THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 24                Seattle Pacific at Alaska Fairbanks, 8:00 p.m. PST
                                                The Patty Center / Fairbanks, Alaska
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Jan. 26                Seattle Pacific at Alaska Anchorage, 8:00 p.m. PST
                                                Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Alaska
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats

 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – A road trip to conclude the first half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball season will have somewhat of a split personality.
 
In short, the Seattle Pacific Falcons will travel to one of the country's coldest climates to face one of the country's hottest teams.
 
The two-game trek starts on Thursday night as the Falcons visit Alaska Fairbanks in the Patty Center. Then on Saturday, they'll find themselves in the Alaska Airlines Center to face No. 10-ranked Alaska Anchorage, which comes into the week having won eight in a row.
 
Both games tip off at 8:00 p.m. PST.
 
When the Falcons touch down in Fairbanks on Wednesday afternoon, temperatures likely will be in the mid to low teens, and are expected to be in that same range again on Thursday. Anchorage, which is 350 miles south of Fairbanks, will have more Seattle-like conditions when the team arrives on Friday, with the thermometer in the mid 30s and staying in that range on Saturday.
 
SPU (5-10, 4-4 GNAC) is coming off a week which had its own kind of split personality. Playing at home in Brougham Pavilion for the first time since Dec 1, the Falcons came from 18 points down to beat arch-rival Western Washington last Thursday, 61-59. But on Saturday, they saw Simon Fraser bury 15 shots from 3-point range in a 69-60 loss to the Clan.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Both games this week and all remaining games this season will have free live Webcasts and free live stats. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
HOME-FRIENDLY SECOND HALF
While this week brings Seattle Pacific to the midpoint of the conference calendar, it already has moved beyond the midpoint of its overall season schedule.
 
The Falcons now have played 15 of their 27 games. Of those 15, eight were out of town – and the road has not been a particularly friendly place, as SPU has come up short in seven of them.
 
On the other hand, the team has won four of its seven home contests. With 10 games left after this week, six of those will be in Brougham Pavilion, including visits from the GNAC's three top teams: Central Washington on Feb. 7, Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 9, and Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 21.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- SPU swept the Alaska Fairbanks series last year for the first time since 2014-15. The teams split in 15-16, each winning at home, then the Nanooks took both games in 2016-17.
-- If SPU beats the Nanooks on Thursday, it will be the first opponent against which it will have 60 victories.
-- Hailee Bennett was in double-digit scoring both times against UAF last season, with 11 points in Seattle and 13 in Fairbanks. Carly Rataushk came within one point of matching that feat, tallying 10 in Brougham Pavilion and nine in The Patty Center.
-- In those same two games, the Falcons got a good look at what Kylie Wallace is capable of doing for the Nanooks. She scored 16 points in Seattle and 14 in Fairbanks.
-- Saturday's game against Alaska Anchorage will be SPU's third against a nationally ranked team this winter. The first two did not go the Falcons' way, as then-No. 16 Azusa Pacific won 68-57 in Seattle on Nov. 16, and then-No. 6 Northwest Nazarene won 82-64 in Nampa on Jan. 10.
-- Seattle Pacific's last victory against at top-25 squad came at Alaska Anchorage in last year's GNAC Tournament semifinals,74-65. The Seawolves were No. 13 at the time.
-- The Falcons took two of the three games from UAA last year, also winning by a 66-48 count on Jan. 20 in Seattle when the Seawolves were No. 4 in the national poll.
-- In the regular-season rematch in Alaska on Feb. 15, Anchorage rolled to a 73-47 win. Seattle Pacific led once, at 4-3 just 69 seconds into the game, after which Anchorage went on an 8-0 run to go up 11-4 and never looked back.
-- In terms of points allowed, the Falcons are coming off their best defensive week of the season. They limited Western to just 59, the first time this year of keeping an opponent below 60, then yielded 69 to Simon Fraser.
-- Those efforts lowered SPU's season points-allowed average by 1.3 points to 72.5. And, for the first time since the opening week of GNAC play, the Falcons are off the bottom run of that conference statistical ladder, moving up to No. 9 this week.
-- Senior guard Riley Evans is still No. 5 among the GNAC scoring leaders at 14.5 points per game.
-- Redshirt senior forward Cici West continues to lead conference rebounders at 9.5 per game – the only GNAC player in the 9's.
-- Ball handling will be especially critical against Anchorage. The Seawolves have three of the top five players on the GNAC steals list: Kian McNair is No. 1 at 3.4 per game; Safiyyah Yasin and Sydni Stallworth are tied for No. 3 at 2.3.
-- SPU senior point guard Jaylee Albert is averaging 4.2 assists per game. If she can stay in that neighborhood the rest of the way, she would be the first Falcon to average more than 4.0 since 2008-09 when Daesha Henderson averaged 4.1 per game (116 in 28 games; Albert has 63 in 15 games).
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA FAIRBANKS NANOOKS: 3-11, 0-8 GNAC (11^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 59-16. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 66, UbAF 47 (Feb. 17. 2018 at Fairbanks). Nanooks on the Web.
Nanooks in a nutshell: Things started off so well for Fairbanks, as it won three straight close games, all on the road. But the Nanooks have dropped 11 straight since then, though they have been right in the thick of a few of those. While W's have been hard to come by, it's a pair of Ws who fill up the hoop for Alaska Fairbanks. Marian Wamsley, a 5-11 senior forward, averages 13.9 points per game, ranking No. 10 in the GNAC. She has led team in scoring for three straight games and four of the past five, and is the third-best field goal shooter in the conference at 55 percent (77 of 140). She also sets the team's pace on the boards at 5.8 per game. Kylie Wallace a 5-7 junior guard, averages 12.0 points and 5.6 boards. Redshirt junior Sabrina Ungaro, a 5-2 guard, averages 10.2 points and shoots a respectable .343 from 3-point range. However, the Nanooks average just 60.2 points per game and allow 71.6.
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA ANCHORAGE SEAWOLVES: 15-1, 7-1 GNAC (2^nd)
All-time series: SPU leads, 41-29. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 74, UAA 65 (March 2, 2018 at Anchorage; GNAC Tournament semifinals). Seawolves on the Web.
Seawolves in a nutshell: The only loss on Anchorage's ledger is 84-68 at still-undefeated Northwest Nazarene on Dec. 1. Of the 15 games the Seawolves have won, 14 have been by double-digit margins, the lone exception being last Saturday in Portland when they had to battle with Concordia from wire to wire before securing a 75-68 victory. Leading the way for UAA is 6-foot-2 senior forward / center Hannah Wandersee, who is very much living up to her billing as the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year. She leads the team in scoring at 14.4 per game (tied for No. 6 in the GNAC), rebounding (5.9) and blocked shots (19). She also has the best field goal percentage among the regular starters at .472 (93 of 197). Wandersee is the only Seawolf in double figures, but four more are in the 9.0 to 9.9 range, one is at 8.5, and one is at 7.0. Anchorage is even more formidable at the defensive end with its aggressive, pressing style that allows just 57.6 points, comes up with 14.6 steals and forces 23.2 turnovers per game – all of which are the top marks in the GNAC.
 
