Wednesday, February 5, 2020

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

Thames finished the week with 60 points and 21 rebounds in two games while shooting 64.5 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line. Thames notched a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday’s 59-56 loss at Alaska Anchorage, making 10 of 14 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. She then scored a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds in Saturday’s 82-73 loss at Alaska.

Also Nominated: Yazmeen Goo (Alaska Anchorage), Samantha Bowman (Central Washington), Marina Valles (Northwest Nazarene), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Meadow Aragon (Western Oregon), Emma Duff (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska split last week’s games at home, losing 64-41 to Seattle Pacific on Thursday before beating Saint Martin’s on Saturday, 82-73.

• Jocelyn Gandara led the Nanooks with 41 points and 19 rebounds in the two games, shooting 40.5 percent from the field. Gandara opened the week with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds against the Falcons then finished the week with 28 points and eight rebounds against the Saints. She leads the GNAC in scoring with 18.3 points per game.

• Sam Tolliver finished the week with totals of 21 points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist. Her week was highlighted by her 12-point performance against the Saints. Tolliver leads the GNAC with 35.50 minutes played per game.

• The Nanooks will hit the road this week to play at Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage went 2-0 at home last week with a close 59-56 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 69-49 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Stephanie Jackson led the Seawolves with 20 points in the two games to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jackson scored 11 points off the bench against the Saints, making 3 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. She then got the start and scored nine points and added three rebounds against the Falcons.

• Yazmeen Goo averaged 8.5 points and five assists per game last week, connecting on 6 of 10 from the field, 1 of 2 from three-point range and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Goo scored 10 points and added six assists and three rebounds against the Saints then closed the week by scoring seven points to go with four assists and two steals off the bench against the Falcons.

• Alaska Anchorage is ranked No. 8 in the latest WBCA National Rankings and No. 9 in the latest D2SIDA poll. The Seawolves remain ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Alaska Anchorage improved to 21-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play to stay atop the GNAC standings. Up next, the Seawolves will play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 1-1 last week, losing at Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, 72-63, and beating Montana State Billings at home on Saturday, 71-62.

• Samantha Bowman came off the bench in both games to lead the Wildcats with 35 points to go with 13 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and two assists in the two games. Bowman registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds at Northwest Nazarene, connecting on 6 of 9 from the field. She followed with a game-high 22 points on 9 of 12 from the field and 2 of 4 from three-point range against the Yellowjackets.

• Kassidy Malcolm had totals of 20 points, 23 rebounds, four assists and two steals on the week. Her week was highlighted by a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds on 4 of 8 shooting from the field against the Yellowjackets.

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

• Central Washington is 12-8 overall (7-5 GNAC) and sits in fifth place in the conference standings. Up next, the Wildcats will stay home to host Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia saw its losing streak extend to seven games with a 77-53 loss at Western Washington on Thursday and a 69-58 loss at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Dorcas Wu led the Cavaliers with 19 points and added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on the week, shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Wu’s top performance came on Saturday as she scored 13 points to go with two rebounds and a block at Simon Fraser. She ranks 19th in the GNAC with 5.1 rebounds per game and 33rd with 8.6 points per game.

• Abby Aplaca finished the week with totals of 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, topped by her 12 points and three rebounds at Western Washington. She connected on 40 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from outside on the week.

• The Cavs already played a game this week, beating in-state rival Western Oregon on Tuesday, 83-73, to sweep the season series.

• Up next, the Cavs will take to the road to play at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 0-2 on the road last week with an 80-72 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a 71-62 loss at Central Washington on Saturday.

• Taryn Shelley led the Yellowjackets with 36 points and 16 rebounds as she shot 57.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. Shelley opened the week with 18 points and seven rebounds at NNU then fell just short of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds to go with a steal at CWU. She ranks third in the GNAC with 7.9 rebounds per game and 12th in scoring with 12.7 points per game.

• Hannah Collins finished the week with totals of 28 points, eight assists, two steals and a rebound, connecting on 39.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range. She scored 13 points at NNU then closed the week with 15 points at CWU.

• Jeanann Lemelin scored in double digits in both games, tallying totals of 24 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block. Lemelin scored 14 points and added five rebounds and three assists at NNU before scoring 10 points to go with five rebounds and two steals at CWU.

• Montana State Billings is 10-11 overall (5-7 GNAC) and sits in a tie for sixth place with Seattle Pacific in the conference standings. Up next, the Yellowjackets will open a four-game homestand, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene won both of its games last week, beating Central Washington on Tuesday, 72-63, and Montana State Billings on Thursday, 80-72.

• Marina Valles led the Nighthawks with 39 points and 10 assists in the two games to go with 10 rebounds and three steals. Valles scored 18 points and added six rebounds and three assists against Central Washington. She then scored a game-high 21 points to go with seven assists, four rebounds and three steals while shooting 7 of 14 from the field against the Yellowjackets. Valles ranks sixth in Division II with 68 steals and seventh with 3.4 steals per game.

