By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the second week of the new year kicking off on Thursday evening, No. 18 Saint Martin’s and RV Northwest Nazarene sit atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings each with unblemished conference records.
 
The Saints (15-2, 4-0 GNAC) knocked off reigning GNAC regular-season champion Montana State Billings (11-5, 2-1) as well as Seattle Pacific (5-9, 1-2) in a pair of home games last week. The Nighthawks (10-1, 3-0) extended their winning streak to seven games with a victory over Central Washington (8-5, 2-1) in their lone GNAC game last week.
 

This Week's GNAC Men's Basketball Schedule
Home Team	Thursday, Jan. 9	Saturday, Jan. 11
Alaska Anchorage	RV Northwest Nazarene (7 p.m. AK)	Central Washington (7 p.m. AK)
Alaska Fairbanks	Central Washington (7 p.m. AK)	RV Northwest Nazarene (3:15 p.m. AK)
Montana State Billings	Simon Fraser (7:30 p.m. MT)	Western Washington (4:15 p.m. MT)
Seattle Pacific	Western Washington (7:30 p.m. PT)	Simon Fraser (2 p.m. PT)
Western Oregon	BYE	#18 Saint Martin's (4:15 p.m. PT)

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This Week’s Storylines

SAINTS CLIMB NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Saints moved up to No. 18 in the latest NABC coaches poll, while attaining their highest ranking of the year at No. 11 in the D2CSC media poll this week. Winners of seven straight, SMU has a bye Thursday before traveling to Western Oregon (3-11, 0-4) for a Saturday matinee at 4:15 p.m. (PT). The Saints ran away from the reigning champion Yellowjackets 82-70 their last time out, keeping themselves at the top of the conference standings. Senior Myles Samuels is the team’s leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, while senior point guard Jaden Nielsen-Skinner leads the conference with 5.9 assists per game. Nielsen-Skinner enters the week with 544 career assists, ranking him sixth all-time on the GNAC leaderboard. Nielsen-Skinner’s 101 assists this season are third most in Division II basketball, while his per-game average is sixth-best nationally and his assist-turnover ratio of 4.21 is fifth-best nationally.
 
Read More: Saints Use Early Momentum To Beat MSUB (SMU Recap)
 

GNAC Career Assists Leaders (as of Jan. 8)
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	Ryan Webb	548	Seattle	2003-07
6	Jaden Nielsen-Skinner	544	Saint Martin's	2021-25
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

 

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GNAC’S HOTTEST TEAMS MEET IN ICY CONDITIONS: The Last Frontier plays host to four intriguing matchups this weekend, as Alaska Anchorage (10-7, 3-1) and Alaska Fairbanks (7-6, 3-1) play host to NNU and CWU. The Seawolves have won five games in a row and the Nanooks are coming off a pair of GNAC road wins last week, as the duo of Alaska schools are tied for third in the conference standings.
 
Northwest Nazarene features GNAC scoring leader Kye Dickson, who averages 17.6 points per game while ranking second in the conference with 9.4 rebounds per game. Ryzin Bergersen chips in 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while 7-footer Zane Foster ranks second in the conference with a field-goal percentage of 63.0.
 
Read More: Nighthawks Outlast Wildcats In OT (NNU Recap)
 

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Tyler Burraston leads the Seawolves in scoring at 14.4 points per game, while reigning GNAC Player of the Week Sean Evans is fresh off a 32-point performance and contributes 12.9 points per game. Bishop Tosi paces the squad with 5.9 rebounds per game, and is also a double figure scorer at 10.2 points per game. UAA knocked off Simon Fraser 94-87 last Thursday before a tight 71-67 road win over Western Washington last Saturday.
 
Read More: Seawolve Men Back At Home (UAA Preview)
   

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The Alaska Nanooks feature a lineup with five double-figure scorers, with Isaiah Saams-Hoy leading the way and ranking fourth in the conference with 16.5 points per game. Alaska beat Western Washington 88-73 last Thursday before holding on for a 76-74 win at Simon Fraser last Saturday. Elyon Zevenbergen is the lone GNAC player averaging a double-double with 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds, and is coming off a 22-point, 16-rebound double-double in the win over the Red Leafs. Chris Lee (16.2 ppg), Paul Johnson (16.1 ppg) and Jalai O’Keith (12.7 ppg) are other big scoring threats for the Nanooks.
 
Read More: Nanooks Complete Road Sweep (UAF Recap)
 

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Central Washington continues its three-game road stretch this week, after an 85-78 overtime loss at NNU last week. The reigning GNAC Championships title winners are led by Garrett Anderson at 14.0 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. Cavin Holden also averages 14.0 points per game, and his 4.2 assists per game rank him fifth in the conference. CWU’s lineup is bolstered by Jordan Clark (13.9 ppg) and Maverick Sanders (12.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
 
Read More: Wildcats Head North (CWU Preview)
 
 
YELLOWJACKETS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AT HOME: Coming off their first conference loss of the season, Montana State Billings is set to play host to Simon Fraser (4-10, 0-4) and Western Washington (8-6, 0-4) this week at Alterowitz Gym. Reigning GNAC Player of the Year Jalen Tot leads the team and ranks ninth in the conference with 15.8 points per game, and is second in the league with 1.8 steals per game. Kael Robinson averages 14.4 points per game and a team-best 6.8 rebounds, while fellow newcomer Brendon Johnson chips in 12.8 points and 5.1 boards and has started every game this winter.
 

