By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Extending its winning streak to eight games, Saint Martin’s climbed to No. 17 in the latest NABC top-25 rankings released on Tuesday.
The Saints (16-2, 5-0 GNAC) hit the road this week, after knocking off Western Oregon 79-74 in their lone game last week. Northwest Nazarene (11-2, 4-1) was the other GNAC team appearing in the latest national poll, receiving votes after getting off to the best start in program history.
| This Week's GNAC Men's Basketball Schedule |
| Home Team |
Thursday, Jan. 16 |
Saturday, Jan. 18 |
| Alaska Anchorage |
BYE |
Alaska Fairbanks (3 p.m. AK) |
| Central Washington |
Seattle Pacific (7:30 p.m. PT) |
Montana State Billings (6:15 p.m. PT) |
| Northwest Nazarene |
Montana State Billings (7:30 p.m. MT) |
Seattle Pacific (7:30 p.m. MT) |
| Simon Fraser |
Western Oregon (7 p.m. PT) |
No. 17 Saint Martin's (7 p.m. PT) |
| Western Washington |
No. 17 Saint Martin's (7 p.m. PT) |
Western Oregon (7 p.m. PT) |
SAINTS PUT WINNING STREAK TO TEST ON ROAD: Winners of eight straight games, Saint Martin’s continues its road stretch this week at Western Washington (9-7, 1-5) on Thursday (7 p.m. PT) and Simon Fraser (5-11, 1-5) on Saturday (7 p.m. PT). The Saints outlasted Western Oregon 79-74 for a hard-fought road victory last week, keeping their league record unblemished as they remain solo atop the GNAC standings. Senior point guard
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner had five assists in the win over WOU, pushing his career total to 549 to move him up one spot to No. 5 on the GNAC all-time list. Entering this week’s games, Nielsen-Skinner ranks third in Division II with 106 assists, fourth in assist-turnover ratio at 4.42 and 12th in assists per game with 5.9.
Myles Samuels is the team’s leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, while
Immanuel Oludele ranks fifth in the league with 7.1 rebounds per game.
| GNAC Career Assists Leaders (as of Jan. 15) |
| Rank |
Player |
Assists |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Luke Cooper |
800 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2004-08 |
| 2 |
Kevin Tyner |
600 |
Western Oregon |
2002-06 |
| 3 |
Mark White |
594 |
Humboldt State |
2000-04 |
| 4 |
David Downs |
561 |
Seattle Pacific |
2010-14 |
| 5 |
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
544 |
Saint Martin's |
2021-25 |
| 6 |
Ryan Webb |
548 |
Seattle |
2003-07 |
| 7 |
Jake Linton |
496 |
Saint Martin's |
2005-09 |
| 8 |
Michael Provenzano |
482 |
Simon Fraser |
2016-20 |
| 9 |
Tony Binetti |
461 |
Seattle Pacific |
2002-06 |
| 10 |
Riley Stockton |
444 |
Seattle Pacific |
2011-15 |
WILDCATS EMERGE FROM ALASKA WITH 2 WINS: Central Washington (10-5, 4-1) took care of business on its road trip to Alaska last week, topping Alaska Fairbanks 93-74 and Alaska Anchorage 64-52 to move into a tie for second in the conference standings. CWU plays host to a Seattle Pacific team that also won both its games last week, with that game set for 7:30 p.m. (PT) on Thursday night at Nicholson Pavilion. CWU also welcomes Montana State Billings (11-7, 2-3) for a rematch of last year’s GNAC Championships semifinal game that ended with a memorable, game-winning three by then-senior Samaad Hector at the buzzer to send the ‘Cats to the title game.
Cavin Holden is the team’s leading scorer at 14.7 points per game, and is coming off a season-high 35 points in the win over the Nanooks last Thursday. Cavin’s point total was tied for the second most in a game by a GNAC player this season.
Maverick Sanders leads the team and ranks eighth in the conference with 6.3 rebounds per game,
Jordan Clark leads the GNAC in 3-point shooting at 51.7% and
Mitch Brizee is second in the GNAC in shooting at 64.3%.
Read More: Sanders’ Double-Double Powers Central (CWU Recap)
Maverick Sanders averages a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game for the Wildcats (Photo: Naveah Capetillo).
