THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thu., Feb. 6, 5 pm AST — Johnson Sports Center — Nampa, Idaho
#8 Alaska Anchorage (21-2, 11-1 GNAC) at Northwest Nazarene (15-5, 10-2 GNAC)
&
Sat., Feb. 8, 5 pm AST — Nicholson Pavilion — Ellensburg, Wash.
#8 Alaska Anchorage at Central Washington (12-8, 7-5 GNAC [2/6 vs UAF])
 
LIVE VIDEO & STATS: gnac.tv
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: Check the @UAAWBB Twitter feed for in-game updates.
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS
G—Yazmeen Goo, 5-10, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.9 spg, .534 FG, .698 FT)
G—Safiyyah Yasin, 5-6, Sr. (13.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.3 spg, .427 FG, .387 3FG, .798 FT)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, So. (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .318 3FG, .688 FT)
F—Sala Langi, 5-9, Jr. (5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 spg, .485 FG, .806 FT)
F—Tennae Voliva, 6-0, Jr. (10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 bpg, 2.0 spg, .489 FG, .690 FT)
 
GNAC LEAD ON THE LINE IN NAMPA, ELLENSBURG: The Seawolves face what may be their toughest back-to-back road tests this week when they visit regionally 7th-ranked Northwest Nazarene and GNAC preseason favorite Central Washington ... should UAA win Thursday at NNU, it would sweep the season series and gain a two-game lead over the Nighthawks with seven games remaining; should UAA lose to NNU, the race would be a dead heat for the top seed at next month's GNAC Tournament in Seattle.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Defending GNAC Tournament champion Northwest Nazarene has gone 13-2 since its 2-3 start, suffering four of its losses to nationally or regionally ranked opponents ... taking a four-game winning streak into Thursday's contest, the Nighthawks are led by all-conference performer Avery Albrecht (15.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.8 spg, .500 FG, .385 3FG, .764 FT) and GNAC steals leader Marina Valles (15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.3 spg, .491 FG, .649 3FG) ... Central Washington has won five of its last seven games to currently hold down the No. 5 seed for the GNAC Tournament ... chasing victories to get toward the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Wildcats are led by GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Alexis Pana (13.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.0 bpg, .330 3FG, .796 FT) and Kaelie Flores (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg, .495 FG, .373 3FG, .879 FT).
 
THE SERIES
vs. NNU: UAA leads 28-17 overall; NNU leads 10-9 in Nampa
Streak: UAA 2
Last: UAA 73-58 (1/11/20 at UAA)
Notes: Teams played seven times over previous two seasons, meeting in the 2019 GNAC Tournament final (70-64 NNU win) and twice in the NCAA Tournament (both UAA two-point wins) ... NNU has won two straight in Nampa, including 84-68 last year ... UAA leads 23-14 in GNAC regular-season meetings and 12-6 under head coach Ryan McCarthy … series started in 2000-01 when both teams were in the Pacific West Conference.
 
vs. CWU: UAA leads 33-15 overall, 13-8 in Ellensburg
Streak: UAA 15
Last: UAA 68-51 (1/9/20 at UAA)
Notes: UAA has won 26 of the last 27 meetings, taking the last eight by double figures ... UAA won 74-60 last year in Ellensburg and beat CWU 70-52 in the GNAC Tourney semis in Bellingham  ... UAA has won 12 straight in Ellensburg since a 58-52 CWU win, Jan. 18, 2007 ... UAA's overall streak against CWU is its third-longest against any opponent, with the top five all current (32 vs WOU, 25 vs UAF, 15 vs CWU, 13 vs MSU-Denver, 12 vs Saint Martin's) ... CWU's lone win last decade came by a 74-64 score, Jan. 19, 2013 in Anchorage ... UAA leads 27-10 in GNAC regular-season meetings and 15-1 under head coach Ryan McCarthy … teams have played at least once per season since 1998-99 … teams played three times from 1979-81 and did not meet again until 1997.
 
HARD-EARNED SWEEP: The Seawolves kept alive a pair of long home winning streaks (25 overall, 37 vs GNAC opponents in regular season) with a 59-56 victory over Saint Martin's and a 69-49 win over Seattle Pacific last week at the Alaska Airlines Center ... in the first game, Sr. PG Yazmeen Goo notched 10 points (4-6 FG), 6 assists and no turnovers as UAA fended off a late SMU upset bid ... Jr. PG Stephanie Jackson scored the game-winning free throws and tied her high with 11 points, Sr. G Safiyyah Yasin had 12 points and 3 steals, and So. G Jahnna Hajdukovich tallied 7 points and a career-high 8 rebounds ... two days later, Jr. G/F Lauren Johnson scored 15 points (6-8 FG) and UAA used a 19-3 run to close the first half, sweeping the season series from SPU ... Jackson, Jr. C Tennae Voliva (5-6 FT) and So. G Nicole Pinckney (3-5 3FG) scored 9 points apiece, while Jr. F Sala Langi and Sr. F Amelia Motz grabbed 6 rebounds each.
 
