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Jan. 22, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Opening a four-game home stand, its longest of the season, the Western Washington University men's basketball team hosts University of Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m.) and University of Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, Jan. 26 (7 p.m.) in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

Thursday's game can be heard live on KBAI Radio (AM 930 - Bellingham, www.930kbai.com) and Saturday's game on KPUG Radio (AM 1170 - Bellingham, www.kpug1170.com) with Doug Lange providing the play-by-play and Mark Scholten handling the color commentary. A webcast and live stats are available at www.wwuvikings.com.

THE LAST MEETING Alaska Anchorage 50 Western Washington 59 February 9, 2012 BELLINGHAM No.15 Vikings beat No.17 Alaska Anchorage, 59-50 Guard John Allen scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, helping Western Washington University grind out a 59-50 victory over University of Alaska Anchorage in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball contest Thursday between two nationally ranked teams at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus. Recap | Box Score

THE LAST MEETING Alaska Fairbanks 72 Western Washington 77 February 11, 2012 BELLINGHAM WWU averts upset bid with 77-72 win over Alaska Fairbanks Guard Richard Woodworth scored seven of his 15 points in the final three minutes, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:37 to play as Western Washington University fought off an upset bid to defeat University of Alaska Fairbanks, 77-72, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball contest Saturday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus. Recap | Box Score

WWU, the defending national champion and ranked No.2 in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, is 16-0 overall and atop the GNAC standings at 7-0.

The Vikings have won 22 straight games over the last two years, starting with six in its national title run last season. The winning streak is just one short of the longest in school history, trailing only a 23-game run from Feb. 20, 1971 to Feb. 15, 1972, and is the longest in the 12-year history of the conference.

WWU's 16-game start without a setback also is second in school history, the record being 21-0 in 1971-72.

The Vikings, who are 7-0 at home this season, also are working on a 17-game victory string at Carver Gym. That trails by three the school standard of 20 set from 1970 to 1972.

Twelve of WWU's wins this season have been by 10 or more points, the other margins being six, four, three and one.

Last week, WWU won two league road games, 91-81 at Western Oregon and 104-56 at Saint Martin's. It is the second straight year that the Vikings have swept that trip after splitting in each of the previous three seasons and losing both in 2007-08.

Senior guard John Allen had 38 points against Western Oregon, the second highest total of his three years at WWU, and Jones added a career-high 27. It was Allen's sixth career outing with 30 or more points. He scored a career-high 43, the second-highest figure in school history and just four off the school record, against Simon Fraser on Jan. 2, 2011.

Junior forward Austin Bragg had his team-leading fourth double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds versus Saint Martin's

The Vikings rank among the top 12 nationally in seven team categories. They are No.3 in scoring margin (21.4), No.4 in 3-point percentage defense (27.8). No.6 in scoring offense (89.4), No.8 in rebound margin (10.4), No.9 in field-goal percentage (50.7), No.11 in blocked shots (5.2) and No.12 in 3-point percentage (41.1).

WWU leads the GNAC in scoring offense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage, field-goal percentage defense (40.3), 3-point percentage, 3-point percentage defense, steals (8.9), offensive rebounds (13.8) and blocked shots.

Senior guard John Allen leads three Vikings averaging double figures in points per game at 17.6, which ranks second in the GNAC, as does his free throw percentage of 89.5 (34-of-38). He also leads the team in assists at 4.1, which ranks fifth in the conference, and his 38 treys are fourth in the league.

Allen was picked as the preseason GNAC Player of the Year and was a Division II Bulletin Super 16 selection. He has scored 1,180 career points, which ranks 16th among WWU leaders, and needs nine more to move into 15th.

Senior forward Paul Jones is averaging 15.5 points, seventh in the league, and 6.1 rebounds. He leads the GNAC and is 19th nationally from the field at 61.9 percent (96-of-155). Jones scored a team-high 18 points in an 86-85 win over Central Washington, including the buzzer-beating winning layup.

Junior guard Richard Woodworth, who is averaging 9.6 points. He ranks among the GNAC top 10 in four categories, being second in 3-point accuracy (55.9 percent, 19-of-34), fifth in free throw shooting (85.4 percent, 35-of-41), eighth in assists (3.8) and ninth in steals (1.4).

Rounding out the first five are senior center Chris Mitchell is averaging 9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds (eighth in GNAC), and junior forward Austin Bragg, a transfer from Clark CC, is averaging 8.8 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds, fourth in the GNAC.

Mitchell is fourth among GNAC leaders in blocks at 1.2 (19) and Bragg is ninth at 0.9 (15).

Outstanding contributions off the bench have come from senior guard Rico Wilkins, who is averaging 10.0 points on 42.4 percent 3-point shooting (10th in GNAC); junior guard Cameron Severson, who is averaging 8.0 points on 57.8 floor accuracy (52-of-90), fifth in the league, and 4.7 rebounds; and sophomore forward Anye Turner, a transfer from South Puget Sound CC, who is averaging a GNAC-leading 1.4 blocks and making 64.9 percent (24-of-37) of his field goals.

Wilkins has scored double-figure points in nine games this season, and Severson in seven.

Alaska Anchorage is 11-4 overall, winning its last three games, and 4-3 (fourth place) in conference play. The Seawolves opened the season with victories in seven of their first eight contests, then lost three of four before their current streak.