FALCONS FINDING FLIGHT: Seattle Pacific (7-9, 3-2) is among the league’s hottest teams entering the week winners of three straight. After topping Western Oregon 81-68 on Jan. 4, SPU out-gunned Western Washington 97-86 last Thursday and beat Simon Fraser 71-56 last Saturday to push its conference record north of .500. After the game at CWU on Thursday, SPU is set for a Saturday (7:30 p.m. MT) affair at Northwest Nazarene to cap a tough road trip this week. Reigning GNAC Player of the Week
Jaxon Nap ranks second in the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game and is coming off a 15-rebound effort last time out against the Red Leafs.
Owen Moriarty is the team’s leading scorer with his 16.6 points per game ranking him fifth in the league.
Trace Evans chips in 15.1 points per game and is leading the GNAC with a field-goal percentage of 67.5.
Read More: Sharp Free-Throw Shooting Lifts Falcons (SPU Recap)
Julian Mora and the Falcons enter the week on the heels of three straight victories (Photo: Rio Giancarlo).
NIGHTHAWKS SPLIT ON TOUGH TRIP: Northwest Nazarene (11-2, 4-1) walked away from its trip to Alaska with a split last week, beating UAA 71-63 before falling to UAF 71-62. The Nighthawks, who enter the week tied for second in the GNAC standings with the Wildcats, are set to host Montana State Billings on Thursday evening (7:30 p.m. MT) and Seattle Pacific on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. MT). NNU’s lineup features the GNAC’s leading scorer in newcomer
Kye Dickson, who is averaging 18.1 points per game while shooting 50.0% overall from the floor. Dickson is also third in the league with 7.4 rebounds per game.
Zane Foster is third in the conference in shooting at 63.5% and ranks second in the league with 1.3 blocked shots per game. Senior
Ryzin Bergersen leads the GNAC with 1.9 steals per game, and junior point guard
Yaru Harvey is sixth in the conference with 4.0 assists per game.
Read More: NNU Suffers 1st GNAC Defeat (NNU Recap)
Rayzhon Bergersen helped the Nighthawks to their best start in team history at 11-1 (Photo: Josh Burkholder).
NANOOKS, SEAWOLVES MEET IN RIVALRY CONTEST: The first of two rivalry games for the Alaska schools is set for Saturday afternoon in Anchorage (3 p.m. AK) as the Nanooks (8-7, 4-2) visit the Seawolves (10-9, 3-3) with a one-game edge in the conference standings. Alaska responded from a 93-74 loss to CWU last Thursday with the upset of the Nighthawks, giving the Nanooks three wins in their last four conference contests. Big man
Elyon Zevenbergen leads the conference with 9.7 rebounds per game, while
Jalai O’Keith ranks fourth in the GNAC with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Chris Lee is the team’s leading scorer with 16.9 points per game (third in GNAC) and
Isaiah Saams-Hoy adds 16.1 points per game (sixth in GNAC).
Read More: Nanooks Take Down Nighthawks (UAF Recap)
Chris Lee leads the Nanooks in scoring at 16.9 points per game (Photo: Kristen Pearson).
VIKINGS, RED LEAFS GRAB 1ST GNAC WINS: After starting their league slate 0-5, the Vikings (9-7, 1-5) jumped on reigning regular-season champion Montana State Billings last Saturday for an 84-70 triumph on the road. Simon Fraser had similar success with an 82-67 triumph over the ‘Jackets, before a 71-56 loss to SPU. WWU will look to build off the momentum as it faces conference-leading Saint Martin’s on Thursday (7 p.m. PT) and Western Oregon (3-12, 0-5) on Saturday (7 p.m. PT) in a pair of home contests. SFU will open against the Wolves on Thursday (7 p.m. PT) and will face the Saints on Saturday (7 p.m. PT).
WWU’s
Will Wilson leads the team with 15.3 points per game, ranking him ninth in the conference.
Grant Kepley is second in the league in 3-point shooting at 46.7%, third in assists with 4.5 per game and fourth in steals with 1.6 per game.
Garrett Levesque is fourth in the league in overall shooting at 61.4%. For SFU,
Luke Howard ranks second in the conference with 17.4 points per game and leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Irish Coquia is eighth in the conference with 15.7 points per game while ranking second with 4.8 assists per game and chipping in 1.5 steals per game.
Read More: Vikings Record 14-Point Road Win (WWU Recap)
WWU's Garrett Levesque is fourth in the GNAC in shooting at 61.4% (Photo: WWU Athletics).
