamBound Central Washington became the fourth team to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships with its 77-66 victory over rival Western Washington on Thursday. It joins Alaska Anchorage, Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser as the first teams to earn berths in the postseason tournament.

#TakeFive There is a two-way tie at the moment for both fifth place and the final two sports in the GNAC Championships. Concordia and Western Washington are currently in position to clinch the last postseason berths, but both Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific also remain alive with just two games remaining.  

#SensationalSarman Cavaliers senior Keesha Sarman received GNAC Player of the Week honors after averaging 19 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her team’s pair of blowout victories against Western Oregon and Montana State Billings.

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks dropped their two road games last week, competing well but falling in tight contests to Saint Martin’s (66-56) and Seattle Pacific (67-60).

• Senior Ashlie Blackburn led her team on the week, averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench. She was one of four Nanooks to finish at least one game scoring in double figures.

• Senior Marian Wamsley leads the team in scoring as the team enters its final week of the season. The forward is averaging 12.56 points per game with guard Kylie Wallace following closely at 11.2 points per game.

• Alaska will return home for its final two games, beginning with a Thursday night date against Central Washington. It will then cap the week on Senior Day against Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 1 p.m.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage picked up another pair of road wins last week, improving its record to 25-1 on the season. The team handled Seattle Pacific before blowing out Saint Martin’s for a 107-47 victory to cap the week.

• The 60-point win over the Saints marked the program’s widest margin of victory against a conference opponent in school history. Sophomore Sala Langi led the way in the victory, scoring a game-high 18 points off the bench while also pulling down four rebounds.

• Langi was one of seven Seawolves to finish at least one game scoring in double figures on the week.

• Senior Hannah Wandersee is the team’s leader in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. She is followed by fellow senior Sydni Stallworth, who is scoring at a clip of 9.8 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 6 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• The team heads home this week, facing co-conference leader Northwest Nazarene on Thursday evening before putting a lid on the regular season against Central Washington two nights later.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• A busy week resulted in one victory for Central Washington as the team handled rival Western Washington in-between losses to Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser. The 77-66 victory over the Vikings clinched a berth in next week’s GNAC Championships up in Bellingham.

• The team was led in its big win by center Kaelie Flores, who tallied a game-high 23 points and six rebounds. Forward Taylor Shaw was right behind Flores, bolstering a strong night for the Wildcat frontcourt with a 17-point outburst.

• Guard Alexis Pana leads the team in both scoring (14.6 points per game) and assists (5.2 per game).

• The team is defending at one of the highest rates in the country, including a figure of 4.5 blocks per game. That has CWU ranked first in the GNAC.

• The Wildcats will be in action twice this week, traveling north to face Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. Both games will tip-off at 7 p.m. 

CONCORDIA
• Concordia was in action for a pair of games last week, going on the road to defeat Western Oregon for a 64-47 victory before retuning home and handling Montana State Billings, 75-61.

• The Cavaliers have now won three straight and were named the GNAC Team of the Week on Monday.

• The team was led on the week by senior Keesha Sarman. Sarman averaged 19 points and 8.5 rebounds across the two wins, a stretch that included a double-double in Monmouth. The guard’s exploits earned her the title of GNAC Player of the Week.  

• Sophomore Olivia Vezaldenos leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game through 16 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 against Saint Martin’s before rounding out the regular season two days later against Seattle Pacific. A victory in either game will clinch the program’s first ever trip to the GNAC Championships.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets hit the road for two games last week, splitting their Oregon swing with an 80-70 victory at Western Oregon and a 75-61 defeat to Concordia.

• Sophomore Hannah Collins led her team in the road victory, dropping 16 points while peppering the stat sheet with two rebounds, assists and steals. Collins has paced the team in scoring this year (15 points per game) with freshman Taryn Shelley topping the team on the glass (8.2 rebounds per game).

• The team has shined at taking care of the ball this year, leading the GNAC and ranking 14th nationally in fewest turnovers (315).

