This Week in Alaska Anchorage Women's Basketball...
 
D2 West Coast Classic — Nov. 9 & 10 — Alaska Airlines Center — Anchorage, AK
Saturday's games
Noon: San Francisco State (0-0) vs Alaska Fairbanks (0-0), auxiliary gymnasim
5:15 pm: Chaminade (0-0) at #16 Alaska Anchorage (1-0)
Sunday's Games
Noon: Chaminade vs Alaska Fairbanks
5 pm: San Francisco State at #16 Alaska Anchorage
 
LIVE VIDEO: gnac.tv (except SFSU/UAF game)
 
LIVE STATS: goseawolves.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary (all games)
 
TICKETS: AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com
 
HOME OPENERS ON TAP: After a trip to North Carolina, the Seawolves make their home debut this weekend at the Alaska Airlines Center, facing NCAA Div. West Region rivals Chaminade and San Francisco State ... fellow GNAC team Alaska Fairbanks will also be in town to face the same two teams ... Saturday's SFSU/UAF game will be played in the AAC's auxiliary gymnasium due to a conflict with UAA volleyball, with the final three games scheduled for the main arena.
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2018-19 stats)
G—Yazmeen Goo, 5-10, Sr. (9.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 3.0 spg, .545 FG, .718 FT)
G—Safiyyah Yasin, 5-6, Sr. (8.4 ppg, 1.3 apg, 2.2 spg, .350 3FG, .773 FT)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, So. (3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .328 3FG)
F—Sala Langi, 5-9, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, .724 FT)
F—Tennae Voliva, 6-0, Jr. (5.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 bpg, .504 FG)
 
THE SERIES
vs. Chaminade: UAA leads 11-0 overall, 5-0 in Anchorage
Last: UAA 99-60 (12/14/16 at CU)
Notes: Last meeting in Anchorage was a 93-57 UAA win, Nov. 15, 2014 at the Seawolf Sports Complex ... UAA's average margin of victory in the series is 51.5 points ... the Seawolves are 24-0 against the three Hawaii D-II schools since they restarted their women's basketball programs in 2007-08.
 
vs. SFSU: UAA leads 4-1 overall, 2-0 in Anchorage
Streak: UAA 4
Last: UAA 86-54 (11-11-18 at SFSU)
Notes: Teams met last season for the first time since Jan. 1991 ... SFSU has not played in Anchorage since a pair of Seawolf wins at the Sports Complex, Dec. 5-6, 1986 ... first meetings was an 80-63 SFSU win, Nov. 26, 1983 in San Francisco.
 
SEASON PREVIEW: Coming off their fifth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, the Alaska Anchorage basketball team returns just one starter – Jr. F Tennae Voliva – from last year's squad that went 30-3 and came one second away from reaching the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight ... picked third behind Central Washington and Western Washington in a tight GNAC preseason coaches' poll, the Seawolves will be led by Voliva and 2-time honorable mention all-league point guard Yazmeen Goo, a 5th-year senior who was the team's 3rd-leading scorer in 2018-19 ... despite the lack of extensive starting experience, Sr. G Safiyyah Yasin, Jr. F Sala Langi, So. F Kimani Fernandez and So. Jahnna Hajdukovich are all battled tested from last year, while So. G Nicole Pinckney returns from an injury redshirt campaign ... JC transfers Stephanie Jackson (Santa Fe [Fla.] College) and Kedranea' Addison (Cowley [Kan.] College) are expected to lead a group of seven newcomers, which includes 5th-year senior and Div. I transfer Amelia Motz (Iona) as well.
 
2018-19 SEASON RECAP: The Seawolves produced another banner season, winning their fifth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title, advancing to the NCAA Div. II 'Sweet 16' and finishing No. 7 in the WBCA top 25 coaches' poll ... UAA  reached 30 wins for the third time in four seasons, finishing 30-3 overall and 19-1 in the GNAC, led by league player-of-the-year Hannah Wandersee ... fellow senior Tara Thompson was a 2nd Team All-GNAC pick as the Seawolves also put together a 21-game winning streak and finished runner-up in the GNAC Tournament.
 
2019 WEST REGIONAL RECAP: The 3rd-seeded Seawolves came within a hair's breadth of advancing to the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight, beating Hawaii Pacific (76-69) and Northwest Nazarene (69-67), before falling 65-63 to Azusa Pacific on a desperation three-point shot at the buzzer in the NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships in La Jolla, Calif., Mar. 15-18 ... against the 6th-seeded Sharks, Sr. C Hannah Wandersee poured in 22 points (8-13 FG, 2-2 3FG, 4-4 FT) and grabbed 6 rebounds the Seawolves built an 18-point lead and propelled a late HPU comeback ... playing NNU for the third time in 17 days in the second round, Sr. G Tara Thompson scored a season-high 19 points (6-8 3FG) ­­– including a key late trey – and UAA survived a last-second 3FG try by the 2nd-seeded and nationally 5th-ranked Nighthawks ... Wandersee had 16 points (6-8 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT) and 3 blocks and Sr. G Sydni Stallworth notched 11 points (3-3 3FG) as UAA shot its best 3FG% in the Ryan McCarthy era, making 11 of 18 (.611) ... in the title game against 4th-seeded APU, Wandersee had game-highs of 23 points (10-19 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT) and 9 rebounds and Thompson hit a go-ahead 3FG with 3.2 seconds remaining, but the Cougars went 9 of 19 from long range, including the game-winner ... Thompson finished with 12 points (4-14 3FG) as the Seawolves lost a one-possession affair in the regional title game for the second year in a row.
 