YELLOWJACKETS HIT THE ROAD: Montana State Billings will look to shake off its three-game losing skid this week, as it travels to face Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday. Since Nov. 30, the Yellowjackets are 5-0 when scoring 80 or more points but are 0-5 when scoring fewer than 80 points. That trend is in sharp contrast to the opening month of the season, when MSUB went 6-2 with all six wins featuring sub-80 point totals. GNAC Preseason Player of the Year
Jalen Tot leads the team and ranks seventh in the GNAC with 16.0 points per game and is third in the conference with 1.9 steals per game. Newcomer
Kael Robinson is sixth in the conference with 6.7 rebounds per game and third in the league with 1.3 blocks per game.
Read More: Yellowjackets Stumble In Loss to WWU (MSUB Recap)
Jajuan Tot and the Yellowjackets play at NNU and CWU this weekend (Shi Robison Photography).
WOLVES CROSS THE BORDER THURSDAY: Western Oregon returns to league play on Thursday night at Simon Fraser (7:30 p.m. PT) as it looks to erase a three-game losing skid. WOU showed plenty of signs for hope last time out, battling the league’s top team fiercely in a five-point loss to the Saints at home. After Thursday’s clash against SFU, WOU will square off against the Vikings on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) in Bellingham, Wash.
Jason Gallant ranks fourth in the GNAC with 16.9 points per game, and is second in the league with 36.3 minutes per game. After scoring 555 points in two seasons at fellow NCAA Division II school Colorado Christian (2021-23), Gallant’s collegiate total is at 1,232 entering the week.
Brady Grier is the team’s top rebounder with 5.6 per game while
Zach Moore adds 5.3 boards per game.
Read More: Wolves In It Until The End (WOU Recap)
Anjay Cortez and the Wolves go international on Thursday night at Simon Fraser (Photo: Clayton Jones).
Marcel Stevens – Saint Martin’s University
A steady presence in the SMU lineup since arriving in the fall of 2023, Stevens has emerged into a key starter now in his second season with the Saints. Stevens has made 10 straight starts since Nov. 23 and has reached double figures in scoring in all but one GNAC game this season. Stevens gives the Saints a threat from the arc, as he has connected on multiple threes in 14 of 17 games this season including a season-high seven on Nov. 2 against Dallas Baptist. Stevens is coming off a 15-point effort in last week’s win over the Wolves, and prior to that he matched his season high with four steals in SMU’s 71-53 win over Seattle Pacific on Jan. 2. After averaging 7.8 points per game in 2023-24, Stevens has upped that figure to 12.4 points per game this season while shooting a sturdy 42.8% overall from the floor.
| GNAC In The National & Regional Rankings |
National top-25 rankings are released weekly by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (coach poll) and the D2 College Sports Communicators (media poll). The D2CSC also releases weekly regional top-10 rankings. Additional ranking information, including RPI projections, can be found in real time via
Inkblot Sports online here. The official NCAA regional rankings, which will eventually determine the eight-team field for the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships, will be released towards the end of the season beginning in February, 2025.
| NABC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Preseason (10/30) |
15. CWU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 1 (11/18) |
16. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/26) |
17. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (12/3) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 4 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/17 |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/31) |
22. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 7 (1/7) |
18. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
17. SMU |
RV NNU |
| D2CSC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Week 1 (11/11) |
16. SMU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 2 (11/18) |
12. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (11/25) |
15. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 4 (12/3) |
T25. SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/17) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 7 (1/7) |
11. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
8. SMU |
|
| D2CSC West Region Rankings |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
Team 5 |
| Week 1 (11/4) |
4. CWU |
6. MSUB |
10. SMU |
RV NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/11) |
3. SMU |
4. MSUB |
T6. WWU |
RV CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 3 (11/18) |
2. SMU |
4. WWU |
6. MSUB |
10. NNU |
|
| Week 4 (11/25) |
3. SMU |
6. WWU |
T7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
|
| Week 5 (12/2) |
4. SMU |
T6. WWU |
8. MSUB |
10. CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 6 (12/9) |
4. SMU |
6. CWU |
7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 7 (12/16) |
T3. SMU |
7. CWU |
8. MSUB |
10. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 8 (1/6) |
1. SMU |
T4. NNU |
10. MSUB |
|
|
| Week 9 (1/13) |
1. SMU |
T5. NNU |
10. CWU |
RV MSUB |
|
| Date |
Player of the Week |
School |
| 11/4 |
Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
| 11/11 |
Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
| 11/18 |
Louis Grante-Halliday |
Western Washington |
| 11/25 |
Irish Coquia |
Simon Fraser |
| 12/2 |
Garrett Anderson |
Central Washington |
| 12/9 |
Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 12/23 |
Kye Dickson |
Northwest Nazarene |
| 1/6 |
Sean Evans |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 1/13 |
Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
Jan. 13 GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Jaxon Nap – Seattle Pacific University
First-career player of the week.
