Wednesday, February 19, 2020

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Avery Albrecht
Northwest Nazarene
G • 5-9 • Sr. • La Grande, Ore.

Albrecht led the Nighthawks to a pair of key road wins by averaging 19.5 points and nine rebounds. In Thursday’s 79-72 win at Western Washington, Albrecht posted a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8 of 17 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. In Saturday’s 99-91 overtime win at Simon Fraser, she finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Also Nominated: Jocelyn Gandara (Alaska), Safiyyah Yasin (Alaska Anchorage), Kassidy Malcolm (Central Washington), Dorcas Wu (Concordia), Taryn Shelley (Montana State Billings), Bria Thames (Saint Martin’s), Jessica Jones (Simon Fraser), Rachel Rogers (Western Oregon), Anna Schwecke (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska lost 90-36 at Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday and 103-59 at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Jocelyn Gandara led the Nanooks with 30 points and 12 rebounds to go with four assists, two steals and two blocks on the week. She opened the week with 13 points and six rebounds at UAA then closed the week with 17 points and six rebounds at MSUB. Gandara continues to lead the GNAC in scoring with 18.6 points per game while also ranking fifth with 6.8 rebounds per game.

• Sam Tolliver scored in double digits in both games. She scored 10 points to go with three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in Anchorage then followed with 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in Billings. Tolliver leads the conference with 35.2 minutes played per game while also ranking second with 2.3 three-pointers per game and seventh in scoring with 14.2 points per game.

• The Nanooks will finish their home schedule this week, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage extended its winning streak to seven games last week with a 90-36 rout of Alaska at home on Tuesday and an 83-69 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships.

• Safiyyah Yasin led the Seawolves with 35 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists and a steal while connecting on 56.5 percent from the field and 77.8 from the free-throw line. Yasin opened the week with 13 points to go with four assists against the Nanooks. She finished the week with 22 points and eight rebounds on 7 of 13 from the field at MSUB.

• Jahnna Hajdukovich finished the week with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in the two games. Her week was highlighted by a career-high 23 points on 8 of 14 from the field and 7 of 11 from three-point range against the Nanooks.

• The Seawolves are ranked No. 7 in the latest WBCA National Rankings and No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA poll. The Seawolves are also ranked No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the fourth straight week and No. 3 in the first NCAA West Region Rankings of the season.

• Alaska Anchorage improved to 25-2 overall and sits in first place with a 15-1 conference mark. The Seawolves will return home this week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington split for the third straight week, winning 83-74 at Simon Fraser on Thursday before taking a 77-69 loss at Western Washington on Saturday.

• Alexis Pana led the Wildcats with 39 points and eight assists to go with six rebounds and three blocks as she shot 50 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free-throw line in the two games. Pana opened the week with 13 points and six rebounds at SFU then closed the week with a game-high 26 points on 9 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from three-point range at WWU.

• Kassidy Malcolm picked up a pair of double-doubles to finish the week with 31 points, 22 rebounds and five assists while connecting on 50 percent from the field. Malcolm scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds in Burnaby then followed with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Bellingham. Malcolm has registered a double-double in four out of her last five games.

• The Wildcats are among others receiving votes in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the fifth straight week.

• The Wildcats will play their final home games of the season this week, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split at home last week, losing 60-48 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday before bouncing back to beat Seattle Pacific on Saturday, 59-54.

• Dorcas Wu finished the week with 24 points, 11 rebounds, eight steals, four assists and two blocks. Wu scored 10 points on 5 of 10 from the field against the Saints then followed with 14 points on 7 of 13 from the field to go with eight rebounds and four steals in the win over the Falcons. She is averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game.

• Tamika Etherly scored 24 points on the week to go with 14 rebounds, three assists and a block. She scored 15 points and added five rebounds against the Saints then closed the week with nine points and nine rebounds against the Falcons.

• The Cavs rank fourth in the GNAC with 3.25 blocks per game.

• The Cavs will hit the road for the final time this season, playing at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings split against the Alaska schools at home last week, losing 83-69 to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before hitting the century mark in a 103-59 rout of Alaska on Saturday.

• Taryn Shelley led the Yellowjackets once again with 35 points and 22 rebounds to go with three blocks in the two games. Shelley registered her 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday’s loss to the Seawolves. She finished the week with 21 points and nine rebounds on 10 of 14 from the field in the 44-point victory over the Nanooks.

• Hannah Collins scored in double digits in both games. She dropped 17 points, including a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line, and added four assists and a block against the Seawolves. Collins followed with 16 points, three assists and two rebounds against the Nanooks.

• TyLee Manuel finished the week with totals of 31 points and nine rebounds while connecting on 78.6 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line in just 28 total minutes played. Her week was highlighted by an 18-point, six-rebound performance against the Nanooks.

• Montana State Billings is 13-12 overall and holds on to sixth place with an 8-8 conference mark. The Yellowjackets will close their road schedule this week, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene picked up two big road wins against the teams right behind it in the standings to clinch a spot in the GNAC Championships. The Nighthawks won 79-72 at Western Washington on Thursday then edged out Simon Fraser in overtime on Saturday, 99-91.

• Avery Albrecht was named the GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after she averaged 19.5 points and nine rebounds in the pair of wins. Albrecht finished with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s win at WWU, connecting on 8 of 17 from the field. She then added totals of 13 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s overtime win at SFU. Albrecht ranks third in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game and eighth with  1.8 steals per game and a .494 field goal percentage.

