By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

Photography by: Stephanie Burgoon

PORTLAND, Ore. – Cruising to the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball standings with a pair of wins last week, Alaska Anchorage was selected as the GNAC Team of the Week.
 
UAA (13-2, 4-0 GNAC) topped Northwest Nazarene 72-59 last Thursday before a 68-61 triumph over Central Washington last Saturday. The Seawolves, who have won more GNAC regular-season titles than any other program (8), have the makings of an early contender for the 2024-25 regular-season crown. A roster loaded with upperclassmen and equally important contributions from returners and newcomers alike have led to success as the season shifts fully into conference games.
 
“We have a good group of upperclassmen this year,” said Ryan McCarthy, who is in his 12th season as head coach of the Seawolves. “Part of it is how the recruiting worked out, and part of it is retaining players from last year. Our returners have done a good job of taking in the new kids, teaching them how we do things, and teaching the standards and important parts of the program.”
 
After an offensive start to last Thursday’s game in Nampa, Idaho, the Seawolves found themselves with a 41-36 advantage at halftime. UAA slowed its opponent from there, limiting NNU (7-5, 1-2) to just 23 points in the second half and holding its opponent below 60 points for the 13th time in 15 games this winter. “We were able to use our depth well against NNU,” McCarthy said of a box score that featured eight different players with at least 15 minutes of action. “Coming off the break I was nervous how we’d look with our press, because we run lots of rotations. The ladies did a good job of coming back and being focused on what our game plan was.”
 
Saturday’s game against CWU (9-3, 2-1) unfolded similarly, with the Seawolves holding a narrow, 55-53 edge after the first three quarters. UAA clamped down over the final 10 minutes, limiting a Wildcat offense that features two of the top-three scorers in the conference to just eight points. “We were able to showcase our depth better in that game,” McCarthy said. “Against Central we made a lot of mistakes early, but we didn’t make as many in the fourth quarter. Overall we didn’t execute as well as we hoped to, and part of that is Central being really good at the guard position. We did a good job to close out that win in the fourth.”
 
 
‘Mayhem,’ the smothering, defensive brand of basketball that McCarthy has instilled in his programs, has won him 309 games in his collegiate head coaching career – second most among any coach in GNAC history. This season’s team has embodied that identity as well as his previous championship-caliber squads did, evidenced by team statistics that put the Seawolves among Division II’s best. Entering this week, UAA leads the nation in turnover margin (14.93) and scoring margin (38.1), ranks second in scoring defense (45.1), steals per game (19.5) and rebound margin (15.1), fifth in turnovers forced per game (28.73) and sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.31).
 
Newcomer Emilia Long has had a lot to do with the eye-popping numbers, as she currently leads Division II basketball in total steals (73) and steals per game (4.87). A transfer from Cal Poly Humboldt, Long is averaging 13.1 points per game, 4.2 assists per game and is shooting 46.4% from the floor. A two-time GNAC Player of the Week selection, Long kicked off her UAA career by breaking the GNAC single-game record for steals with 11 against Simpson on Nov. 1. “I think Emilia is the best defender in the country,” McCarthy said of the 5-foot-9 senior. “She can single-handedly change a game, and that has been a big part of why we’ve been able to mix up our defenses this year. Along with her explosiveness offensively, she is able to get easy baskets because of how athletic she is.”
 
Junior guard Elaina Mack leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and is the only Seawolf to have started all 15 contests this winter. A King Cove High School product, Mack currently leads Division II basketball with 47 made 3-pointers and ranks fourth nationally with 3.13 made threes per game. The highlight of her campaign thus far was a 27-point effort on Nov. 2 against Simpson, when she knocked down 7 of 10 threes. “Elaina is the most improved player I have ever coached in my career,” McCarthy said decisively. “She has had the biggest jump in the history of our program, coming from 1A basketball in Alaska. She has been shooting the ball well and has made improvements to herself athletically.”
 
Preseason all-conference center Tori Hollingshead is coming off a school-record performance in the win over NNU, as she made all eight of her field goal attempts en route to 19 points while adding seven boards. The 6-foot-3 senior from Orem, Utah, is shooting 50.3% from the floor while contributing 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in her second season with the Seawolves. “Tori has made some good strides for us,” said McCarthy. “She is reliable in the post, especially in the low block. One thing we really value from her is that late in games, she is somebody we tend to go to who can manufacture 1 on 1 baskets on low blocks.”
 
Another double-figure scorer and threat from the perimeter is senior Jazzpher Evans, who averages 11.3 points and is shooting 38.6% from the arc. The fourth-year Seawolf has played a key role primarily coming off the bench and had a big contribution Saturday with 13 points and six assists in the win over the Wildcats. Entering this week’s games, Evans ranks seventh among active GNAC players with 865 career points since debuting in 2021. “She has been good about taking new kids under her wing and being a leader on the floor in terms of getting them acclimated to what we do,” McCarthy said of the Joliet, Ill., native. “She has been an important scorer for us, and it was especially nice to see that emerge once again in the Central game. She had a lot of critical baskets for us.”
 
In her second season with the Seawolves is senior forward Jaisa Gamble, another regular starter in the UAA lineup. The San Bruno, Calif., native contributes 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while shooting an efficient 48.3% from the floor in 25.5 minutes. Her touch showed in last week’s victories, as Gamble converted 8 of 10 shots while adding seven total steals on the defensive end. “Jaisa has been an extremely impactful defensive player for us,” said McCarthy. “She does a lot of things outside of scoring to impact winning. We have a special award our team gives out after every game for the most deflections, and she’s usually at the top of that list. She has improved her scoring this year which has made her even more important for our program.”
 
Freshman Ashlyn Rean has gotten her collegiate career off to a notable start, slotting into UAA’s starting lineup immediately. The 6-foot-1 forward from Rangiora, New Zealand boosts the Seawolves’ stats with 8.2 points and a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game. Rean grabbed a season-high 11 boards in the win over Northwest Nazarene last week, marking the second time this winter she has reached double digits. “She is impressive athletically especially for only being a freshman,” said McCarthy. “She is slowly and steadily coming along for us, and I don’t think we have touched the tip of the iceberg on how great she can be. She always wants to learn, has improved so much and we have yet to see her best basketball.”
 
Junior forward Hedda Koehne gives UAA another 6-foot-1 presence in the paint and has seen action in all 15 games while making four starts this season. Averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, Koehne has reached double figures in scoring twice this season. “Tori has taken Hedda under her wing,” McCarthy said. “She gives us a different dynamic, has a nice mid-range game and has good footwork down in the post. Her biggest asset, which we saw in the CWU game, is when she gets switched onto a guard she can guard them as well. She is a good defender.”
 
The depth doesn’t stop there with senior Ja’Niah Alexander and junior Kenzie Sirowich each earning minutes in all 15 games this season as well. Alexander is coming off a season-high four assists in the win over CWU, while Sirowich chipped in six boards.
 
Their first GNAC title since the 2019-20 campaign will certainly be among the Seawolves’ goals as the season progresses, but with 14 conference games remaining the journey has only just begun. That said, UAA couldn’t be off to a better start to its league schedule, as its focus shifts to an important rivalry game at Alaska Fairbanks (5-7, 0-4) on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. AK). “Fairbanks is a hard place to play,” said McCarthy. “We have played in some really close games there the last couple years. We play a unique style, and this year they have changed their style a bit. We have got to be ready for that game, and we are excited to play this one.”