Nap was a beast on the boards last week, pulling down 23 total to help the Falcons win a pair of conference games. In a 97-86 triumph over Western Washington last Thursday, Nap made 6 of 7 field goals on his way to 19 points while adding eight rebounds and three assists. On Saturday in a 71-56 triumph over Simon Fraser, Nap grabbed 15 rebounds while adding nine points, four assists and a pair of steals. Overall on the week the 6-foot-7 transfer from Montana shot 60.0% (9-for-15) while averaging 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Nap upped his season scoring average to 10.4 points per game, and the newcomer ranks second in the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game. Nap’s field-goal percentage of 52.7 ranks 10th in the conference as well.
SPU Head Coach Keffrey Fazio: “Jaxon has been playing well for us, and this past week his rebounding numbers were especially good. We rely on his consistency scoring and rebounding, and I think he’s an underrated passer as well. His focus has been on doing what it takes to win games, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Also Nominated: Bishop Tosi, Alaska Anchorage; Chris Lee, Alaska Fairbanks; Cavin Holden, Central Washington; Kael Robinson, Montana State Billings; Sullivan Menard, Northwest Nazarene; Myles Samuels, Saint Martin’s; Luke Howard, Simon Fraser; Jason Gallant, Western Oregon; Grant Kepley, Western Washington.
The 2025 GNAC Men’s and Women's Basketball Championships will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University in
Lacey, Wash. The top six teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the GNAC Championships (tiebreakers will be applied as necessary). The top two seeds earn byes to the semifinal round. The quarterfinal round will match the Nos. 3 and 6 seeds in one game and the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the other game. Quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet on Saturday for the championship. The winners of the GNAC Championships will automatically qualify for their respective NCAA Division II Championships events.
| 2024-25 All-Tournament Selections |
D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead
Nov. 1-3 at Billings, Mont. (Montana State Billings, Host)
Alaska Anchorage: Tyler Burraston
MSU Billings: Famous Lefthand; Kael Robinson
D2CCA Canadian Tipoff Classic
Nov. 1-3 at Langley, B.C. (Simon Fraser, Host)
Saint Martin’s: Myles Samuels; Jaden Nielsen-Skinner; Jayshawn Moore
West Region Crossover
Nov. 8-9 at Bellingham, Wash. (Western Washington, Host)
Simon Fraser: Luke Howard
Western Washington: Will Wilson (MVP); Grant Kepley; Trevor White
| 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team |
| Preseason Player of the Year: Jalen Tot, Montana State Billings |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
Previous School |
| Dillon Barrientos |
Alaska Anchorage |
Guard |
6-1 |
Senior |
Santa Clarita, CA |
College of the Canyons |
| Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
Forward |
6-6 |
Junior |
Anchorage, AK |
Bellevue College |
| Jordan Clark |
Central Washington |
Guard |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
Renton, WA |
Seattle Christian |
| Maverick Sanders |
Central Washington |
Forward |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
Spokane, WA |
Mt. Spokane |
| Famous Lefthand |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-3 |
Senior |
Crow Agency, MT |
United Tribes Tech. Coll. |
| Jalen Tot |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-0 |
Senior |
Dallas, TX |
Dawson CC |
| Ryzin Bergersen |
Northwest Nazarene |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Boise, ID |
Borah |
| Aaron Murphy |
Northwest Nazarene |
Forward |
6-7 |
Senior |
Tracy, CA |
Modesto Christian |
| Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
5-10 |
Senior |
Salem, OR |
Portland State |
| Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
6-5 |
Junior |
West Palm Beach, FL |
Northeast Oklahoma A&M |
| Owen Moriarty |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-2 |
Junior |
Seattle, WA |
O'Dea |
| Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-7 |
Junior |
Newcastle, WA |
Montana |
| Jason Gallant |
Western Oregon |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Simi Valley, CA |
Colorado Christian |
| Tijan Saine |
Western Washington |
Guard |
5-11 |
Sophomore |
Everett, WA |
Mariner |
| Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Lorton, VA |
Mt. Hood CC |