Two starters are back from last year's 23-7 squad, 6-1 junior guard Kyle Fossman (15.5 ppg., 46.8 3-point pct.) and 6-3 junior guard Colton Lauwers (7.9 ppg). Another solid returnee for coach Rusty Osborne (9th year, 168-88) is 6-10 senior center Liam Gibcus (10.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 59.6 FG Pct.).

A talented transfer is 6-5 sophomore forward Teancum Stafford (12.6 ppg) from Snow JC.

WWU leads the series, 12-11, winning the last four meetings.

Alaska Fairbanks, the surprise team of the GNAC, is 10-5 overall (Jan. 24 at Simon Fraser) and 5-2 in league action (third place). The Nanooks lost 65-60 to UAA on Saturday, having a six-game winning streak snapped. They won four of their first five contests before dropping three in a row, two of them at the WWU Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic.

Three starters are back for UAF, which was 5-23 last season. They are 6-2 senior guard Dominique Brinson (14.6 ppg, 40.7 3-pt. pct., 87.5 FT Pct.), 6-7 junior forward Stefan Tica (10.1 ppg) and 6-11 junior center Sergej Pucar (10.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg).

A key transfer for second-year coach Mick Durham (15-28, overall, 18 yrs., 261-241) is 5-11 junior guard Pat Voeut (12.7 ppg, 5.4 apg, graduate of Squalicum HS), a first-team Northern Region all-star at Whatcom CC.

Another contributing transfer is 6-5 senior forward Zach Ngawaka (6.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) from BYU Hawaii.

WWU holds a 23-8 series advantage, winning the last 10 meetings since losing home and away encounters during the 2006-07 season.

TWO UNBEATENS LEFT: WWU is one of two remaining unbeaten Division II teams in the country. The other is Metro State.

STREAKS: The Vikings are working on a GNAC-record 22-game winning streak over the last two seasons. The string is the second longest in school history with the school record of 23 being from Feb. 20, 1971 to Feb. 15, 1972 ... WWU also has won 17 straight home games (7-0 this season) with the school standard being 20 (1970-72) ... The Vikings' unbeaten start of 16-0 ranks second in school history, the school best being 21-0 in 1971-72.

THREE-DOT NOTES: The Central Washington game was televised live regionally on ROOT Sports before a sellout crowd of 2,320 ... Jones has shot 50 percent or better in 15 of 16 games this season ... Jones has had 13 double-figure point games, Allen 12 and Woodworth 10 ... Allen was named Most Valuable Player at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic and he and Woodworth were co-MVPs at the WWU Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic ... Also picked all-tournament at the SPHHC was Mitchell ... Allen and Jones have both earned GNAC POW recognition this season, Allen twice.

The Vikings received one first-place vote in the NABC Preseason Top 25 while being picked No.6 ... WWU was tabbed No.8 nationally in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll ... The Vikings will host Simon Fraser, the NCAA's first international member, in a nationally televised game on the CBS Sports Network (CBSSports.com) on March 2 (7 p.m.) ... WWU, which is the GNAC's defending regular season champion, was picked second behind Seattle Pacific in the league's preseason coaches' poll. WWU tied for the GNAC title in 2002 and 2005, won it outright in 2009 and took the regular-season crown in 2012.

WWU GETS GNAC TEAM HONOR: The Vikings earned GNAC Team of the Week honors for Dec. 30-Jan. 5, posting road triumphs over No.7-rated and conference preseason favorite Seattle Pacific, 66-56, and Montana State Billings, 95-80. MSUB was the last team to beat WWU, winning 82-78 on March 2, 2012, in the GNAC tournament semifinals at Lacey.

ALLEN 1,000 AND BEYOND: John Allen became the 23rd Viking to reach the 1,000 plateau in career scoring, and just the fifth who did not play four seasons at WWU to accomplish that feat, on Dec. 8 vs. Quest BC. Allen currently ranks 16th at 1,180.

PRE-SEASON HONORS: John Allen was picked as the preseason GNAC Player of the Year and was a Division II Bulletin Super 16 pick. Besides Allen, Paul Jones and Richard Woodworth were named to the GNAC preseason all-conference team.

COACH DOMINGUEZ: Tony Dominguez (16-0) is in his first season as head coach at WWU after being an associate head coach the previous two seasons and an assistant 17 years overall, all at WWU. During that stretch, the Vikings posted a 317-165 (.658) record, made six regional appearances and won five conference championships. WWU took the NCAA II national crown in 2012, winning a school record 31 games, and reached the national semifinals in 2001. As an assistant, Dominguez was responsible for recruiting, scouting, coordinating scheduling, and budgeting. He played a major role in the recruiting classes of past 12 seasons. Those teams had a winning percentage of .711 (246-100).

TOUGH EXHIBITIONS: The Vikings accounted well for themselves in a pair of road exhibition games against NCAA I opponents. They lost 88-78 at Washington on Oct. 24 and fell 105-87 at Duke, currently ranked No.1 in the AP poll. WWU trailed by just two points, 74-72, against Washington with 4:30 to play, and versus Duke was within 11, 69-58, with 13:58 to go and 14, 99-85, with 2:13 remaining. The 18-point margin was the closest any defending DII national championship team had gotten to Duke since the Blue Devils began inviting those squads for exhibitions six years ago. In the combined second half of the games with Washington and Duke, the Vikings trailed by just four points. John Allen and Chris Mitchell each scored a team-high 17 points against Washington and Paul Jones added 15. Jones led the Vikings versus Duke with 20 points, 14 in the second half. Allen had 17, Woodworth 13 and Rico Wilkins added 12 off the bench.

