Tuesday, December 13, 2022

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Anjel Galbraith
Saint Martin’s
G • 5-5 • Jr. • Vallejo, Calif.

Galbraith was named the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after exploding for 30 points, five, rebounds and seven steals in SMU’s 101-60 win over Evergreen State. She shot 91.7% from the field and 87.5% from the free-throw line, leading the Saints to their first 100-plus point performance since 2018.

Also Nominated: Jahanna Hajdukovich (Alaska Anchorage), Samantha Bowman (Central Washington), Aspen Giese (Montana State Billings), Maya Hoff (Seattle Pacific), Princy Paaluhi-Caulk (Western Oregon)

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska bounced back from losses last week with a pair of non-conference home wins over Multnomah, 84-49 on Friday and 85-55 on Saturday.

• Sophomore forward Ellen Silva led the way for the Nanooks on Friday, putting up a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds while shooting a perfect 10 for 10 from the field and knocking down all but one of her five attempts from the free-throw line. For the week, Silva shot 92% from the field, only missing one shot, and averaged 16 points,10 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

• Junior guard Emma McKenney led UAF last week, averaging 19 points, three rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. McKenney was particularly dangerous from long range, shooting 63% from beyond the three-point arc across both wins.

• Rebounding has been a strength for the Nanooks early in the season. They rank fourth in the GNAC in defensive rebounds per game (31), offensive rebounds per game (13.4) and total rebounds per game (43.78). Their defensive rebounds and total rebounds rank 15th and 22nd in Division II, respectively.

• Alaska will not play again until after the holiday break when it travels to Simon Fraser on Dec. 29.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage took back-to-back wins over William Jewell at Alaska Airlines Center 87-83 on Saturday and 75-56 on Saturday.

• The Seawolves got off to a slow start on Saturday and were limited to only 11 points in the first quarter. They bounced back to finish strong, however, outscoring the Cardinals in every other frame. Senior guard Vishe’ Rabb led the way for the UAA, knocking down 27 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals. She led the Seawolves on the week, averaging 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field.

• Alaska Anchorage came up big after halftime on Sunday, using a third quarter where the Seawolves outscored the Cardinals 25-7 to cement the sweep. Rabb was joined in double-digit scoring by senior guard Jahnna Hajdukovich for the second game in a row while junior guard Hayley Berfield also chipped in for 13 points.

• Hajdukovich put up 14 points on Sunday to go along with six rebounds and three assists. For the week, she averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists per game. She shot 60% from the field, going 14 for 33.

• Alaska Anchorage will travel down to California this week, facing Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday before taking on Bethesda (Calif.) on Monday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington only played one game last week after its Friday game against Lincoln (Calif.) was canceled due to weather restricting travel. The Wildcats took a resounding 93-48 win over Northwest (Wash.) on Saturday.

• The Wildcats outscored the Eagles by 10 or more points in all but one quarter and were led by senior guard Samantha Bowman’s monster double-double of 30 points and 12 rebounds. She was one of four players to score in the double-digits for CWU along with Ashley Schow, Asher Cai and Valerie Huerta.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and Division II with 33.2 defensive rebounds per game. Bowman also leads the same statistical category for individual players with an average of 10.9 defensive boards per game. The Wildcats also lead the conference and rank fifth in the division with an average of 10.4 three-pointers made per game.

• Central Washington will remain home ahead of the holiday break, hosting Whitman on Saturday and Walla Walla on Monday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings took a pair of dominant wins last week with a 77-48 win over Rocky Mountain on Thursday and a 91-43 win over Montana State Northern on Saturday.

• The Yellowjackets took advantage of scoring depth throughout the week, with six players averaging double-digit points across the two wins. Sophomore guard Aspen Giese led the way for MSUB with an average of 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. On the week, she shot 66% from the field and three-point range.

• Junior forward/guard Natalie Andreas led the way for the Yellowjackets on Friday, putting up 17 points to go along with five boards, and an assist in just 19 minutes of play. Aspen was one of two players to score 13 points in Saturday’s win over Montana State Northern along with senior guard Skylar Patton. The two led five MSUB players to score in the double-digits with all 10 players who suited up scoring.

• Montana State Billings will be back in action this week for the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas where it will face Texas A&M Kingsville on Friday and Lubbock Christian on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene only played one game this week, dropping a hard-fought 76-72 exhibition at Division I Utah Valley on Saturday.

