Tuesday, December 14, 2021

It takes a special performance to win GNAC Player of the Week when your team doesn’t win a game, but that’s exactly what Central Washington center Samantha Bowman gave to win her second weekly award of the year.

With Christmas around the corner, it’s stocking stuffer season, and Bowman is better at stuffing stat lines than just about anyone else in the country. Her presence was a gift for CWU against Northwest Nazarene, when she recorded 29 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and three blocks to keep the Wildcats in it in an eventual 61-59 loss. Bowman ranks second in Division II in blocks per game (3.4) and rebounds per game (14.9).

Elsewhere around the league, Saint Martin’s guard Tierney DeDonatis proved it’s better to give than to receive by dishing out a career-high 10 assists in a 75-56 win over Evergreen State, the most in a single game by a GNAC player this year.

Western Oregon used a total team effort to obliterate Corban 77-39. Madisyn Clark (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Meadow Aragon (17 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Wolves, who tallied 60 rebounds, 21 assists and 13 steals as a team.

With time winding down until the holidays, teams have six days of competition before play shuts down from December 20-30, and many of them are choosing to take a Christmas vacation.

Undefeated No. 5/1 Alaska Anchorage is smartly leaving behind the negative temperatures of Alaska for a week in the tropics of Hawaii, but UAA will be putting the “games” in fun and games by facing Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday, Concord on Friday and Hawaii Hilo on Sunday.

No. 10/8 Western Washington, the GNAC’s other unbeaten, will go to the Bay Area for a PacWest triple-header, taking on Academy of Art on Tuesday, Dominican (Calif.) on Thursday and Holy Names on Friday. Montana State Billings will head to Las Vegas for a pair of games, meeting West Texas A&M on Friday and Rollins on Saturday.

GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Samantha Bowman
Central Washington
C • 6-3 • Jr. • Zillah, Wash.
Bowman was a force in the Wildcats’ game at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. She finished with a double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds to go with five steals, three blocks and an assist, shooting 11 of 18 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point range and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. Central Washington fell in a close 61-59 contest.

Also Nominated: Teagan Thurman (Northwest Nazarene), Tierney DeDonatis (Saint Martin’s), Madisyn Clark (Western Oregon)

