Wednesday, March 6, 2024
by Thomas Lal

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - A familiar cast is ready to take the court in Ellensburg as the GNAC Basketball Championships get set to tip off on Thursday in Nicholson Pavilion on the campus of Central Washington University.

The women’s event, which runs in conjunction with the men’s tournament, features the top six teams from the 2023-24 GNAC regular season standings with the top two teams earning a first-round bye. This year’s field features the same six teams to take to the court at last year’s edition of the tournament.

‘JACKETS IN A NUTSHELL: Montana State Billings comes into the tournament fresh on the heels of its second regular season title in program history. After a season where they claimed four of the conference’s five special awards, the Yellowjackets come into the week looking for a second GNAC Championships victory. The ‘Jackets are led by the reigning GNAC Player of the Year, Kola Bad Bear who paces the team and ranked sixth in the GNAC in scoring during the regular season with 16.5 points per game. Bad Bear was also voted the Newcomer of the Year after transferring to MSUB from Division I Montana State. Kortney Nelson was named the Defensive Player of the Year ahead of the GNAC Championships for her role in one of the best defenses in the league. Nelson pulls in 3.7 defensive rebounds per game and 1.3 steals per contest while MSUB as a team holds opponents to a conference-low 58.7 points per game.

The ‘Jackets rank second in the league with 72.1 points per game while shooting 41.5% from the field, 34.5% from beyond the three-point arc and 81.2% from the free throw line. Head coach Kevin Woodin earned his second consecutive Coach of the Year award and fourth overall after leading the Yellowjackets to the regular season title. He will be looking to guide his team back to the GNAC Championships final after the ‘Jackets came up just short, falling 76-71, against Western Washington a year ago in Bellingham.

VIKINGS IN A NUTSHELL: Western Washington comes into the tournament looking to win its second consecutive GNAC Championships title after finishing runner-up in the regular season. The Vikings have been in strong form since day one of the regular season and are led by first-team all-conference forward Brooke Walling with 16.4 points per game while shooting a GNAC-leading 58.4% from the field. Last year’s tournament MVP, Walling also leads the team with nine rebounds per contest and leads the league with 12 double doubles. All-conference honorable mention Stephanie Peterson also plays a key role for the offense, averaging 3.9 assists per game to rank third in the conference. Peterson also leads the lead with 2.7 steals per contest. Second-team all-GNAC guard Mason Oberg figures to be a big presence in the tournament, ranking second on the team and 14th in the league with 11.7 points per game.

As a team, Western Washington averages a league-leading 72.2 points per game while shooting 46.6% from the field, 35.3% from long range and 74.3% from the free throw line. The Vikings also lead the conference with a +6.4 rebounding margin as they pull in 38.4 boards per game on average. Last year in Bellingham, WWU won its third GNAC Championships title by defeating Montana State Billings 76-71.

SEAWOLVES IN A NUTSHELL: Alaska Anchorage comes into the GNAC Championships looking to keep its momentum rolling after handing regular season champion Montana State Billings just its second conference loss on the final day of the regular season. The Seawolves are led by first team all-GNAC guard Senya Rabouin and second team all-conference forward Tori Hollingshead. Rabouin leads the league with 4.1 assists per game while also chipping in an average of 12.1 points per contest. Hollingshead leads the team and is 12th in the league with 13 points per game and pulls in an average of 6.7 rebounds per contest to rank ninth in the conference. The Seawolves’ top-scoring pair is backed up by Jazzpher Evans and all-GNAC honorable mention and 2023 Newcomer of the Year Vishe’ Rabb with 9.5 and nine points per game, respectively.

As a team, UAA averages 71 points per game while shooting 41% from the field, 31.1% from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line. The Seawolves also thrive on defense, leading the league with 13.4 steals per game while conceding just 60.5 points per contest. Alaska Anchorage is aiming to make it back to the GNAC Championships final where the team has played so often after an early exit in the quarterfinal of last year’s tournament where it fell 69-65 to Seattle Pacific.

WILDCATS IN A NUTSHELL: Last year saw the first time in conference history that a host won the GNAC Championships. Central Washington will be looking to match that feat this year as it hosts the tournament for the first time. The Wildcats come into the GNAC Championships with two of the top-scoring players in all of Division II. First team all-conference guard Asher Cai leads the league with 20 points per game to rank 10th in the nation while also pulling in nine rebounds per contest. She’s backed up by another first team all-conference guard in Sunny Huerta who averages 18.2 points per game to check in at No. 2 in the league and No. 28 in Division II. Capri Sims comes into the tournament on the heels of a freshman regular where she ranked third on the team with 9.5 points per contest and fourth in the league with 8.4 rebounds per game.

As a team, the Wildcats average 71 points per game while shooting 42.7% from the field, 34.2% from beyond the three-point arc and 77.1% from the free throw line. Central Washington has been especially dangerous from long range, averaging a GNAC-leading 8.1 three-pointers per contest. The Wildcats will be looking to improve on last year’s tournament which ended in the semifinals with a 75-62 loss to Montana State Billings.