Wednesday, December 11, 2019

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jocelyn Gandara
Alaska
G • 5-9 • Jr. • El Paso, Texas

Gandara averaged 30.5 points per game as the Nanooks split their GNAC opening games at home. She shot 50 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from three-point range. Gandara scored 27 points and had eight rebounds in Thursday’s 81-76 overtime win over Western Oregon then scored 34 points on 10 of 22 from the field in Saturday’s 73-70 loss to Concordia.

Also Nominated: Yazmeen Goo (Alaska Anchorage), Kaelie Flores (Central Washington), Olivia Vezaldenos (Concordia), Hannah Collins (Montana State Billings), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Keyonna Jones (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska went 1-1 at home in its opening games of conference play. The Nanooks beat Western Oregon, 81-76, in overtime on Thursday before losing a tough game to Concordia, 70-67, on Saturday.

• Jocelyn Gandara was selected as the GNAC Player of the Week after she averaged 30.5 points per game. She shot 50 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. Gandara scored 27 points against the Wolves then followed with a GNAC season-high 34 points on 10 of 22 from the field against the Cavaliers.

• Sam Tolliver scored 18 points against the Wolves to go with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. She ranks 9th in Division II with 150 field goal attempts and 17th with 73 three-point field goal attempts.

• The Nanooks rank fifth in Division II with 156 free throws made and fourth with 245 free throw attempts.

• Alaska will return to action after the new year as the Nanooks continue conference play at Saint Martin’s on Jan. 2.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage won both of its conference openers as the Seawolves topped Concordia, 79-52, on Thursday before completing a 73-41 rout of Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Rachel Ingram shined in just 12 minutes off the bench against the Cavaliers, scoring 21 points on 7 of 10 from the field. All 21 of Ingram’s points came via three-pointers.

• Tennae Voliva led the Seawolves’ starters with 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and a block against the Cavs. Voliva ranks 12th in Division II with 91 rebounds while also ranking 29th with 24 steals.

• Safiyyah Yasin led the Seawolves against the Wolves with 21 points, connecting on 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range. She also had three steals, two assists and a rebound in the win.

• Yazmeen Goo scored in double digits in both games. She opened the week with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists against the Cavs then recorded 16 points and four assists against the Wolves, connecting on 5 of 7 from the field.

• The Seawolves moved up three spots to No. 15 in the latest D2SIDA national poll and now rank No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region poll. The Seawolves are 9-1 overall and will head to Honolulu to face Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 18.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 2-0 at home to start conference play. The Wildcats scored a 65-46 win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday then topped Saint Martin’s, 68-52, on Saturday.

• Four Wildcats scored in double digits against the Falcons, led by Jonnae Richardson’s double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two steals and an assist off the bench.

• Kaelie Flores led the Wildcats last week as she averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. Flores scored 12 points to go with eight rebounds against the Falcons then had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds to go with four blocks and two assists against the Saints, connecting on 8 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from outside.

• Alexis Pana recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and six blocks in the two games. She ranks second in the GNAC and 11th in Division II with 51 assists.

• Central Washington is now 5-3 overall (2-0 GNAC) and will go back to non-conference play as the Wildcats host Cal State LA on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its conference openers, losing 79-52 to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before edging out Alaska, 70-67, in Fairbanks on Saturday.

• Riley Friauf registered a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Seawolves to go with three assists and two blocks. Friauf then scored 15 points and added seven rebounds against the Nanooks as she connected on 7 of 12 from the field.

• Abby Zhang was productive in 23 minutes off the bench as she put up 12 points against the Seawolves, making 4 of 10 from the field. All four of her made field goals were three-pointers.

• Olivia Vezaldenos led the Cavs against the Nanooks with 19 points while adding four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. She made 5 of 8 from three-point range and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Vezaldenos leads the conference and ranks 10th in Division II with 30 three-pointers made.

• Concordia is now 2-8 overall and 1-1 in GNAC play. Up next, the Cavs will return to conference play at home as they host Simon Fraser on Jan. 2.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings won a thrilling 73-70 game at Simon Fraser on Thursday then loss, 81-61, at Western Washington on Saturday to open GNAC play.

• Hannah Collins was pivotal against the Clan as she scored 24 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from outside. Collins also scored 25 points to go with two steals in the loss to the Vikings.

• Taryn Shelley recorded her GNAC-leading fourth double-double of the season as she scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against the Clan. She also had five blocks, two assists and a steal in the win. Shelley’s four double-doubles rank 23rd in Division II.