• Avery Albrecht finished the week with totals of 27 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two assists. She scored 13 points against CWU to go with six rebounds then scored 14 points against MSUB to go with seven rebounds. Albrecht ranks third in the GNAC in scoring with 15.6 points per game, sixth with a .385 three-point percentage, seventh with 1.8 steals per game and 14th with 5.6 rebounds per game.

• The Nighthawks rank third in Division II with 14.2 steals per game, four with an 8.70 turnover margin, fifth with 283 totals steals and seventh with 23.20 turnovers forced per game.

• The Nighthawks are ranked No. 7 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Northwest Nazarene improved to 15-5 overall and 10-2 in GNAC play to hold onto second place in the conference standings. Up next, the Nighthawks will finish their four-game homestand, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday. A win over UAA would put the Nighthawks in a tie for first place with the Seawolves.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped both games in Alaska last week, nearly upsetting first-place Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, 59-56, before losing at Alaska on Saturday, 82-73.

• Bria Thames was named the GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the third time this season as she finished the week with 60 points and 21 rebounds in the two games while shooting 64.5 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line. Thames notched a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds at Alaska Anchorage, making 10 of 14 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. She then scored a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds at Alaska. Thames leads the GNAC and ranks ninth in Division II with 11.8 rebounds per game while also ranking 20th with 10 double-doubles.

• Claire Dingus finished the week with totals of 24 points, 20 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block while connecting on 52.6 percent from the field. Dingus’ week was highlighted by her double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with two steals at Alaska. She made 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line in the game. Dingus leads the conference and ranks fifth in Division II with 4.8 offensive rebounds per game.

• The Saints are second in the GNAC in rebounding offense (39.5 per game) and third in rebounding margin (+5.0).

• The Saints will return home this week to host Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its Alaska road trip, beating Alaska on Thursday, 64-41, before losing to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, 69-49.

• Ashley Alter was the only Falcon to score in double digits in both games, leading SPU with 27 points while adding eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Alter scored 15 points to go with six rebounds at Alaska, connecting on 6 of 11 from the field, 2 of 2 from three-point range and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line. She then scored 12 points at Alaska Anchorage.

• Hailee Bennett finished the week with totals of 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Her week was highlighted by her 13-point performance in Fairbanks. She leas the GNAC and ranks seventh in Division II with a .915 free throw percentage.

• Natalie Hoff scored 17 points on the week to go with 12 rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Hoff finished the week with 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks in Anchorage while making 3 of 4 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.

• The Falcons are 7-13 overall (5-7 GNAC) and sit in a tie for sixth place with Montana State Billings. Up next, the Falcons will return home to host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser swept the Oregon schools last week to finish its four-game homestand. The Clan topped Western Oregon on Thursday, 68-59, then beat Concordia on Saturday, 69-58.

• Jessica Jones led the Clan in scoring with 34 points on the week. Jones opened the week with a game-high 25 points against the Wolves to go with five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block while making 6 of 16 from the field, 4 of 9 from three-point range and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Jones followed by scoring 19 points and adding 3 rebounds against the Cavs. She leads the GNAC and ranks 19th in Division II with 3.11 three-pointers per game.

• Tayler Drynan finished the week with totals of 28 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. She scored 14 points in both games, connecting on 40.9 percent from the field and 30 percent from outside.

• The Clan leads the GNAC and ranks 19th in Division II with 544 three-point field goals attempted.

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

• Simon Fraser improved to 14-8 overall and sits in a tie for third place with Western Washington with a 9-3 conference mark. Up next, the Clan will take to the road to play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon lost 68-59 at Simon Fraser on Thursday and 61-57 at Western Washington on Saturday.

• Meadow Aragon led the Wolves with 19 points in the two games to go with 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Her week was highlighted by her 12-point, six-rebound performance at Simon Fraser as she drained 6 of 8 from the field.

• Keyonna Jones was the top performer for the Wolves in Bellingham, scoring 13 points to go with three rebounds, two steals and an assist. She made 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line in the game.

• The Wolves already played a game this week, losing to in-state rival Concordia at home on Tuesday, 83-73.

• The Wolves will finish the week on the road, playing at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington extended its winning streak to five games with wins last week over Concordia (77-53) on Thursday and Western Oregon (61-57) on Saturday.

• Emma Duff averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and three steals per game last week. She opened the week with 19 points and seven rebounds against the Cavs then followed with 12 points, six rebounds and five steals against the Wolves. Duff shot 38.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line in the two games.

• Lexie Bland finished the week with totals of 19 points, seven assists, five steals and a rebound. Her week was highlighted by 13 points, four assists and a pair of steals against the Cavs. She connected on 5 of 10 from the field and 3 of 5 from outside in the game.

• Carley Zaragoza scored 18 points off the bench in the two games, making 75 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. She opened the week with 12 points against the Cavs then scored six points to go with six rebounds against the Wolves.

• The Vikings are ranked No. 6 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings.

• Western Washington improved to 15-5 overall and sits in a tie for third place with Simon Fraser with a 9-3 conference mark. Up next, the Vikings will hit the road to play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.