FALCON REPLAY
-- Carly Rataushk hit a 3-footer directly in front of the basket with 6.7 seconds left, and Seattle Pacific rallied from an 18-point second-quarter deficit to beat Western Washington last Thursday, 61-59.
-- Riley Evans scored 20 points, her fifth game this season with at least that many, but Simon Fraser drained 15 shots from 3-point range and limited the Falcons to just one field goal in the fourth quarter on the way to a 69-60 victory last Saturday.
 
SIMONSON SAYS …
(On Fairbanks)
I've been very impressed watching Fairbanks. Coach Nakamoto has done a great job getting them to compete and play very hard. They've been in a lot of games, and it's very tough to play in Fairbanks. They're a physical team, and they don't beat themselves. That means we have to be physical and match that type of game.
 
 

(On Anchorage)
"They're very hard to prepare for. You have to be ready for their pressure, their press, and just be able to play your own style of basketball without getting sped up and nervous."
 
(On how things are progressing)
"We have some pieces that have been very consistent, which is nice that we can hang our hat on. But we've never really had a game where all five have been clicking on the court. If we can get all five playing together and strong, we'll be very tough to deal with. We're definitely closer to that than we have been."

BOSTON IS BACK
Sophomore guard Kaprice Boston, who transferred to SPU this year after playing last season at Division I Northern Arizona, was making some steady contributions to the Falcon through the first seven games. She had played double-digit minutes in all seven and was averaging 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
 
But an injury shut her down after she score three points and grabbed six rebounds in a 73-68 victory against Western Oregon on Dec. 1.
 
Last week, Boston got the medical clearance to resume her season. She came off the bench for three minutes against Western Washington and four against Simon Fraser.
 
RATAUSHK'S WINDEX SHINE
Before the calendar changed to 2019, center Carly Rataushk had never grabbed eight rebounds in a game.
 
Now, she has done it twice in 14 days.
 
 

The 6-foot-2 senior first pulled down eight on Jan. 5 when SPU played at Montana State Billings. That beat her previous best of seven, which came almost two years ago at Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Then last Saturday against Simon Fraser, Rataushk collected eight more. She now has 67 for the season, which already has beaten her previous single-season high of 50, which she set last year.
 