NATIONAL CHAMPS! WWU won the 2012 national championship, defeating Montevallo, Ala., 72-65, on March 24 in a nationally televised game at Northern Heights, Kentucky. The Vikings finished 31-5, the win total being the most in school history. They won their final six games following a loss to Montana State Billings in the GNAC Tournament semifinal after winning the league's regular-season crown. It was the first NCAA basketball title at any level for a school from the state of Washington since Puget Sound won the NCAA II championship in 1976. Brad Jackson, who was the unanimous DII National Coach of the Year, resigned in late August to become an assistant at University of Washington, ending a 27-year, 518-win coaching tenure at WWU.

WEST REGION AT NCAA II ELITE EIGHT: A representative of the West Region has either won the national men's basketball title or been runner-up in each of the last four years. WWU won the title in 2012 after BYU Hawaii reached the final in 2011, and Cal Poly Pomona took the crown in 2010 after getting to the final in 2009.

RADIO BROADCASTS: Selected WWU games are being broadcast this season on KBAI Radio (930 AM) with Doug Lange handling the play-by-play and Mark Scholten providing the color commentary. They also can be heard on the internet at www.wwuvikings.com.

ON THE WEB: All Viking home games are being video streamed live and are available free at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wwu.portal#. For up-to-date statistics, box scores of every game, records, stories, etc., see the WWU Athletic web page at www.wwuvikings.com. Up-to-date league standings and statistics can be found on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web page at www.gnacsports.com.

PROBABLE WWU STARTERS & TOP RESERVES:

G Richard Woodworth, 6-3, **Jr., Bellevue, WA/Newport
G John Allen, 6-1, **Sr., Brier, WA/Mountlake Terrace/WSU
C Chris Mitchell, 6-9, ***Sr., Everson, WA/Nooksack Valley
F Austin Bragg, 6-9, Jr., JC, Longview, WA/Mark Morris/Clark CC
F Paul Jones, 6-4, *Sr., Kent, WA/Kent-Meridian/Whatcom CC
G Rico Wilkins, 6-0, *Sr., Dallas, TX/DeSoto/Yakima Valley CC
G Camerson Severson, 6-5, ***Sr., Petersburg, AK/Petersburg
F Anye Turner, 6-7, So., JC, Tumwater, WA/Black Hills/South Puget Sound CC
*letters

MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIES:

Jan. 17 - WWU 91, Western Oregon 81 at Monmouth, Ore.

Allen poured in a season-high 38 points and Jones added a career-high 27 as WWU defeated Western Oregon, 91-81, in a GNAC contest at the New P.E. Building on the WOU campus. The Vikings, ranked No.3 nationally, improved to 15-0 and sit alone atop the GNAC at 6-0. The Vikings have won a GNAC-record 21 straight games, and the start and streak are both the second best in WWU history. WOU fell to 7-7 overall and 2-4 in the GNAC with its fourth straight loss. Kolton Nelson led the Wolves with 21 points and Devon Alexander added 20. Allen was 15-of-21 from the field, Jones was 12-of-16, as WWU shot 52.1 percent (38-of-73) from the floor. The Vikings also had a 47-26 margin in rebounds, with Mitchell having 11 boards as well as 11 points and five blocked shots. The Vikings trailed, 9-6, just over four minutes into the game, but went on a 15-3 run in a four-minute span, with Jones scoring the last six points, to take a 21-12 lead and go in front for good. WWU led by as much as 16 in the opening period and held a 51-37 lead at halftime as Jones threw in a shot from well behind halfcourt at the buzzer. Allen and Jones were both 8-of-11 from the field in the opening period, helping the Vikings shoot 59.5 percent (22-of-37). WWU also had a 22-8 advantage in rebounds in the first half. WOU pulled within six twice in the second half, the last time at 71-65 with 6:28 to play, but the Vikings held a double-digit margin throughout the final 2:53.

Jan. 19 - WWU 104, Saint Martin's 56 at Lacey, Wash.

Bragg scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds as WWU jumped to an early lead and rolled to a 104-56 victory over Saint Martin's in a GNAC contest at Marcus Pavilion on the SMU campus. Wilkins (Sr., Dallas, TX/DeSoto) also had 17 points off the bench for the Vikings, ranked No.3 nationally. They improved to 16-0 and remained atop the GNAC at 7-0 with their 22nd consecutive victory. The start and the streak are both the second best in school history, with the win streak just one short of the school record set in the first 23 contests of the 1971-72 season. The streak is also the longest in GNAC history. Saint Martin's fell to 6-9 overall, and 2-5 in the GNAC. Roger O'Neill, who reached the 1,000-plateau in career scoring, had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Saints, who shot just 21.6 percent (16-of-74) from the field. The Vikings took control of the game quickly, jumping to a 22-6 lead after just nine minutes, and leading by 31 points on three occasions in the opening half before eventually holding a 51-23 advantage at halftime. WWU shot 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the field in the first half and held Saint Martin's to just 22.2 percent (8-of-36). Woodworth and Turner each had 11 points for the Vikings, and Jones added 10 points and seven rebounds. The 48 points marked the widest margin of victory for WWU over a NCAA II opponent since an 86-23 triumph over Academy of Art early in the 2009-10 season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the first time this season, a new team stands atop the NCAA Division II rankings as Metropolitan State takes over as the No. 1 team in the nation in the new NABC/Division II rankings.

The Roadrunners, who were ranked first for three weeks last season, kept their record perfect after topping then-No. 13 Adams State and No. 17 Fort Lewis over the weekend. They are one of two remaining undefeated teams heading into play this weekend along with No. 2-ranked Western Washington, who has the nation's longest winning streak of 22 games.