SEAWOLF NCAA HISTORY: The Seawolves made their 18th overall NCAA Tournament trip ('86, '88, '89, '92, '94, '00, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19) last year ... UAA stands 26-18 all-time in NCAA games after going 2-1 last March ... UAA is 20-8 in West Region play since 2007, suffering four of those losses to No. 1 seeds (and eventual regional champions) on their home courts (Cal Poly Pomona, '11 & '14; Seattle Pacific, '10; UCSD, '07) … the Seawolves have won four regional titles (2008, 2009, 2012, 2016) ... UAA made its first appearance in the NCAA Div. II national title game in 2016 after bowing out in the national semifinals in 2008 and 2009 ... UAA improved to 12-6 in NCAA openers and earned its fourth straight first-round win with its 76-69 victory over HPU ... the Seawolves improved 7-8 all-time in the Round of 32 with Saturday's 69-67 win over NNU ... UAA is 4-3 in the Sweet 16 (regional finals) after its 65-63 loss to Azusa Pacific.
 
WINNING WAYS: The Seawolves have won at least 30 games in three of the last four seasons, starting with their NCAA Div. II-record 38 victories in 2015-16 ... last year UAA became the first basketball program to win at least a share of five straight GNAC regular-season titles (four outright, tied in 2018) ... UAA has recorded 25 wins for five straight seasons and produced 15 20-win seasons in 42 years of program history ... at 155-15 (.912), the Seawolves have the second-best winning percentage and second-most victories in NCAA Div. II since 2014-15, trailing Ashland (157-15, .913) for those honors ... UAA is a combined 99-8 – including 45-4 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games over the last five seasons (since Dec. 2014) ... the Seawolves have won 30 consecutive GNAC regular-season home contests, posting 10-0 marks the last three seasons ... UAA has gone a combined 182-16 (.919) in the last 12 seasons on its home courts, including 73-6 (.924) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... the Seawolves have won 49 of their last 50 regular-season games against Div. II non-conference opponents ... last year's Seawolves earned the program's 13th consecutive winning season and 12th NCAA Tournament berth in 13 years ... the Seawolves have won five of the nine GNAC Tournament titles since the event started in 2011.
 
NIFTY NUMBERS: UAA led the 2018-19 GNAC stats in seven categories – scoring defense (56.5 ppg), steals per game (14.6), assists per game (18.0), assist-turnover ratio (1.3), turnover margin (+8.9) and turnovers forced per game (22.8) – while ranking second in scoring margin (+18.5), FG% defense (.385), 3FG% defense (.294) and offensive rebound pct. (.366) ... in the NCAA Div. II national stats, the Seawolves held top-10 ranks in steals per game (2nd), turnover margin (5th), assists per game (5th), turnovers forced per game (8th), A/T ratio (8th) and scoring margin (10th), plus top-50 marks in scoring defense (21st), FG% (35th, .439), scoring offense (32nd), fewest turnovers per game (34th, 13.9) and 3FG% defense (44th) ... the Seawolves combined for 15 team and individual school records in 2018-19, including fewest turnovers per game (13.9), fewest turnovers in a game (4 vs Central Washington, Mar. 2), and most 3FGs in a game by a freshman (6 by Jahnna Hajdukovich at UAF).
 
ALL THAT YAZ: An honorable mention All-GNAC selection the past two seasons, Sr. PG Yazmeen Goo finished strong last year after missing 10 games with a hand injury from Nov. 17-Jan. 8 ... the Bay Area native had multiple steals in 20 of her 23 outings, ranking 2nd in the GNAC and 9th nationally with 3.0 spg ... Goo was also the Seawolves' 3rd-leading scorer with 9.3 ppg, tallying double figures on 14 occasions, and held league ranks of 4th in FG% (.545), 13th in assists per game (3.2)  and 14th in assist-turnover ratio (1.5) ... on UAA's career lists, Goo heads into her senior season at 5th in assists (326), 9th in assists per game (3.9), 6th in steals (209), 10th in steals per game (2.5), 13th in FTs made (231) and 19th in FG% (.471).
 
