Wednesday, January 22, 2020

OFFICIATING APPRECIATION WEEK: The game can’t be played without the men and women in stripes. The GNAC and its 11 schools will take time out to recognize those who keep order on the courts.

The GNAC’s winter Officiating Appreciation Week will take place from January 27 to February 2, with Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon honoring officials the following week at those schools’ home games.

The Officiating Appreciation Week is part of a nationwide effort by NCAA Division II schools and conferences, the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the Division 2 Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) The effort is designed to not only recognize officials for what they do in all sports but also to encourage student-athletes to consider officiating following their competitive careers.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bria Thames
Saint Martin’s
F • 6-0 • Sr. • Beaverton, Ore.

Thames led the Saints to a two-win week with 28 points and 48 rebounds. She set a GNAC single-game record with 29 rebounds in Saturday’s 53-47 win over Concordia, breaking the previous record of 24 set by Simon Fraser’s Nayo Raincock-Eknuwe in 2012. She also scored 14 points for a double-double. Thames also had a double-double of 14 points and 19 rebounds in Thursday’s 71-64 win over Western Oregon.

Also Nominated: Nakiyah LeSure (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Erin Jenkins (Northwest Nazarene), Ashlynn Burgess (Seattle Pacific), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Amber Winkler (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska went 0-2 at home last week, losing 79-67 to Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday and 70-68 to Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Jocelyn Gandara led the Nanooks with 33 points and 15 rebounds while adding five steals, four assists and a block in the two games. Gandara just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds against UAA then connected on 10 of 18 from the field for 23 points to go with six rebounds and three assists against MSUB.

• Sam Tolliver averaged 10.5 points, six steals, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on the week. Her week was highlighted by a 16-point performance against the Seawolves, making 33.3 percent from both the field and the three-point line. Tolliver ranks fourth in the GNAC with 14.9 points per game.

• The Nanooks rank third in the conference with a .331 three-point percentage.

• The Nanooks will be on the road this week, playing at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage extended its winning streak to 13 games last week with a 79-67 victory at Alaska on Tuesday and an 80-33 rout of Montana State Billings on Saturday to earn GNAC Team of the Week honors.

• Tennae Voliva led the Seawolves against the Nanooks with 16 points to go with five rebounds, shooting 7 of 11 from the field. She finished the week with seven points and six rebounds against the Yellowjackets as she shot 60 percent from the field.

• Safiyyah Yasin scored 20 points and added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block in the pair of wins. Her week included a 15-point game in Fairbanks as she connected on 46.2 percent from the field.

• The Seawolves’ current conference winning streak of 27 games dates back to Jan. 3, 2019 and is the second-longest behind Seattle Pacific’s 53-game streak that spanned from Feb. 9, 2002, to Feb. 5, 2005.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 4 in the latest D2SIDA National Rankings and No. 5 in the latest WBCA poll. The Seawolves top the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the third straight week.

• Alaska Anchorage improved to 18-1 overall and 8-0 in GNAC play. The Seawolves will look to add to their streak on the road, playing at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington split its week with a 72-62 victory at home over in-state rival Western Washington on Thursday and a 65-59 loss to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Alexis Pana scored 41 points and added eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal on the week. Pana opened the week with 26 points against WWU, shooting 9 of 13 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. She closed the week with 15 points and five rebounds against SFU.

• Taylor Shaw averaged 16.5 points last week, scoring 23 points against the Vikings before scoring 10 points against the Clan. Shaw shot 68.8 from the field and 62.5 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kassidy Malcolm pulled down 11 rebounds in both games. She also registered 11 points, eight assists, three steals and a block on the week.

• The Wildcats are among others receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Central Washington is 9-7 overall (4-4 GNAC). Up next, the Wildcats will go down to Oregon to play at Concordia on Thursday and at Western Oregon on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 0-2 last week with a 63-44 loss at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 53-47 loss at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Abby Zhang led the Cavaliers in scoring against SPU with 13 points off the bench, making 5 of 9 from the field. Zhang also scored five points to go with three rebounds and two assists off the bench against SMU.

• Nakiyah LeSure was one of two Cavs to score in double digits against the Saints. LeSure scored a season-high 10 points off the bench in Lacey, shooting 5 of 8 from the field. She connected on 50 percent from the field in the two games.

• Riley Friauf scored 15 points to go with 10 rebounds on the week. Her week included a 10-point, six-rebound game at SMU. Friauf ranks 13th in the GNAC with 6.1 rebounds per game and seventh with 29.88 minutes played per game.

• The Cavs will stay home this week, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split its Alaska road trip, edging out Alaska, 70-68, on Thursday before losing to Alaska Anchorage, 80-33, on Saturday.

• Taryn Shelley averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two games. Shelley led the Yellowjackets in Thursday’s win in Fairbanks, scoring 27 points to go with seven rebounds, a steal and a block. Shelley connected on 12 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free throw line against the Nanooks. She ranks 12th in the GNAC with 12.2 points per game and fourth with 7.8 rebounds per game.

• TyLee Manuel led the Yellowjackets in scoring against the Seawolves with seven points to go with a rebound and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench. Manuel also just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against the Nanooks as she shot 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.

• Montana State Billings is 9-8 overall (4-4 GNAC). Up next, the Yellowjackets will stay home to host Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its home games last week, winning 85-84 over Simon Fraser on Thursday before losing 94-83 to Western Washington on Saturday.