Kentucky Wesleyan remained unbeaten through Sunday and moved up one spot to No. 3 as a result, but lost for the first time on Monday evening to now-No. 10 Southern Indiana; only games through Sunday are factored into the rankings. West Liberty, who also suffered a loss on a Monday a week ago but stayed atop the rankings last week, dropped down to No. 4 and Seattle Pacific moved up a spot to fifth.

Cal Poly Pomona and Minnesota State also moved up one place to sixth and seventh, respectively, while Bellarmine, Indiana (Pa.) and Southern Indiana all returned to the top 10 in the next three slots. Indianapolis, who lost road games to Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana last week, fell six spots to No. 11 this week.

Lincoln Memorial checks in at No. 12 this week, followed by Alabama-Huntsville, Florida Southern and Barton. Assumption won a pair of games last week to move up to No. 16 and is followed by Rollins, Adams State, Winston-Salem State and Fort Lewis.

The final five teams in this week's poll include a pair of newcomers to the poll for this season. Newman dropped to No. 21, followed by the two making their first appearances of the year, Wayne State (Mich.) and Charleston. Washburn and Winona State are the final two teams in this week's rankings.

NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Jan. 22, 2013 - Regular season poll #8)

Record Points Pvs
1.  Metropolitan State, Colo. (13 first place votes) 15-0 397 2
2.  Western Washington (3 first place votes) 16-0 386 3
3.  Kentucky Wesleyan 14-0 373 4
4.  West Liberty, W.Va. 16-1 341 1
5.  Seattle Pacific, Wash. 13-2 330 6
6.  Cal Poly Pomona 13-1 325 7
7.  Minnesota State 15-1 313 8
8.  Bellarmine, Ky. 12-2 271 12
9.  Indiana, Pa. 13-2 223 16
10. Southern Indiana 12-2 221 15
11. Indianapolis, Ind. 12-2 219 5
12. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 12-2 174 18
13. Alabama-Huntsville 13-3 170 9
14. Florida Southern 12-2 167 20
15. Barton, N.C. 11-2 163 19
16. Assumption, Mass. 13-2 146 23
17. Rollins, Fla. 13-2 136 24
18. Adams State, Colo. 12-2 130 13
19. Winston-Salem State, N.C. 13-3 124 11
20. Fort Lewis, Colo. 12-2 97 17
21. Newman, Kan. 14-2 84 14
22. Wayne State, Mich. 12-2 71 NR
23. Charleston, W.Va. 12-2 70 NR
24. Washburn, Kan. 10-4 44 10
25. Winona State, Minn. 16-3 41 NR
Dropped out: Saint Leo (21), Franklin Pierce (22), Dominican, N.Y. (25).

Others receiving votes: East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 26, Saint Leo (Fla.) 24, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 23, Harding (Ark.) 20, Grand Valley State (Mich.) 19, Fairmont State (W.Va.) 16, Colorado Mesa 12, Cal State-San Bernardino 11, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 11, Wingate (N.C.) 9, Central Missouri 8, Dominican (N.Y.) 4, North Alabama 4, Slippery Rock (Pa.) 3, Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 1, Michigan Tech 1.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

2012-13 Men's Basketball Report Week 11

                        Conference	All
                        W	L	W	L       H	A	N
Western Washington      7 	0	16	0	7-0	7-0	2-0
Seattle Pacific         6	1	13	2	6-1	6-0	1-1
Alaska Fairbanks        5	2	10	5	7-2	2-0	1-3
Alaska Anchorage        4	3	11	4	10-2	1-2	0-0
Central Washington      4	4	10	6	4-2	3-2	3-2
Western Oregon          3	4	8	7	6-3	1-4	1-0
Northwest Nazarene      3	5	9	7	5-3	3-4	1-0
Montana State Billings  2	5	9	9	5-3	2-6	2-0
Saint Martin's          2	5	6	9	3-3	1-2	2-4
Simon Fraser            0	7	5	10	4-3	1-6	0-1

LAST WEEK: Thursday - MSU Billings 86 at Central Washington 89; Seattle Pacific 77 at Northwest Nazarene 62; Simon Fraser 65 at Saint Martin's 78; Western Washington 91 at Western Oregon 81. Saturday - Alaska Anchorage 65 at Alaska Fairbanks 60; Seattle Pacific 80 at Central Washington 71; MSU Billings 63 at Northwest Nazarene 61; Western Washington 104 at Saint Martin's 56; Simon Fraser 60 at Western Oregon 78.

THIS WEEK: Thursday - Alaska Anchorage at Western Washington; Alaska Fairbanks at Simon Fraser; Saint Martin's at MSU Billings; Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific. Saturday - Alaska Anchorage at Simon Fraser; Alaska Fairbanks at Western Washington; Northwest Nazarene at Central Washington, 7:30 p.m.; Western Oregon at MSU Billings, 7:30 p.m.; Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific, 4 p.m.

