Tuesday, January 17, 2023

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Samantha Bowman
Central Washington
C • 6-3 • Sr. • Zillah, Wash.

Bowman secured her third Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award after helping CWU sweep the Alaska road trip. She opened her week with the seventh triple-double in conference history with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists against UAA. She followed that up with her GNAC-leading 16th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds. For the week, Bowman averaged 18 points, 15.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 85% from the free-throw line.

Also Nominated: Destiny Reimers (Alaska), Jahnna Hajdukovich (Alaska Anchorage), Kourtney Nelson (Montana State Billings), Danika Starr (Northwest Nazarene), Jessica Wisotzki (Simon Fraser), Brooke Walling (Western Washington)

AROUND THE GNAC

ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both of its games at home last week, falling 90-88 in overtime to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and 73-56 to Central Washington on Saturday.

• The Nanooks came up just short on Thursday behind a 31-point performance from junior guard Emma McKenney on 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 11 from three-point range and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.  Alaska came back from a 21-9 deficit after the first quarter to force overtime.

• On Saturday, the shooting cooled off against Central Washington as the Nanooks were led by freshman forward Kayla Johnson who put up 13 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.

• Alaska will hit the road this week to face Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage split its week at home, falling 71-47 to Central Washington on Thursday before bouncing back with a 68-58 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• The Seawolves shut down the Nighthawks’ three-point game, holding NNU to just 3 of 19 from beyond the three-point arc. Junior guard Hayley Berfield led the offense with 15 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.

• For the week, sophomore forward Kate Robertson led UAA with an average of nine points per game. Robertson’s high point of the week came on Saturday where she finished with 12 points to go with two rebounds and a steal while shooting 67.7% from the field.

• Alaska Anchorage will be back on the road this week, traveling to Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington swept its Alaska road trip last week taking a 71-47 win over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and a 73-56 win over Alaska on Saturday.

• Senior center Samantha Bowman put on a show on Thursday, leading all scorers and recording the first triple-double in the conference since 2016 with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists while adding five blocks and a steal for good measure. She backed that performance up on Saturday when she posted her conference-leading 16th double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Nanooks. Bowman’s impressive performances earned her GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors for the third time this season.

• In terms of pure points production last week, sophomore point guard Valerie “Sunshine” Huerta was not to be outdone. She led the Wildcats and the GNAC with 20 points per game while shooting 58% from the field, 60% from three-point range and a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.  Her week was highlighted by a 27-point performance against UAF where she knocked down 27 points and went 10 for 18 from the field.

• Central Washington will return home to face Northwest Nazarene for its only game of the week on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings took a 66-49 win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday in its only game of the week to leapfrog the Falcons for second in the GNAC standings.

• The Yellowjackets stood tall against SPU’s offense, holding the Falcons to 39.6% from the field and 23.1% from three-point range. Montana State Billings also capitalized on its own opportunities with the team shooting 50% from the field, 52.9% from beyond the three-point arc and 90% from the free-throw line.

• Sophomore guard Aspen Giese and senior forward Cariann Kunkel finished with 12 points apiece in the win. Aspen added three rebounds, an assist and a steal to her scoreline while Kunkle posted five boards, three assists and three steals.

• Montana State Billings will close out a three-game homestand with games against Simon Fraser on Saturday and Western Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its week in Alaska with a 90-88 overtime win over the Nanooks on Thursday before falling 68-58 to the Seawolves on Saturday.

• Junior forward Clare Eubanks was the top offensive threat for the Nighthawks in their Thursday win, putting up 16 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Eubanks led a balanced scoring effort for NNU with Cami Knishka, Jordan Pinson and Kate Clark all scoring in double-digits.

• On Saturday, freshman forward Danika Starr led all scorers with 19 points shooting 5 for 8 from the field and 9 for 10 from the free-throw line. Starr also pulled in six rebounds on the night.

• The Nighthawks lead the GNAC and rank 16th in Division II with an average of 22.81 turnovers forced per game.

• Northwest Nazarene will only play once this week, traveling to Ellensburg to take on Central Washington on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s split its week on the road, falling 81-65 to Western Washington on Thursday before bouncing back for the Saints’ first conference win of the season, 61-57, over Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Junior guard Anjel Galbraith led SMU for the week averaging 19 points, 6.5 assists and three steals per game. Galbraith opened her week with a 20-point performance against the Vikings before knocking down 18 points to go with eight assists and two steals in Saturday’s win. Galbraith leads the GNAC and ranks ninth in Division II with an average of 37.31 minutes played per game.

• Freshman guard Kiana Rios put together another strong week, averaging 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Rios did most of her damage on Thursday where she put up 15 points to go along with three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

• Saint Martin’s hosts the Alaska schools this week, facing the Nanooks on Thursday and the Seawolves on Saturday for a brief two-game homestand.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped its only game of the week with a 66-49 loss on the road to Montana State Billings. The loss saw the Falcons slip behind the Yellowjackets to third in the conference standings.

• Sophomore gaurd Anna Eddy and senior guard/forward Ashley Alter were the highest scoring players for SPU with 10 points each. Eddy added six rebounds, two assists and one steal to her scoreline. Alter ranks seventh in the GNAC in scoring with an average of 15.2 points per game while Eddy ranks 23rd with 10.1 per game.

• As a team, the Falcons rank second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 57.3 points per game. They also rank second with rebounding defense, allowing opponents an average of 30.5 boards per game.

• Seattle Pacific will return home this week to face Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split its week at home with a 70-44 win over Western Oregon on Thursday before dropping a 61-57 decision to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior guard Grace Killins spearheaded the offense for the Red Leafs in Thursday’s win. Killins knocked down 20 points while shooting 63.6% from the field and 75% from three-point range and added four rebounds and two assists to her totals.

• The Wisotzki sisters led SFU for the week with Jessica Wisotzki averaging 16 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while Sophia Wisotzki averaged 15 points and two rebounds per game. Sophia Wisotzki was a precise offensive threat for the Red Leafs, shooting 71% from the field, 80% from three-point range and going 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.

• Simon Fraser will begin a four-game road trip this week, traveling to face Montana State Billings on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon took two losses last week, falling 70-44 to Simon Fraser on Thursday and 67-47 to Western Washington on Saturday.

• Senior guard Princy Paaluhi-Caulk led the Wolves offense for the week, averaging 15 points and three rebounds per game. Paaluhi-Caulk’s week was highlighted by a 20-point performance against the Vikings where she also added four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

• Western Oregon has been one of the best teams in the conference at managing the ball and forcing turnovers and ranks third in the GNAC in steals with 9.4 per game and fourth in the conference with a turnover margin of +1.27.

• Western Oregon will return home this week to host Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington kept the good times rolling with an 81-65 win over Saint Martin’s on Thursday and a 67-47 win over Western Oregon on Saturday to extend its win streak to 13 games.

• Redshirt freshman guard Mason Oberg and junior forward Brooke Walling both led the charge for the Vikings averaging 14.5 point per game. Oberg led all scorers against the Wolves, putting up 22 points to go with three rebounds, two steals and two assists. Walling put together her best performance of the week on Thursday with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Walling followed that up with her seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds on Saturday.

• The Vikings lead the GNAC and Division II with 6.6 blocks per game and a rebound margin of 13.9.

• Western Washington will begin a four-game road trip this week with games against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Montana State Billings on Saturday.