• The Nighthawks bounced back from an initially slow start to lead after the first, second and third quarters, but just got edged out in the final frame. Junior forward Clare Eubanks led the way for NNU, putting up 16 points to go along with three rebounds, an assist and a block.

• Senior guard McKenna Castledine also scored in the double-digits, knocking down 12 points to go with five boards, four steals and an assist. Castledine ranks fourth in the GNAC with 18 steals this season and is also No. 2 in the conference and No. 19 in the division with a 91.2 free-throw percentage.

• Northwest Nazarene will make the trip down to California this week, facing Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata on Saturday before heading further south to take on San Francisco State on Monday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s played only one game this week, but made it a memorable one as the Saints blew away Evergreen State 101-60 on Saturday.

• Junior guard Anjel Galbraith earned her first GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award of the season as she flirted with a triple-double and finished the game with 30-points, five rebounds, nine assists and six steals.

• Galbraith led four SMU players to score in the double-digits along with Kiana Rios, Lauryn Morris and Avery Oaster. Rios also cracked the 20-point mark, scoring 26 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and four steals. All 10 players who played for the Saints scored.

• Saint Martin’s will remain idle until New Year’s Eve when they will host Western Oregon.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific took a pair of non-conference wins, defeating Lincoln (Calif.) 65-44 at home on Thursday before traveling to face Dominican (Calif.) on Monday for a 63-35 victory.

• Sophomore center Berry Schuyler led the charge for the Falcons averaging 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks per game while going 10 for 17 from the field and 4 for 6 from the free-throw line. Schuyler led the team on Thursday with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and an assist.

• On Monday, it was sophomore guard Anna Eddy who led a trio of SPU players in double-digit scoring with 15 points to go with her five rebounds, one block and a steal.

• Seattle Pacific will finish its short road trip on Wednesday as it faces Holy Names before returning home to host Stanislaus State on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser will remain idle until after the holiday break on Dec. 29 when it will host Alaska.

• Last time out, SFU dropped its GNAC season-opener 69-60 to Western Washington at home on Dec.3.

• The Red Leafs were led by the Wisotzki sisters who both put up double-digit points against the Vikings. Junior guard/forward Jessica Wisotzki led the way in points, connecting for 20 to go along with three rebounds and two steals.

• Sophomore guard Sophia Wisotzki wasn’t far behind her sister with 17 points and matched her with three rebounds while also adding four assists and three steals.

• Jessica Wisotzki has proved to be a lethal offensive threat in the early stages of the season leading the GNAC and ranking second in Division II with 25 points per game while her 70.8  three-point percentage leads the conference and the division.

• As a team, the Red Leafs lead the conference and rank fourth in the division with a 41.2 three-point percentage.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon ended its season-opening eight-game road trip with a 77-54 win at Corban on Friday before coming home to break in a new court with a 67-51 victory over Willamette on Saturday.

• The Wolves were led by senior guard Princy Paaluhi-Caulk in both games. Paaluhi-Caulk averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three steals per game while shooting 73% on 17 of 23 from the field across the two wins. On Friday, she put up 17 points to go along with five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Paaluhi-Caulk followed that up on Saturday with 20 points while adding six rebounds, five steals and an assist.

• The Wolves’ solid wins over non-conference competition earned them GNAC Team of the Week honors.

• Western Oregon will be back in action ahead of the holiday break as it hits the road once more to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and Cal State San Bernardino on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington has not played since extending its win streak to five games with a 73-64 win at Point Loma on Nov. 29 and a 69-60 win at Simon Fraser to open conference play on Dec. 3.

• Senior guard Avery Dykstra paced the Vikings that week, averaging 15.5 points per game while going 13 for 14 from the free-throw line. She opened the week with 19 points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal on Tuesday. She then put up 12 points, two rebounds, two blocks, one assist,and one steal against SFU.

• Junior forward Brooke Walling ranks top 10 in the conference in seven statistical categories including rebounding (2nd), field goal percentage (4th), assists per game (6th), blocked shots (1st), assist/turnover ratio (8th), offensive rebounds per game (T-3rd) and defensive rebounds per game (2nd).

• Western Washington will travel to Honolulu this week for the 2022 Hoops in Hawaii Classic where they will face host Hawaii Pacific on Friday, Fairmont State on Sunday and Chaminade on Monday.