ALL-TOURNAMENT: SPU (Nov. 9-10) - David Downs, SPU (MVP); Jobi Wall, SPU; Mark McLaughlin, CWU. UAA (Nov. 9-10) - Teancum Stafford, UAA (MVP); Kyle Fossman, UAA; Liam Gibcus, UAA; Stefan Tica, UAF. BYU Hawaii (Nov. 16-17) - David Downs, SPU; Mark McLaughlin, CWU; Patrick Simon, SPU. UAF (Nov. 16-17) - Pat Voeut, UAF (MVP); Stefan Tica, UAF; Sergej Pucar, UAF. Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 21-24) - Kyle Fossman, UAA; Teancum Stafford, UAA. Chico State (Nov. 23-24) - David Downs, SPU; Jobi Wall, SPU. Corban Capital City (Nov. 23-24) - Andy Avgi, WOU (MVP); Jordan Wiley, WOU. WWU Chuck Randall Classic (Nov. 23-24) - John Allen, WWU (Co-MVP); Richard Woodworth, WWU (Co-MVP). South Point Classic (Dec. 18-19 at Las Vegas) - John Allen, WWU (MVP); Chris Mitchell, WWU.

POLLS: NABC (Jan. 22) - 2. Western Washington, 5. Seattle Pacific. (Note: The first official NCAA West Regional poll, which will eventually determine the five at-large teams that will join the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest champions in the regionals will be released Wednesday, Feb. 20).

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: 4 - Jarrell Crayton, MSUB; Austin Bragg, WWU. 3 - Anto Olah, SFU; Sergej Pucar, UAF; Rei Jensen, SMU; Brandon Magee, CWU. 2 - David Gebru, SFU; Liam Gibcus, SFU; Paul Jones, WWU; Chris Mitchell, WWU. 1 - Fifteen with 1.

NATIONAL STATISTICS (Through Jan. 20): Team (Top 30): Scoring -6. Western Washington 89.4; 7. Central Washington 89.1. Scoring Defense - 15. Seattle Pacific 60.4. Scoring Margin - 3. Western Washington 21.4; 12. Seattle Pacific 14.7. Field Goal PCT. - 9. Western Washington 50.7. Three-Point Field Goals - 10. Alaska Anchorage 9.7. Three-Point Percentage - 12. Western Washington 41.1; 19. Alaska Anchorage 40.4; 22. Seattle Pacific 40.1. Three-Point Field Goal Defense - 4. Western Washington 27.8; 16. Seattle Pacific 29.3. Free Throw PCT. - 18. Central Washington 75.6. Rebound Margin - 5. Seattle Pacific 11.3; 8. Western Washington 10.4; 19. Alaska Fairbanks 7.4. Assists - 8. Seattle Pacific 18.9; 10. Alaska Anchorage 18.7; 15. Alaska Fairbanks 18.1; 27. Western Washington 16.7. Assist/Turnover Ratio - 4. Seattle Pacific 1.50; 12. Alaska Anchorage 1.34; 26. Western Washington 1.21; 30. Western Washington 1.20. Blocks - 11. Western Washington 5.2; 26. Northwest Nazarene 4.4. Fewest Turnovers - 12. Saint Martin's 11.2. Turnover Margin - 25. Central Washington 4.0. Fewest Fouls - 23. Saint Martin's 15.6. Individuals (Top 30): Scoring - 9. Mark McLaughlin, CWU, 23.4. Field Goal PCT. - 19. Andy Avgi, WOU, 61.9; 25. Paul Jones, WWU, 60.1. Three-Point Field Goals - 22. Kyle Fossman, UAA, 2.93. Three-Point PCT. - 8. Kyle Fossman, UAA, 46.8; 13. Elijah Matthews, SFU, 45.6. Free Throw PCT. - 6. Jonathan Hawkins, NNU, 93.0; 28. Dominique Brinson, UAF, 87.5. Assists - 17. David Downs, SPU, 5.6; 25. Pat Voeut, UAF, 5.4. Steals - 18. Devon Alexander, WOU, 2.67. Assist/Turnover Ratio - 2. Riley Stockton, SPU, 3.64; 5. Kalob Hatcher, MSUB, 3.11; 6. Brady Bomber, SMU, 3.10; 22. David Downs, SPU, 2.47.

GNAC RED LION PLAYER OF THE WEEK: John Allen, Western Washington (G, 6-1, 190, Sr., Brier, WA - Mountlake Terrace) scored 46 points including 38 in the Vikings' 91-81 road win at Western Oregon Thursday. His 38 points against the Wolves was most by a GNAC player in nearly two years. In the two games he made 17 of 29 field goals attempts, including 6 of 10 three-pointers. He also had 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

HONORABLE MENTION: Patrick Simon, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-8, Jr., Ephrata, WA), Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington (G, 6-6, Jr., Bothell, WA - Inglemoor & Tacoma CC), Omar McDade, MSU Billings (G, 6-3, Sr., Logan, UT) and Roger O'Neill, Saint Martin's (F, 6-5, Sr., Edmonds, WA) ... Simon netted 37 points in two road wins, including a pair of crucial baskets in the Falcons' 80-71 win at Central Washington Saturday ... McLaughlin posted his third 30-point game of the season (the most in the GNAC this season) scoring 32 in Thursday's 89-86 win over MSU Billings. He added 18 more in Saturday's loss against SPU ... Omar McDade had 47 points, nearly leading the Yellowjackets to a road sweep. He made 9 of 18 three-point shots including the game-winner with 1:43 remaining in Saturday's 63-61 win at Northwest Nazarene ... O'Neill scored 31 points as the Saints split two games and in the process became the 18th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

FROM THE RECORD BOOK: Allen's 38 points Thursday against Western Oregon was the most by a GNAC player since Brandon Walker of Alaska Anchorage scored 40 against Western Oregon on Feb. 19, 2011. Allen scored his career high of 43 on Jan. 2, 2011 against Simon Fraser and is one of 17 players in GNAC history to produce a 40-point game. Two players - Parrish West of Alaska Anchorage and Ryan Diggs of Western Washington - each have had two ... WWU held Saint Martin's to a 21.6 shooting percentage (16 of 74) in Saturday's 104-56 win, the lowest percentage for a conference game in GNAC history. Seattle Pacific held the previous record, holding Montana State Billings to a 22.6 percentage (12 of 53) in a 90-34 win in Feb. 7, 2008.