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska has not played since Nov. 27. They have had two games postponed in that span. The Nanooks were last on the court at home over Thanksgiving weekend. They lost 77-69 to then-No. 15 Tampa on Nov. 25, 76-61 to Northwood on Nov. 26 and 87-62 to Southern Nazarene on Nov. 27.
• The youth movement is in full effect up in Fairbanks, with a quartet of freshmen as massive contributors. Freshman Destiny Riemers led the way, scoring 21 points with eight rebounds on Thanksgiving against Tampa and 19 points and six boards against Northwood. Claudia Diez Marti scored a season-high 15 points against Northwood while playing all 40 minutes, making three three-pointers. Pearle Green chipped in 15 points against Tampa.
• Paola Perez-Mendoza, yet another freshman, averaged 4.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game over the three Thanksgiving games. She leads the GNAC and ranks seventh in Division II with 3.4 steals per game. Perez-Mendoza recorded five steals against both Tampa and Northwood.
• Green and Reimers rank seventh and eighth in the GNAC with 15.0 and 14.6 points per game, respectively, and they are tied with one another for fifth in the GNAC with 1.8 steals per game. Green leads the conference and ranks 11th in Division II with 3.2 made three-pointers per game.
• Green leads the conference with 36.3 minutes per game, while Diez Marti and Reimers also rank in the GNAC’s top ten in minutes per game.
• Alaska ranks second in the GNAC in steals per game (10.0) and third in assists per game (15.6).
• Alaska does not have a scheduled game until GNAC play resumes on December 30.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage did not play last week. Their last game was against then-No. 25 Saint Martin’s on the road on December 2. The Seawolves defeated the Saints, 66-58.
• Junior guard Nicole Pickney led the way against Saint Martin’s with 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting, including 3 of 3 on three-pointers. Pickney is averaging a team-high 10.8 points per game, ranks third in the conference with 4.3 assists per game and is tied for fifth in the GNAC with a .400 three-point percentage.
• Tennae Voliva recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Saints, including six offensive boards. Voliva ranks third in the GNAC with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game and second with 2.5 steals per game.
• As a team, UAA recorded 20 steals against Saint Martin’s, a single-game high by a GNAC team this season. Seven players had multiple steals, led by Pickney, Voliva and Ra’Anna Bey with three apiece. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank 19th in Division II with 12.8 steals per game.
• The Seawolves’ scoring margin of +21.5 ranks seventh in Division II and their turnover margin of +10.17 ranks fourth nationally. Opponents are shooting only 33 percent against UAA, giving them the 14th-best field goal defense in Division II.
• For the fifth straight week, the D2SIDA Media Poll rates Alaska Anchorage as the No. 1 team in the country. The Seawolves finished tied for No. 5 in the WBCA Coaches Poll, up from No. 7.
• The Seawolves have three games in Hawaii this week. They will face Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday and Concord on Friday as part of the Malika Sports Oahu Christmas Classic. Alaska Anchorage then travels to the Big Island to face Hawaii Hilo on Sunday. Hawaii Hilo received votes in the most recent D2SIDA West Region rankings.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington fell to 1-2 in GNAC play, dropping a narrow 61-59 decision to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
• The team’s loss was no fault of junior center Samantha Bowman. Returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games, Bowman put up a Player of the Week-winning performance with 29 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Bowman shot 11 of 18 from the field and made 3 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 6 free throws.
• Bowman has a case for being the best post player in Division II right now. She ranks second in Division II in rebounds per game (14.9) and blocks per game (3.4) while leading Division II in defensive rebounds per game (10.1). Bowman is also leading the GNAC in scoring with 18.6 points per game.
• Kizzah Maltezo was the other Wildcat in double figures, scoring 12 points of 5-for-14 shooting to go with four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Maltezo ranks third in the GNAC with 17.4 points per game and second with 2.6 three-pointers made per game.
• Freshman point guard Valerie Huerta got the first start of her collegiate career against NNU after scoring 14 points off the bench December 4 against MSUB. Huerta tallied four points, three assists and a career-high six rebounds.
• The Wildcats are willing to get into shootouts with their opponents, both scoring and allowing the third-most points per game in the GNAC. Between Bowman, Maltezo and senior forward Kassidy Malcolm (15.4 points per game), CWU has three of the top five scorers in the conference.
• The Wildcats ranked No. 9 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the third straight week.
• Central Washington will travel to Southern California in the later part of the week, taking on Concordia Irvine on Saturday and Cal State LA on Monday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings came up frustratingly short in the battle for Billings, losing to local rivals Rocky Mountain 73-65 on Saturday. The ‘Jackets also hung tough with Division I Montana State in a Thursday exhibition, falling 82-81 in double overtime.