Through her first three years combined, Rataushk pulled down 83 rebounds. With 12 regular-season games left, she is just 17 away from surpassing that total.
 
STREAKING AT THE STRIPE
When time is ticking down and the outcome of a game is on the line, every team has a player or two that it would like to see at the line.
 
The Falcons have three such players in senior guard Riley Evans, sophomore guard Hailee Bennett, and junior guard Jade Skidmore.
 
 

Evans has five straight games (and seven altogether) of perfect free throw shooting, and has hit her last 23 at the line, dating back to an 11-of-12 performance against Western Oregon on Dec. 1. In that game, Evans hit her first, missed her second, then drained her final 10, including 8 of 8 during the fourth quarter.
 
Bennett has three games in a row (six total) of 1.000 foul shooting, and has drained her last 14.
 
Skidmore is perfect I her last two games (six total) and has hit her last 11 tries.
 
Evans has a shot at a pair of program records. Her current season percentage is .913 (42 of 46, which is sixth-best in all of Division II), and her career percentage is .879 (58 of 66). The records -- .917 (77 of 84) for a single season, and .872 (260 of 298) for a career both belong to Suzanna Ohlsen, who graduated in 2015. Evans needs at least 50 attempts for the season and 100 for her career to qualify for record consideration.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Among the 301 NCAA Division II program, Seattle Pacific ranks:
-- 51^st in fewest turnovers with 231 (Colorado Mesa 1^st with 174).
-- 46th in 3-point shooting percentage at .351 (Shepherd 1^st at .415).
 
Individually:
-- Jaylee Albert 63rd in assists per game at 4.2
-- Riley Evans 21^st in 3-point percentage at .446.
-- Evans 6th in free throw percentage at .913
-- Cici West 43rd in rebounds per game at 9.5.
 
Evans keeps climbing up the ladder in free throw shooting. She was No. 12 last week, thus advancing another six places. Just two weeks ago, she was 27^th nationally. The current leader is Bailee Eldred of Northeastern State at .943 (66 of 70). Avery Albrecht of Northwest Nazarene is atop the GNAC ladder at .922 (47 of 51).

Click on this link to see how SPU stacks up nationally in all statistical categories.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
200^th rebound        Jaylee Albert (has 195)
300^th assist           Jade Skidmore (has 299)
300^th field goal      Cici West (has 276)
400^th point            Carly Rataushk (has 359)
                             Riley Evans (has 354)
600^th rebound        Jade Skidmore (has 597)
1,000^th point          Jade Skidmore (has 943)
 
MADE LAST WEEK
200^th assist            Jaylee Albert (has 202)
200^th point             Hailee Bennett (has 216)
 
AROUND THE WEST
Another week, another two wins for undefeated Northwest Nazarene, which won by 20 points at Central Washington, then broke into triple digits on the scoreboard by routing Montana State Billings, 102-75. The Nighthawks have two tough GNAC road contests this week, visiting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday. Heading into the final week of the GNAC's first half, NNU (16-0, 8-0), Alaska Anchorage (15-1, 7-1) and Central (11-4, 6-2) are well positioned to make the conference tournament. The other three spots are up for grabs.
 

The top four California Collegiate Athletic Association teams are all on multi-game winning streaks, led by UC San Diego (15-0, 11-0 conference). Cal Poly Pomona (14-2, 10-1) has won seven in a row, while Chico State (11-4, 8-4) and Humboldt State (10-5, 8-4) each have won their last four. At least one of those streaks is going to end this week, as San Diego visits Chico on Thursday and Humboldt on Saturday.
 
In the Pacific West Conference, the three leading teams also have multi-game win streaks. Azusa Pacific is on top at 15-3, 12-0, and has won 12 in a row. Dominican (13-2, 10-1) has taken its last seven games, and Hawaii| Pacific (11-5, 9-1) has won four straight. Azusa is home against fourth-place Fresno Pacific (12-5, 8-3) on Thursday.
 
UP NEXT
The second half of GNAC play starts with a four-game homestand for the Falcons. It begins next Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 7:00 p.m. against Saint Martin's, as SPU looks for a season sweep of the Saints. Montana State Billings comes to Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 7:30 p.m. game that is the second half of a doubleheader. The Seattle Pacific men, locked in a four-way battle for the top spot in the standings, tip off a 5:15 p.m. that day against Simon Fraser.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Northwest Nazarene       8-0         16-0
Alaska Anchorage         7-1         15-1
Central Washington       6-2         11-4
Western Washington       5-3         10-6
Simon Fraser             5-3          9-6
Seattle Pacific          4-4          5-10
Montana State Billings   3-5          7-7
Western Oregon           3-5          6-8
Concordia-Portland       2-6          7-9
Saint Martin's           1-7          3-13
Alaska Fairbanks         0-8          3-11