• Marina Valles finished the week with totals of 36 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. Valles scored 12 points to go with three assists and three steals against the Vikings. She closed the week with a team-high 24 points on 7 of 15 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line while adding five rebounds against the Clan. Valles leads the conference and ranks 10th in Division II with 72 steals.

• Erin Jenkins scored 28 points and added eight rebounds on the week. Her week was highlighted by 20 points on 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 3 from outside in Burnaby.

• Northwest Nazarene is ranked No. 6 in the latest D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the second consecutive week. The Nighthawks are also ranked No. 5 in the NCAA West Region Rankings.

• Northwest Nazarene has won three straight games to improve to 18-6 overall. The Nighthawks sit in second place with a 13-3 conference mark and will play their final home games of the season this week, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s went 2-0 in Oregon last week, beating Concordia on Thursday, 60-48, and Western Oregon on Saturday, 62-59.

• Bria Thames led the Saints with 33 points and 23 rebounds while connecting on 44.8 percent from the field. Thames put up eight points, 13 rebounds and three assists at Concordia then followed with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10 of 19 from the field at Western Oregon. Thames leads the GNAC with 11.4 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in scoring with 14.8 points per game. She also ranks 19th in Division II with 12 double-doubles.

• Claire Dingus finished the week with 28 points, 19 rebounds and three steals. Dingus registered a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8 of 11 from the field at CU. She closed the week just short of another double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds to go with three steals. Dingus leads the conference and ranks sixth in Division II with 4.7 offensive rebounds per game.

• The Saints already played a game this week, beating neighboring Seattle Pacific on Tuesday, 63-58, to extend their win streak to four games.

• Saint Martin’s improved to 13-11 overall and 8-9 in conference play. The Saints will finish the week at home, hosting Montana State Billings on Thursday with sixth place at stake.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split in Oregon last week, beating Western Oregon on Thursday, 55-53, before losing a close 59-54 game at Concordia on Saturday.

• Madi Hingston led the Falcons with 36 points and 11 rebounds on the road trip to go with five assists, four blocks and two steals. Hingston scored 18 points in both games, connecting on 59.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. She is averaging 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

• Natalie Hoff finished the week with totals of 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block, making 61.5 percent from the field. Hoff’s week was highlighted by a 14-point, eight-rebound performance in the Falcons’ two-point win in Monmouth.

• The Falcons rank second in the GNAC with a .753 free throw percentage and third with a .391 field goal percentage defense.

• The Falcons already played a game this week, losing at Saint Martin’s on Tuesday, 63-58.

• The Falcons will finish the week at home, hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser went 0-2 at home last week, losing 83-74 to Central Washington on Thursday and 99-91 to Northwest Nazarene in overtime on Saturday.

• Jessica Jones led the GNAC with 47 points last week to go with seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Jones scored 15 points and added six rebounds and four steals against the Wildcats. She finished the week with 32 points on 10 of 27 from the field and 7 of 17 from beyond the arc to go with three rebounds. Jones ranks 17th in Division II with 74 three-pointers made.

• Claudia Hart finished the week with totals of 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Her week was highlighted by 22 points on 9 of 15 from the field and 4 of 7 from outside against CWU.

• Tayler Drynan, the team’s only senior, scored 13 points in both games. She also contributed 10 assists and four rebounds on the week.

• Simon Fraser is ranked No. 9 in the first NCAA West Region Rankings of the season.

• Simon Fraser dropped to 16-10 overall and is tied for third place with Western Washington with an 11-5 conference mark. The Clan will be on the road for its final four games of the regular season, playing at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and at Alaska on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon saw its losing streak extend to 10 games last week with a 55-53 loss to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a 62-59 loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday in Monmouth.

• Rachel Rogers led the Wolves with 20 points to go with eight rebounds, five assists and five steals as she connected on 53.3 percent from the field in the two games. Rogers opened the week with eight points, four rebounds and four assists against the Falcons. She closed the week with 12 points, four rebounds and four steals against the Saints.

• Tresai McCarver finished the week with totals of 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Her week was highlighted by 11 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Saints. McCarver is averaging 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

• The Wolves will take to the road for the final time this season, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 1-1 at home last week, losing 79-72 to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before bouncing back to top in-state rival Central Washington on Saturday, 77-69.

• Anna Schwecke led the Vikings with 28 points and 19 rebounds to go with four blocks, two assists and two steals. Schwecke scored 12 points on 4 of 8 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line to go with seven rebounds against NNU. She then registered a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds on 7 of 11 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line against CWU. Schwecke is averaging 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while ranking second in the GNAC with a .607 field goal percentage and a .859 free throw percentage.

• Lexie Bland finished the week with 28 points, 13 assists, three steals and a rebound. Her week was highlighted by a 22-point, nine-assist performance in Saturday’s win over the Wildcats.

• Western Washington is ranked No. 7 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the second straight week. The Vikings are also ranked No. 7 in the NCAA West Region Rankings.

• Western Washington is 17-7 overall and sits in a tie for third place with Simon Fraser with an 11-5 conference mark. The Vikings will head to Alaska this week, playing in Fairbanks on Thursday and in Anchorage on Saturday.