TEAM NOTES

Alaska Anchorage: Abebe Demissie had his second career double-double scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds as the Seawolves beat the Nanooks for the 14th consecutive time 65-60 at The Patty Center. Center Liam Gibcus had 18 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists in the win. UAA got the victory despite playing the game without its second-leading scorer Teancum Stafford, who missed the game with an injury.

Alaska Fairbanks: The Nanooks, who made just 11 of 21 free throws, got 15 points from Ronnie Baker and 14 points and eight assists from Pat Voeut in Saturday's loss to Alaska Anchorage, which ended its six-game winning streak. In one three-minute stretch in the closing moments, UAF missed five consecutive free throws, possibly costing them as many as seven points.

Central Washington: McLaughlin missed all five of his three-point attempts but made 19 of 30 inside the arc as CWU split two home games. He also had 11 rebounds and five assists tying Brandon Magee for most rebounds and Jordan Starr for most assists (5). Kevin Davis had 13 points and five rebounds as he made his first two appearances of the season after joining the team earlier in the week. Last year Davis averaged 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and tied for the conference lead in blocked shots (2.3).

Montana State Billings: Omar McDade, who made 16 of 30 shots (53.3 percent) leading the Yellowjackets to a 1-1 record, scored 26 points and had six assists in Thursday's 89-86 loss at Central Washington, then scored 21 in Saturday's 63-61 come-from-behind win at Northwest Nazarene. In all he had 13 "key" points in the final minutes of both game ... Sam Johnson had 36 points and Jarrell Crayton had 35 points and 20 rebounds in the two contests.

Northwest Nazarene: Kenny Jones scored 33 points and also led the Crusaders with nine assists in home losses to Seattle Pacific and MSU Billings. Kevin Rima had 18 points and 14 rebounds. Grayson Moore had a team-best 17 rebounds.

Saint Martin's: In addition to becoming the 18th player in school history to score 1,000 points, Roger O'Neill is the 53rd player in GNAC history to reach that plateau. O'Neill was just 7 of 23 from the floor, but made 15 of 17 free throws. Eric Taylor had 28 points (18 against Simon Fraser on 6 of 7 shooting) and Rei Jensen had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Saints split two games. Jensen recorded his third double-double of the season against Simon Fraser scoring 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting while hauling in 11 rebounds. He also had a career-high four assists.

Seattle Pacific: Simon's 37 points (See Player of the Week notes) against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington came on 15 of 27 shooting. He had 17 points and three assists in Thursday's 77-62 win at Northwest Nazarene. On Saturday, he led all scorers with 20 points in an 80-71 victory making 8 of 13 shots, including 3 of 4 on three-pointers. He also contributed six rebounds and two blocked shots. David Downs added 34 points and 15 assist.

Simon Fraser: Anto Olah had 25 points and 17 rebounds in the Clan's road losses at Lacey and Monmouth. Ibrahim Appiah was credited with 13 rebounds and five assists, both team highs. Elijah Matthews also had five assists.

Western Oregon: Andy Avgi (15 points) and Kolton Nelson (12 points) each made 5 of 6 shots in Saturday's 78-60 win against Simon Fraser. Nelson had 33 points and Avgi had 30 as the Wolves split two contests. Devon Alexander had 28 points and team highs for rebounds (9) and assists (8).

Western Washington: Paul Jones shot 69.6 percent (16 of 23) in scoring 37 points in wins over Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. Austin Bragg had 20 rebounds as WWU controlled the backboards 104-63 while out shooting its opponents by more than 200 points (.550 to .328).

GNAC FINISHES AT .726: GNAC teams completed the non-conference portion of their schedules with a .726 winning percentage (61-23), the second best mark in the 12-year history of the conference. Conference teams were 36-20 in Division II contests, including 25-14 in regional counters (16-12 against the PacWest, 2-1 against CCAA teams and 7-1 in games against schools that count as regional counters due to the NCAA "contiguous" state rule). Nine of the 10 conference teams posted winning records in the non-conference portion of their schedules. The 10th school - Saint Martin's - finished with a .500 non-conference record.

GNAC (2) vs. CCAA (1): UAF 1-0, SPU 1-1. CCAA (1) vs. GNAC (2): San Francisco State 1-0, Chico State 0-1, CSU Monterey Bay 0-1.

GNAC (16) vs. PacWest (12): SPU 4-0, WWU 2-0, CWU 3-1, SMU 2-1, NNU 2-2, WOU 1-2, MSUB 1-3, SFU 1-3. PacWest (12) vs. GNAC (16): Grand Canyon 2-0, Fresno Pacific 1-0, Dominican 1-0, Dixie State 1-0, Azusa Pacific 2-1, Chaminade 2-1, Hawaii Hilo 1-2, Academy of Art 1-3, BYU-Hawaii 1-3, Point Loma Nazarene 0-1, Hawaii Pacific 0-2, Notre Dame de Namur 0-3.