• Cariann Kunkel was MSUB’s most impressive player against Montana State, scoring 24 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Shayla Montague had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 4 of 10 three-point attempts.
• In the counting game against Rocky Mountain, it was Kortney Nelson’s turn to shine. The sophomore guard just missed a double-double but still tallied a career-high 16 points with nine rebounds.
• Danielle Zahn shot the lights out off the bench against the Battlin’ Bears, hitting 4 of 5 three-point attempts as part of an overall 6-for-10 night from the field. Zahn finished with 16 points and three assists. Zahn leads the GNAC and ranks 16th in Division II with 47 total assists, and she is fourth in the conference with 3.9 assists per game.
• Senior forward Shannon Reny made the most of her time on the court, scoring 12 points in 12 minutes. Reny is averaging three points per game.
• Montana State Billings received votes in the D2SIDA West Region poll for the third straight week.
• The Yellowjackets head to Las Vegas for two games over the weekend, taking on West Texas A&M on Friday and Rollins on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene pulled out a key GNAC win, topping Central Washington 61-59 on Saturday.
• Nyalam Thabach continues to pace the Nighthawks, recording a team-high 13 points with eight rebounds. Thabach ranks 10th in the GNAC in scoring (13 points per game) and ninth in rebounding (6.9 per game).
• Teagan Thurman is making a strong preliminary case for Freshman of the Year after recording a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Thurman has only two double-doubles this year but is nearly averaging one for the season with 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the GNAC.
• Forward Erin Jenkins had a solid game with 11 points and seven rebounds against CWU. Jenkins is averaging 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
• Freshman Ashlynn Sylve (fourth at .579) and Thabach (sixth at .533) are among the conference leaders in field goal percentage. Sylve was 3-for-6 from the field against NNU.
• The Nighthawks are shooting 42.5 percent from the field, which ranks third in the conference. Their 39 rebounds per game as a team also ranks third in the GNAC.
• Thanks in large part to the head-to-head win over No. 9 Central Washington, the Nighthawks rejoined the D2SIDA West Region rankings this week at No. 8 after receiving votes last week.
• After the NNU men took home a Mayor’s Cup victory last week, the NNU women will hope to follow suit when they take on College of Idaho in a rivalry matchup on Tuesday. The Nighthawks then will host Lincoln (Calif.) on Friday. The Oaklanders previously lost 89-26 to Western Washington.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s took care of business against local rivals Evergreen State, defeating the Geoducks 75-56.
• Freshman Rian Clear continued her breakout stretch of play, leading all scorers with 22 points, including four three-pointers, while chipping in seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Clear is averaging 12.8 points per game but has 19.5 points per game on 16-for-30 shooting in her past two games.
• Tierney DeDonatis recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists. The 10 assists was a career-high for DeDonatis and a single-game high for a GNAC player so far this season, while also completing the first points/assists double-double of the year in the GNAC. DeDonatis leads the conference with five assists per game, which is good for 27th in Division II.
• Claire Dingus shot 6 of 12 from the field and just missed another Saints double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Dingus is second in the conference in both scoring (18.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.3), trailing only CWU’s Samantha Bowman in both categories.
 • Sophomore guard Janealle Sutterlict notched season-highs with 13 points and five rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes off the bench. She is averaging four points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
• Saint Martin’s ranks second in the conference and 21st in Division II with 16.9 assists per game.
• The Saints fell a spot to No. 6 in the D2SIDA West Region rankings.
• Saint Martin’s faces a pair of West Coast opponents this week, hosting Division III Pacific (Ore.) on Friday and NAIA school Simpson (Calif.) on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific remarkably lost twice in three days by the exact same score, losing 57-55 to Stanislaus State on Thursday and D2SIDA No. 21 Cal State East Bay on Saturday.
• Against Stanislaus State, the two Falcons to score in double figures both came off the bench. Guard Bayley Brennan had 12 points on 3 of 7 from the field, all of which came from behind the arc. Freshman center Schuyler Berry set career-highs of 11 points and five rebounds. Berry was given the first start of her career on Saturday against Cal State East Bay and scored eight points with three rebounds.
• Beth Pettingill took the baton for the game against Cal State East Bay, scoring 15 points with nine rebounds. Pettingill is third on the team in scoring (7.1 points per game) and rebounding (3.5 per game).
• Natalie Hoff grabbed eight rebounds against Stanislaus State before missing the game against Cal State East Bay. Hoff ranks sixth in the GNAC with 7.2 rebounds per game.
• Six of SPU’s 11 games have been decided by six points or less. The Falcons are 2-4 in those games. The Falcons have five losses against teams ranked in this week’s D2SIDA West Region rankings.
• Seattle Pacific has just one game this week, hosting Division III Puget Sound on Saturday. 