PAW PRINTS: A key reserve in her first season and a half, Jr. F/C Tennae Voliva averaged 5.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game after stepping into the starting lineup for the final 13 games of 2018-19, boosted by 23 points and 19 rebounds in the three NCAA contests ... Voliva accounted for at least five points in 16 games and at least four rebounds in 19 contests, tying her career high with 9 rebounds in the NCAA win over Hawaii Pacific ... the former East Anchorage HS star led UAA in FG% at .504 (62 of 123) and was second on the team with 17 blocks ... the Seawolves are expecting a big season from Sr. G Safiyyah Yasin, who redshirted in 2017-18 after transferring from Diablo Valley (Calif.) College and came off the bench in all 33 games last year, averaging 8.4 ppg, 1.3 apg and 2.2 spg  ... prior to her breakout performances against Simon Fraser and Western Washington in early January, Yasin led UAA with 16 points in her debut against Holy Names, and she delivered a clutch 16 points to help fend off Hawaii Pacific in November ... along with double-figure scoring efforts in 11 games and multiple steals in 21 contests, Yasin ranked 5th in the GNAC and 83rd nationally with 2.2 steals per game ... Jr. F Sala Langi stepped into a larger role last season and emerged as one of the GNAC's most versatile players, delivering 6.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game ... with multiple assists in 18 games, 7-plus rebounds in six games and double-digit scoring in 10 games, Langi displayed equal proficiency as a scorer, passer and rebounder ... one of four Bay Area natives on the roster, she posted a career-high 10 rebounds in the second win over Holy Names, and she delivered a career-high 17-point effort, while dishing four assists without a turnover against MSUB ... the Seawolves should also see increased contributions from So. F Kimani Fernandez and So. G Jahnna Hajdukovich, who each showed impression flashes as true freshmen ... Fernandez saw action off the bench in all 33 games a year ago, averaging 2.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg, while Hajdukovich put up 3.1 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 32 contests, posting the team's second-lowest turnover rate (one per 23.4 minutes played) and setting the program's freshman record for three-pointers in a game with six in the road win over UAF ... the Seawolves get one 2018-19 redshirt back in their lineup with the return of So. G Nicole Pinckney ... a local Chugiak High product, Pinckney played in 30 games as a true freshman in 2017-18, averaging 2.0 points, posting a 29-18 assist-turnover ratio and shooting .353 from 3FG range.
 
TRANSFER STATION: The Seawolves feature four junior-college transfers and one NCAA Div. I transfer in their 2019-20 lineup, with most expected to make a major impact ... along with becoming the first Louisiana native to play for the UAA program, Jr. G Kedranea' Addison brings a resume that includes NJCAA Second Team All-America and Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division Player of the Year honors from last year at Cowley (Kan.) College ... Jr. G Stephanie Jackson was a 14.5 ppg career scorer at Santa Fe (Fla.) College and a First Team All-MFC selection last year, while Jr. G Lauren Johnson starred at North Dakota State College of Science, where she averaged 13.0 ppg and shot .394 3FG last year, helping her team to 50-12 record over her two seasons ... Sr. F Amelia Motz comes to UAA after playing in 62 games over three seasons at Div. program Iona, where she averaged 3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1.6 apg as a sophomore ... the Seawolves also add more local flavor with So. F Alexia Novelli, who starred at Colony High and averaged double-figure scoring in her lone season at Spokane (Wash.) CC.
 
MASTER OF MAYHEM: In his eighth season at UAA and ninth season as a head coach, Ryan McCarthy has ascended to the top of two impressive lists, as the NCAA Div. II active leader in career winning percentage (.813) and the all-time winningest coach in UAA women's basketball history ... since coming north in 2012, McCarthy has led the Seawolf program to unprecedented heights, capturing five straight GNAC regular-season titles (four outright), three GNAC Tournament titles, six straight NCAA Tournament berths, and ascending as high as No. 1 or No. 2 in the national rankings every season from 2014-15 through 2017-18 ... this year McCarthy earned his third consecutive GNAC Coach of the Year honor and fourth in the last five seasons, while he was the WBCA NCAA Div. II West Region Coach of the Year three straight times from 2015-17 ... in 2016-17, the Anchorage native led UAA to its third straight top-2 regional seed and its second straight 30-win season (30-2), while recording the first 20-0 league record in GNAC history ... the previous season, McCarthy's crew set an NCAA Div. II record with 38 victories, advancing all the way to the 2016 National Title Game in Indianapolis ... his 2014-15 club claimed what was then the best winning percentage in program history with a 29-2 (.935) mark, sweeping both GNAC titles as well ... McCarthy led UAA to an improvement in overall wins (17, 19, 29, 38) his first four seasons and increased the Seawolves' GNAC victory total in each of his first five campaigns (11, 12, 17, 18, 20) … playing its up-tempo 'Mayhem' style, McCarthy's crews led the nation in steals per game for four straight seasons  (2013-14 to 2016-17), while ranking 6th last year and 2nd this year ... McCarthy sports head-coaching records of 191-34 (.849) at UAA and 205-47 (.814) overall, having served in an interim capacity at Northwest Nazarene in 2010-11 … McCarthy is assisted by 8th-year associate head coach Shaina Afoa (the 2017-18 WBCA NCAA Div. II National Assistant Coach of the Year), 2nd-year assistant and former Seawolf Sierra Afoa, and 6th-year volunteer assistant Patrick Flanigin.
 
2019-20 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Yazmeen Goo
Preseason All-GNAC Team (unanimous)
Safiyyah Yasin
Preseason All-GNAC Team