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RED LEAFS LOOK TO SNAP SKID: Simon Fraser will look to bring a five-game losing streak to a halt this week, playing at MSUB Thursday before a Saturday clash in the Emerald City against Seattle Pacific. The Red Leafs have been close to a breakthrough, losing their last three games by an average of just 4.7 points. Luke Howard is the team’s scoring leader, ranking third in the GNAC with 16.9 points per game. Point guard Irish Coquia is close behind at sixth in the league with 16.2 points per game, and he is second in the conference with 4.9 assists per game.
 

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VIKINGS SEARCH FOR TIGHT GAME TRIUMPHS: Three of WWU’s four conference losses this season have been by four points or fewer, as the Vikings have come close to a breakthrough on multiple occasions. They’ll look to secure their first league win of the season on Thursday at Seattle Pacific, before facing the Yellowjackets on the road on Saturday. Will Wilson leads the team with 14.8 points per game and Grant Kepley is close behind at 14.3 points per game. Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year Tijan Saine scores 12.9 points per game, and Louis Grante-Halliday leads the squad with 4.9 rebounds per game.
 
Read More: Late Surge Stalls In Loss To UAA (WWU Recap)
   

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FALCONS HOME ON HEELS OF W: Finding its first conference win of the year with an 81-68 triumph over Western Oregon last week, Seattle Pacific preps to host Western Washington and Simon Fraser at Royal Brougham Pavilion this week. University of Montana transfer Jaxon Nap leads the GNAC with 9.4 rebounds per game, while Owen Moriarty is second in the league with 17.2 points per game. Trace Evans is another top-10 scorer in the conference, averaging 15.1 points per game and leading the conference in shooting at 67.5% from the floor.
 
Read More: Falcons Return Home (SPU Preview)
   

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WOLVES ENTERTAIN SAINTS: Western Oregon is off Thursday before welcoming the league’s top team on Saturday afternoon. WOU lost 86-58 to MSU Billings last Thursday before the 81-68 setback against the Falcons last Saturday. Senior Jason Gallant leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference with 16.5 points per game, and he is chipping in 4.0 rebounds per game. Jahville Collins (12.7 ppg) and Anjay Cortez (11.0 ppg) are WOU’s other double-digit scorers. Zach Moore is the team’s leading rebounder at 5.5 boards per game.
 
Read More: Wolves Fall To Seattle Pacific (WOU Recap)
   

Player To Watch

Famous Lefthand – Montana State Billings
 
In his second season with the Yellowjackets, Lefthand has emerged as an integral piece in the lineup starting all 16 games thus far in 2024-25. Lefthand is averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting 40.6% overall, including a mark of 41.2% from the 3-point line. The Crow Agency, Mont., native has upped his productivity with the turn of the calendar, as he made 10 of 23 threes last week including a season-high six en route to 26 points in the win over Western Oregon. Lefthand’s two highest point totals of the season have come in his last three games, a span in which he his shooting 48.0% overall and is averaging 4.3 made threes per game. Lefthand has already equaled last season’s total of 42 made threes, and is averaging 2.0 more points and 0.8 more rebounds than his debut campaign with the Yellowjackets in 2023-24.
 
Read More: Lefthand Shines In Yellowjackets’ Dominant Victory (MSUB Recap)
 

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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

 

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

 

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

 

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2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball Players of the Week

 

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

 
Jan. 6 GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Sean Evans – University of Alaska Anchorage
First-career player of the week.
 
Evans helped the UAA men open the new year with a pair of road victories, as the Seawolves beat Simon Fraser 94-87 before outlasting Western Washington 71-67 last week. Evans’ signature performance was a 32-point effort in the win over the Red Leafs, as he made 10 of 17 field goals including four threes in 36 minutes. Evans added six assists and four rebounds while knocking down 8 of 9 free throws. On the week Evans averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 57.7% from the floor. Evans upped his season scoring average to 12.9 points per game to rank second on the team, and he leads the squad with 4.0 assists per game which ranks him sixth in the conference.
 
UAA Head Coach Rusty Osborne: “Sean was outstanding for us last weekend. Thursday he carried us offensively, scoring at all three levels, and was clutch down the stretch at the free-throw line. Saturday he fought through foul trouble and made some big shots and plays in the last five minutes to spark our win. He continues to get better and more comfortable in our system each week.”
 
Also Nominated: Chris Lee, Alaska Fairbanks; Famous Lefthand, Montana State Billings; Briggs Ranstrom, Northwest Nazarene; Immanuel Oludele, Saint Martin’s; Jaxon Nap, Seattle Pacific; Irish Coquia, Simon Fraser; Tijan Saine, Western Washington.

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2025 GNAC Men's Basketball Championships

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
 

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2024-25 GNAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank	Team (1st Place Votes)	Points	2023-24 Record	GNAC Record (Finish)	2024-25 Roster	2024-25 Schedule
1	Central Washington (4)	90	22-10	11-7 (T3rd)	Roster	Schedule
2	Montana State Billings (3)	85	20-10	14-4 (1st)	Roster	Schedule
3	Northwest Nazarene	70	17-10	13-5 (2nd)	Roster	Schedule
T4	Alaska Anchorage (1)	69	22-11	10-8 (T5th)	Roster	Schedule
T4	Saint Martin's (1)	69	21-8	11-7 (T3rd)	Roster	Schedule
6	Western Washington (1)	52	17-12	9-9 (7th)	Roster	Schedule
7	Seattle Pacific	49	17-15	10-8 (T6th)	Roster	Schedule
8	Simon Fraser	25	6-23	4-14 (9th)	Roster	Schedule
9	Western Oregon	21	5-21	2-16 (10th)	Roster	Schedule
10	Alaska Fairbanks	19	8-18	6-12 (8th)	Roster	Schedule
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

 

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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