	Playoff	Region	Elite 8
Year	Non-Conference	Berths	W-L	W-L
2001-02	43-48 (.473)	2	2-2
2002-03	51-39 (.567)	2	1-2
2003-04	58-35 (.624)	3	5-2	1-1
2004-05	60-31 (.659)	3	3-3
2005-06	65-27 (.707)	5	5-4	1-1
2006-07	57-44 (.564)	3	1-3
2007-08	60-36 (.625)	3	4-2	1-1
2008-09	62-36 (.633)	3	1-3
2009-10	73-24 (.753)	3	1-3
2010-11	48-34 (.585)	3	2-3
2011-12 	59-29 (.670)	4	6-3	3-0
2012-13	61-23 (.726)	???	???	???
Totals (10 years)	34	31-30	6-3

GNAC CAREER LEADERS (Through Jan. 20)

Scoring
	1. 	Austin Nichols, Humboldt State (2001-04)	2501
	35.	John Allen, Western Washington (2010-13)	1180
	47.	Andy Poling, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	1082
	53.	Roger O'Neill, Saint Martin's (2009-13)	1000
	67.	David Downs, Seattle Pacific (2013-13)	884

Three-Pointers
	1.	Jake Linton, Saint Martin's (2006-09)	292
	17.	John Allen, Western Washington (2010-13)	167
	36.	David Downs, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	131

Rebounds
	1.	Fred Hooks, Humboldt State (2001-04)	1268
	31.	Andy Poling, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	497

Assists
	1.	Luke Cooper, Alaska Anchorage (2005-08)	880
	12.	Brady Bomber, Saint Martin's (2009-13)	377
	22.	David Downs, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	325

Steals
	1.	Blair Wheadon, Western Oregon (2009-12)	216
	19.	John Allen, Western Washington (2010-13)	136
	36.	Brady Bomber, Saint Martin's (2009-13)	108

Blocks
	1.	Brannon Stone, Seattle Pacific (1999-02)	269
	23.	Andy Poling, Seattle Pacific (2010-13)	73
	29.	Chris Mitchell, Western Washington (2008-13)	68

Career stats are updated every Friday and Sunday at:

http://www.gnacsports.com/media/Stats/mbasketball/carconf/carconf.htm (All Games)

http://www.gnacsports.com/media/Stats/mbasketball/carconfconf/carconf.htm  (Conference Games)

Win Streaks (10 or More)
22	Western Washington (3-9-12 to Current)
18	Alaska Anchorage (12-7-07 to 2-14-08)
15	Seattle Pacific (11-17-01 to 1-19-02)
15	Western Washington (11-25-05 to 1-25-06)
14	Humboldt State (11-16-01 to 1-12-02)
13	Humboldt State (11-23-02 to 1-16-03)
12	Alaska Fairbanks (1-31-04 to 3-13-04)
12	Western Washington (11-1-09 to 1-2-10)
12	Alaska Anchorage (11-26-10 to 1-13-11)
11	Saint Martin's (11-15-08 to 12-18-08)
11	Central Washington (1-1-11 to 2-12-11)
10	Central Washington (2-2-08 to 3-8-08)
10	Western Washington (1-31-02 to 11-22-02)
10	Humboldt State (1-19-02 to 2-23-02)
10	Western Washington (1-12-12 to 2-16-12)
10	Alaska Anchorage (11-26-11 to 1-5-12)

Home Win Streaks (10 or more)
25	Humboldt State (11-24-01 to 2-27-03)
24	Humboldt State (11-15-03 to 1-13-05)
19	Western Washington (11-29-01 to 1-16-03)
18	Western Washington (11-25-05 to 11-30-06)
17	Western Washington (1-18-12 to Current)
16	Alaska Anchorage (12-7-07 to 3-15-08)
15	Western Washington (11-15-04 to 3-11-05)
13	*Alaska Anchorage (2-12-11 to 1-12-12)
13	Seattle Pacific (3-10-06 to 2-13-07)
12	Alaska Fairbanks (12-6-03 to 11-6-04)
12	Seattle Pacific (11-17-01 to 2-23-02)
12	Seattle Pacific (2-26-05 to 2-16-06)
12	Seattle Pacific (12-13-11 to 12-17-12)
11	Alaska Fairbanks (11-7-02 to 2-13-03)
11	Central Washington (1-1-11 to 3-4-11)
11	Western Washington (11-16-10 to 2-16-11)
11	Seattle Pacific (11-20-04 to 2-5-05)
10	Seattle Pacific (1-15-10 to 12-1-11)
10	Central Washington (2-2-08 to 1-17-09)

*Wells Fargo Sports Complex games only

Multiple Overtime Games

Four Overtimes
Feb. 20, 2003 - *Seattle Pacific 113, Humboldt State 108
Dec. 15, 2006 - +CSU Monterey Bay 126, Western Oregon 122

Three Overtimes
Nov. 19, 2004 - *Alaska Anchorage 92, Caldwell 87
Jan. 7, 2010 - *Saint Martin's 94, Western Washington 86
Dec. 1, 2012 - *Western Oregon 118, Central Washington 113

*Home team +Neutral Site (Chico)

PREVIOUS RED LION PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Week of Nov. 5-11: David Downs, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-2, Jr., Kirkland, WA - Bellevue Christian) was named the Most Valuable Player leading the Falcons to the team title in Sodexo Tip Off Classic at Brougham Pavilion. Downs scored 31 points and also had a team-high nine assists as SPU debuted with 20- and 19-point victories. Downs made eight of 14 shots, including four of eight treys. He also led SPU with three steals and had just two turnovers.