• Montana State Billings is back in action this week, hosting Western Washington on Thursday before Simon Fraser comes calling two days later for Senior Night. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. 

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks stayed hot last week, prevailing in all three of their games to run their winning streak to eight games. The club handled Central Washington before closing out the week with blowout victories over Simon Fraser (84-61) and Western Washington (85-71) to close the week.

• Senior Danielle Jardine shined for NNU on the week, leading her team with an average of 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She was one of five players to finish at least one game scoring in double figures.  

• Guard Avery Albrecht leads the team with 13.7 points per game entering the final week of the regular season. Senior Ellie Logan is following closely behind at a clip of 11.5 points per game.

• The Nighthawks are ranked No. 5 in the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the D2SIDA Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene will hit the road now, facing the sixth-ranked Seawolves in Anchorage on Thursday before playing at Alaska on Saturday afternoon.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s split its two games last week, handling Alaska for a 66-56 victory before falling to Alaska Anchorage.

• Freshman Claire Dingus led SMU in the victory, scoring a game-high 18 points while grabbing four rebounds. The guard/forward’s 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game leads the Saints.  

• Sophomore Saniah Simpson-Patu and guard McKennza Schultz rank second on the Saint Martin’s scoring list with just two games remaining. The pair are averaging 12.4 points per game a piece.

• An emphasis on hitting the offensive boards has helped the team this season, ranking second in the GNAC with 13 offensive rebounds per game.

• Saint Martin’s hits the road for their final games of the 2018-19 campaign, facing Concordia on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Western Oregon two nights later at 5:15 p.m.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its pair of games last week, falling to Alaska Anchorage before topping Alaska for a 67-60 victory.  

• The Falcons were led in the win by guard Madi Hingston, who poured in 17 points while dishing out three assists off the bench for the home team. She was one of four players to finish the afternoon scoring in double figures.

• Guard Riley Evans leads the team in scoring through 16 weeks of play at a clip of 12.3 points per game. Senior Cici West is next at an average of 10.2 points per game.

• Seattle Pacific will hit the road this week, facing Western Oregon on Thursday night and Concordia two days later.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan split the start of their four-game road trip last week, handling Central Washington for an 83-73 victory after falling at Northwest Nazarene. The win in Ellensburg clinched the No. 3 seed at the GNAC Championships for Simon Fraser.

• Sophomore Jessica Jones led her team in the big win, scoring a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds. Four of SFU’s five starters finished the night scoring in double figures.   

• Senior Sophie Swant is at the top of the SFU scoring list after 25 games, averaging 15.1 points per game. Jones is closely behind at 12.3 points per game.

• The team will stay on the road this week, rounding out the regular season against Western Washington on Tuesday and at MSU Billings two nights later.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon was in action twice last week, falling to Concordia (64-47) and Montana State Billings (80-70).

• Forward Natalie DeLonge led the Wolves on the week, compiling 41 points and 25 rebounds across the two games. She was one of three players to finish at least one contest scoring in double figures.

• DeLonge leads Western Oregon with an average of 14.5 points per game. Sophomore Keyonna Jones is next on the team, scoring at a clip of 9.1 points per game.

• The Wolves will stay at home this week, rounding out their season against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s two days later on Senior Night.  

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings were in action for a pair of road games last week, falling at Central Washington (77-66) and Northwest Nazarene (85-71).  

• Western Washington was led on the week by guard Lexie Bland, who averaged 20 points and five assists per game.

• Sophomore Kelsey Rogers leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game after 16 weeks of action. A pair of other Vikings, Dani Iwami (12.1 points per game) and Anna Schwecke (11.8 points per game), are scoring in double figures as the fourth month of the season comes to a close.  

• The Vikings will close the regular season with two contests this week, hosting Simon Fraser in a Tuesday night border battle before traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday night. A victory in either game will clinch a berth in next week’s GNAC Championships in Bellingham.