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser did not play last week. In their last action, SFU endured a 82-60 loss to No. 10/8 Western Washington on Saturday in the GNAC opener for both teams.
• Jessica Wisotzki has likely been the breakout star of the season so far in the GNAC. While her totals were more modest compared to her 25-point games of weeks past, she still paced Simon Fraser with 13 points of 5 of 15 shooting to go with four rebounds against WWU. Wisotzki is fourth in the league in scoring at 16.4 points per game.
• Forward Claudia Hart and guard Emma Kramer had 10 points apiece for SFU. Kramer did all of her work from the field on 5-for-7 shooting while Hart got to the line and made 5 of 6 free throws.
• Junior guard Sophie Klassen came off the bench to score eight points and grab a team-high six rebounds. Klassen is averaging 5.1 points and five rebounds per game.
• Simon Fraser ranks fourth in the GNAC in scoring offense (67.9 points per game) and tied for third in steals per game (8.4).
• Simon Fraser hosts fellow Canadian school Capilano on Friday. The Blues are 5-3 this season.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon took care of Corban with a 77-39 victory on Saturday. The 38-point margin of victory was the third-largest for a GNAC team this year.
• Freshman guard Madisyn Clark had the best game of her young career. Starting for the first time, Clark had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds along with four assists, all of which were career-highs. Clark shot 6-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range.
• Meadow Aragon was just half a step behind Clark with her own 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Aragon shot 8-for-14 from the field. She ranks second in the GNAC with a .609 field goal percentage and ranks ninth in scoring (12.9 points per game), and her 2.7 blocks per game are second in the GNAC and ninth in Division II.
 • Western Oregon grabbed 60 rebounds as a team against Corban, the most by a GNAC team this season. A remarkable 24 were offensive rebounds. In addition to Clark and Aragon pulling in 10 apiece, Tresai McCarver (nine) and Ana McClave (six rebounds, three blocks) had big rebounding days.
• Cali McClave had a well-rounded stat line of eight points, five assists and three steals. The sophomore guard ranks eighth in the GNAC with 1.7 steals per game.
• The Wolves rank fifth in the GNAC in scoring offense and defense, but their +6.6 scoring margin ranks third.
• Western Oregon’s rebound margin of +9.4 ranks second in the GNAC and 14th in Division II. The Wolves are also second in the conference in field goal percentage (.438).
• Western Oregon will next take the court on December 20 for an exhibition game against Division I Seattle University. Their next game to count in the standings will be December 30 when the GNAC season restarts.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not play this week. They recorded two big wins on December 2 and 4, blowing out Lincoln (Calif.), a first-year program, 89-26 before opening the GNAC season in style with an 82-60 win over Simon Fraser.
• The 63-point margin of victory over Lincoln is the largest in the GNAC this season. That game also set single-game highs for assists (25) and opponent lows for points and field goals made (10). The Vikings held the Oaklanders to 18 percent shooting and without a three-pointer in nine attempts.
• Emma Duff averaged 13.5 points per game to lead WWU. She had 13 points and six rebounds against Lincoln before scoring 14 points with nine rebounds against Simon Fraser.
• Freshman Truitt Reilly had the biggest game of her young career with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double against Lincoln. Gracie Castaneda led all scorers with 15 against the Oaklanders, but a balanced Vikings attack saw seven players reach double figures.
• Guard Avery Dykstra led the way against Simon Fraser with 16 points and four assists. Dykstra shot 6-for-8 from the field. She leads the GNAC with a .611 field goal percentage. Dani Iwami had a full stat line against SFU, with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals. Iwami went 3-for-4 from three-point range. She leads the conference with a .526 three-point percentage (10-19).
• Western Washington is now a consensus top-10 team. They rose one spot in both polls, to No. 8 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. They remain at No. 2 in the D2SIDA West Region rankings behind Alaska Anchorage.
• The Vikings will play three games in three days in Northern California against a trio of PacWest opponents. They will face the Academy of Art on Tuesday, Dominican (Calif.) on Wednesday and Holy Names on Thursday.