Week of Nov. 12-18: Pat Voeut, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 5-11, Jr., Bellingham, WA - Whatcom CC) scored 46 points and also had 19 assists, nine rebounds and five steals leading the Nanooks to the team title in the GCI Alaska Invitational at Fairbanks. Voeut, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, made 17 of 26 shots, including three of six three-pointers.

Week of Nov. 19-25: Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-5, Fr., Woodburn, OR) scored 52 points and also had 15 rebounds in earning MVP honors in the Capital City Classic. Avgi, who leads the GNAC in field goal percentage shooting 71.0 percent (44 of 62), made 20 of 25 shots (including 10 of 11 against Corban), including his only three-pointer. He also blocked two shots and had three steals.

Week of Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Devon Alexander, Western Oregon (G, 6-1, Fr., Fontana, CA) came off the bench to score 48 points, including 28 in a 118-113 triple overtime win over Central Washington Saturday as the Wolves extended their win streak to six games with a pair of home victories. Alexander scored nine of WOU's 13 points in the decisive third overtime period. He also had 13 steals, including a GNAC-record tying eight (for conference contests) in a 92-84 win against Northwest Nazarene Thursday. In the two contests, Alexander made 16 of 29 shots, including four of six three-pointers. He also converted on 12 of 13 foul shots, grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists.

Week of Dec. 3-9: Kenny Jones, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-2, Sr., Los Angeles, CA) scored 43 points in wins over College of Idaho and New Hope Christian. Jones had 27 against the Coyotes, making nine of 16 shots as NNU extended its win streak over its county rivals to seven. He then netted 16 points and had four steals in a 20-point win over New Hope Christian.

Week of Dec. 10-16: Jarrell Crayton, MSU Billings (F, 6-7, Sr., Bellevue, NE - Boise State) had 14 points and 14 rebounds accounting for 23.0 and 36.8 percent of team totals in a 71-61 loss at Grand Canyon. Crayton made seven of 13 shots and also had a pair of steals. Crayton's rebound total was the most for a MSUB player since Robert Mayes grabbed 15 against SPU on Feb. 18.

Week of Dec. 17-23: John Allen, Western Washington (G, 190, Sr., Brier, WA - Mountlake Terrace) scored 47 points leading the Vikings to wins over 14th ranked Drury (72-69) and Central Oklahoma (103-74) in the South Point Holiday Hoop Classic in Las Vegas. Allen, who was named the tournament's MVP, made 14 of 28 shots, including nine of 17 three-point shots. He also had six assists and three steals. The two wins extended WWU's win streak to 15, matching the second longest in school and GNAC history.

Week of Dec. 24-30: Paul Jones, Western Washington (F, 6-4, Sr., Kent, WA - Whatcom CC) scored 26 points and also had six rebounds and a pair of blocks to lead Western Washington to a 98-62 win over Thompson Rivers Sunday as the Vikings extended their win streak to 16. That is the second longest win streak in GNAC history and is also the second longest in WWU school history. The Vikings have also won 15 straight home games, which equals the sixth longest streak in conference history.

Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6: Pat Voeut, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 5-11, 170, Jr., Bellingham, WA - Whatcom CC) and Roger O'Neill, Saint Martin's (F, 6-5, Sr., Edmonds, WA - Meadowdale) ... Voeut scored 31 points in a pair of road wins as the Nanooks snapped a 17-game losing streak on opponents' home courts with victories at Central Washington (82-75) and Northwest Nazarene (74-55). Voeut converted on 12 of 20 shots and also led his team in assists (8) and steals (6). O'Neill tied his career high with 24 points in a 71-59 home win against Western Oregon Saturday. He scored SMU's first nine points of the game and finished the first half with 16 points as the Saints built a 39-23 lead at the break.

Week of Jan. 7-13: Dominique Brinson, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 6-2, 180, Sr., Juneau, AK - College of the Redwoods) scored 44 points, including 28 in a 89-56 win over Western Oregon, as the Nanooks ran their win streak to six games with a pair of home victories. Brinson blistered the nets for a 61.5 percentage (16 of 26) converting on nine of 17 treys. He made six of eight from the arc against the Wolves while also adding seven rebounds and six assists in Saturday's victory.

2012-13 GNAC TEAMS OF THE WEEK

Aug. 27-Sept. 2 - Montana State Billings (Women's Soccer). Sept. 3-9 - Western Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 10-16 - Northwest Nazarene (Men's Soccer). Sept. 17-23 - Central Washington (Volleyball). Sept. 24-30 - Central Washington (Football). Oct. 1-7 - Western Oregon (Women's Soccer). Oct. 8-14 - Simon Fraser (Men's Soccer). Oct. 15-21 - Alaska Anchorage (Men's & Women's Cross Country). Oct. 22-28 - Western Oregon (Volleyball). Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - Western Washington (Women's Soccer). Nov. 5-11 - Simon Fraser (Women's Basketball). Nov. 12-18 - Alaska Fairbanks (Men's Basketball). Nov. 19-25 - Alaska Anchorage (Men's Basketball). Nov. 26-Dec. 2 - Seattle Pacific (Men's Basketball). Dec. 3-9 - Northwest Nazarene (Men's Basketball). Dec. 10-16 - Northwest Nazarene (Women's Basketball). Dec. 17-23 -Western Washington (Women's Basketball). Dec. 24-30 - MSU Billings (Women's Basketball). Dec. 31-Jan. 6 - Western Washington (Men's Basketball). Jan. 7-13 - Alaska Fairbanks (Men's Basketball). Jan. 14-20 - Saint Martin's (Women's Basketball).