• Taylor Cunningham also had herself a game to remember against the Clan as she recorded 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Cunningham shot 87.5 percent from the field and 80 percent from beyond the arc. Cunningham also scored eight points in the loss to the Vikings.

• Montana State Billings is now 4-5 overall (1-1 GNAC) on the season. Up next, the Yellowjackets will be the only team to play two games this week as they host Rocky Mountain on Thursday and Dickinson State on Sunday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene scored two wins at home to open conference play, dropping Saint Martin’s, 82-71, on Thursday before completing a 77-47 rout of Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Marina Valles tallied 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal against the Saints, shooting 70 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from outside. Valles also scored 19 points off of 8 of 14 from the field against the Falcons. She ranks third in Division II with 39 steals while also ranking fourth with 4.33 steals per game.

• Avery Albrecht scored 15 points in both games as she shot 54.2 percent from the field. Erin Jenkins also scored in double digits in both games as she scored 14 points against the Saints before dropping 17 points, three rebounds, three steals and a block against the Falcons.

• The Nighthawks are sixth in Division II with 16.2 steals per game and a 10.80 turnover margin. The Nighthawks also rank ninth in Division II with 24.89 turnovers forced per game.

• Northwest Nazarene improves to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Up next, the Nighthawks will host the College of Idaho on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s opened GNAC play 0-2 as the Saints lost at Northwest Nazarene, 82-71, on Thursday before losing again at Central Washington, 68-52, on Saturday.

• Bria Thames led the Saints’ starting lineup with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds to go with three assists against the Nighthawks. Thames shot a perfect 5 of 5 from the field and made 4 of 6 from the free throw line.

• Mallory Vivola continued to stay hot from outside as she made 4 of 8 from three-point range against the Nighthawks. She put up 12 points and added three rebounds and two assists. Vivola leads the GNAC and ranks 27th in Division II with a .467 three-point percentage.

• Janealle Sutterlict was the only Saint to score in double digits against the Wildcats as she scored 11 points, connecting on 4 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from deep.

• Saint Martin’s dropped to a 3-4 overall record. The Saints return to the court on Saturday as they host Northwest Christian in Lacey.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific lost both of its games on the road last week to open GNAC play. The Falcons dropped a 65-46 game to Central Washington on Thursday then lost to Northwest Nazarene, 77-47, on Saturday.

• Hailee Bennett led the Falcons with eight points against the Wildcats. She shot 40 percent from the field and added three rebounds and an assist.

• Ashlynn Burgess was the Falcons’ top performer against the Nighthawks. She scored 13 points, connecting on 6 of 11 from the field. Burgess also recorded five rebounds in the loss.

• Seattle Pacific is still looking for its first win of the season. The Falcons will look to turn their season around as they host Cal State LA on Monday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser opened GNAC play with an exciting 64-60 win at home over Western Washington on Tuesday then lost a tough 73-70 game to Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• The Clan outscored the Vikings 15-10 in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Georgia Swant headlined the victory as she scored 20 points and added two assists and a steal. Swant was perfect in the game as she connected on 8 of 8 from the field and 3 of 3 from outside and made her only free throw attempt.

• Jessica Jones was two rebounds shy of a double-double with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists against the Vikings. Jones also recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss to the Yellowjackets.

• Simon Fraser is 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Clan will return to GNAC play after the holidays as it travels to play at Concordia on Jan. 2.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 0-2 in Alaska to open conference play. The Wolves lost 81-76 in overtime to Alaska on Thursday then lost again to Alaska Anchorage, 73-41, on Saturday.

• Keyonna Jones led the Wolves in both games. She finished just short of a double-double against the Nanooks with 20 points and nine rebounds, making 6 of 14 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. She then scored nine points against the Seawolves.

• Cali McClave also performed well against the Nanooks with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal.

• The Wolves drop to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play and will return to action on Monday as they host Corban.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington lost a tough GNAC opener, 64-60, at Simon Fraser on Tuesday then bounced back to top Montana State Billings, 81-61, on Thursday.

• Emma Duff emerged for the Vikings with a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds against the Clan, making 7 of 16 from the field. She then scored 24 points and added eight rebounds and a steal while making 9 of 14 from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc in the win over the Yellowjackets.

• Anna Schwecke averaged 19 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. She scored 17 points against the Clan then followed with 21 points against the Yellowjackets.

• The Vikings are ranked No. 10 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings. The Vikings move to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play and will head to Puerto Rico to face Puerto Rico-Bayamon on Dec. 19.