• Marina Valles registered 33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals in the two games. Valles opened the week with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in Thursday’s win over the Clan. She then finished the week with 13 points, four assists and three rebounds in Saturday’s loss to the Vikings. Valles shot 65 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line on the week. Valles leads the GNAC and ranks fifth in Division II with 59 total steals and 3.69 steals per game.

• McKenna Emerson scored in double digits in both games. She scored 14 points to go with five rebounds and four steals against the Clan then followed with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal against the Vikings. Emerson shot 54.5 percent from the field during the week.

• Erin Jenkins totaled 27 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal in the two games, including an 18-point performance against the Vikings. Jenkins finished the week connecting on 47.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from outside.

• The Nighthawks are ranked No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings, one spot down from last week.

• Northwest Nazarene is now 11-5 overall and tied for second place with Simon Fraser with a 6-2 conference mark. Up next, the Nighthawks will take to the road to play at Western Oregon on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s won both of its games at home against the Oregon teams, pulling away against Western Oregon, 71-64, on Thursday before topping Concordia, 53-47, on Saturday.

• Bria Thames was named the GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she led the Saints to the pair of wins with 28 points and 48 rebounds. She set a GNAC single-game record with 29 rebounds against the Cavs, breaking the previous record of 24. She also scored 14 points for a double-double. Thames also had a double-double of 14 points and 19 rebounds against the Wolves.

• Claire Dingus registered a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Wolves before scoring 11 points to go with eight rebounds against the Cavs.

• The Saints have already played a game this week, escaping with a 63-62 win at Seattle Pacific on Tuesday.

• The Saints have won three straight games and improved to 9-7 overall (4-5 GNAC). Up next, the Saints will close their week on the road, playing at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific went 2-0 at home last week, winning 63-44 over Concordia on Thursday and 73-51 over Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Madi Hingston led the Falcons on the week with 26 points to go with five steals, four assists, three rebounds and two blocks. Hingston scored 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc against the Cavs. She followed with 12 points against the Wolves, connecting on 5 of 6 from the field and 2 of 2 from outside.

• Ashlynn Burgess totaled 16 points, 19 rebounds and two assists in the pair of wins. Burgess finished the week with a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Wolves. She ranks third in the GNAC with a .556 field goal percentage and ninth with 6.6 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific already played a game this week, losing 63-62 at home to Saint Martin’s on Tuesday. The Falcons will finish their week on the road, playing at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser lost a close 85-84 game at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before turning things around to top Central Washington, 65-59, on Saturday in Ellensburg.

• Jessica Jones averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last week as she shot 35.5 percent from the field. Jones opened the week with 16 points and seven rebounds against NNU then followed with 13 points against CWU. Jones leads the GNAC and ranks 18th in Division II with 3.14 three-pointers per game.

• Taylor Drynan also scored 16 points in the Clan’s loss to the Nighthawks. She also had five assists, two rebounds and two steals while connecting on 6 of 9 from the field, 1 of 1 from three-point range and 3 of 3 from the free throw line.

• Jessica Wisotzki finished the week with a pair of 14-point games off the bench. Wisotzki also totaled seven rebounds, a steal and a block. She made 55.6 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from outside.

• The Clan is among others receiving votes in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Simon Fraser is 11-7 overall and is tied for second place with NNU with a 6-2 conference mark. Up next, the Clan will begin a two-week homestand, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon lost 71-64 at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and 73-51 at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Tresai McCarver led the Wolves with 25 points, coming off the bench in both games to shoot 50 percent from the field. McCarver opened the week with 16 points and seven rebounds against the Saints, making 7 of 14 from the field. She closed the week with nine points, three rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block against the Falcons, connecting on 4 of 8 from the field and 1 of 2 from three-point range.

• Keyonna Jones totaled 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals while connecting on 50 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line in the two losses. Jones led the Wolves with 15 points and three assists against the Falcons, making 5 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free throw line.

• Shariah Green finished the week with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Her week was highlighted by her 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in Lacey. Green ranks 16th in the GNAC with a .460 field goal percentage, 21st with 4.8 rebounds per game and 22nd with 10.6 points per game.

• The Wolves return home this week to host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington split last week, losing at Central Washington, 72-62, on Thursday before taking down second-place Northwest Nazarene, 94-83, on Saturday in Nampa.

• Anna Schwecke averaged 24 points, 6.5 rebounds and two steals per game on the week, shooting 89.5 percent from the field and 93.3 percent from the free throw line. Schwecke opened the week with 19 points in Thursday’s loss at CWU then registered a double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s win at NNU while connecting on 10 of 12 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line against the Nighthawks. Schwecke leads the GNAC and ranks 13th in Division II with a .606 field goal percentage.

• Lexie Bland averaged 12.5 points and two assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field on the week. Bland scored 13 points and added two assists and a rebound at CWU then scored 12 points to go with two assists and a steal at NNU, making 5 of 10 from the field. She ranks ninth in the conference with three assists per game.

• Kelsey Rogers scored in double digits in both games. Rogers opened the week with 10 points, seven rebounds and a block at CWU then finished the week with 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a block at NNU.

• Western Washington is ranked No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings, one spot up from last week.

• Western Washington is now 11-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play. Up next, the Vikings will start a two-week homestand, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.