WINNING WAYS: UAA's 27-game GNAC win streak from Jan. 3, 2019 to Jan. 18, 2020 finished as the 2nd-longest in league history (since 2001-02), just ahead of its streak of 26 from Nov. 30, 2016 to Jan. 18, 2018) ... at 175-17 (.911), the Seawolves have the second-best winning percentage and second-most victories in NCAA Div. II since 2014-15, trailing Ashland (178-15, .922) for those honors ... UAA is a combined 110-9 – including 49-5 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games over the last six seasons (since Dec. 2014) ... UAA has stretched its Alaska Airlines Center win streak to a record 25 games, suffering its last home loss to Seattle Pacific in the 2018 GNAC Tournament semifinals ... the Seawolves have won 37 consecutive GNAC regular-season home contests, including 10-0 marks the previous three seasons ... UAA has gone a combined 193-16 (.923) in the last 13 seasons on its home courts, including 84-6 (.933) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... 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 has now produced 16 20-win seasons in 43 years of program history ... the Seawolves have won 57 of their last 59 regular-season games against Div. II non-conference opponents ... UAA has clinched the program's 14th consecutive winning season and is seeking its 13th NCAA Tournament berth in 14 years ... the Seawolves have won five of the nine GNAC Tournament titles since the event started in 2011.
 
NIFTY NUMBERS: UAA has assumed its familiar position among the NCAA Div. II national stats leaders, ranking among the top 50 in 13 categories ­– including 5th in steals per game (13.7), 7th in turnover margin (8.4), 8th in scoring margin (+22.1) and scoring defense (53.3), 16th in turnovers forced per game (22.4), 21st in A/T ratio (1.18)  and 22nd in assists per game (16.5) – despite not having a single player among the top 40 in any individual category ... in the GNAC stats, the Seawolves lead in seven of the 21 categories and rank second in five others ... the Seawolves are attempting to finish top-10 nationally in steals for the seventh straight season, having led NCAA Div. II for four straight years from 2013-14 to 2016-17.
 
GOO STUFF: An honorable mention All-GNAC selection the past two seasons and a Preseason All-GNAC Team pick this year, Sr. PG Yazmeen Goo has been impressive thus far, helping UAA rank top 10 nationally in steals, turnover margin and scoring defense ... in the GNAC stats, the Bay Area product ranks 6th in assists (4.1 apg), 2nd in A/T ratio (2.0, 43rd nationally), 6th in steals (1.9) and 4th in FG% (.534), despite logging a modest 22.1 minutes per game in UAA's balanced system ... on UAA's career lists, Goo continues to rise the charts at 4th in assists (416), 9th in assists per game (4.0), 5th in steals (247, needs four to tie for 4th), 12th in steals per game (2.4), 8th in FTs made (291), 13th in FTs made per game (2.9), 18th in FG% (.488) and 11th in victories (93).
 
YASIN HER LATELY: Another Preseason All-GNAC selection and the GNAC Player of the Week for Jan. 6-12, Sr. G Safiyyah Yasin (suf-FEE-yuh ya-SEEN) has been a problem for opposing defenses, ranking 8th in the GNAC with 13.4 ppg on shooting numbers of .427 FG, .387 3FG and .798 FT ... a key reserve in all 33 games last year, the Diablo Valley (Calif.) College transfer has topped the 20-point plateau three times – including a career-high 25 points in the win over S.F. State – and has scored double figures in 18 of 23 games ... in addition to her scoring, Yasin also holds GNAC ranks of 3rd in steals (2.3 spg, 66th nationally), 8th in A/T ratio (1.5), 5th in 3FG% and 6th in FT% ... on UAA's career lists, she is 10th in FT% (.786), 12th in 3FG% (.370) and 15th in steals per game (2.25).
 
T.V. SHOW: A key reserve in her first season and a half, Jr. F/C Tennae Voliva (t'NAY voh-LEE-vuh) has taken her game to the next level, averaging 10.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 0.9 bpg ... in the GNAC stats, she ranks 4th in rebounding, 4th in steals (2.0), 14th in blocks (0.9) and 13th in FG% (.489), with her rebounding average on pace to be the highest in the Ryan McCarthy era ... the former East Anchorage HS star earned her fifth double-double with 19 points and 10 points at Simon Fraser, following a 19-point, 12-rebound performance in the win over Northwest Nazarene ... Voliva has established career highs in points (20 vs. S.F. State), rebounds (12, four times), steals (6 at St. Andrews) and blocks (3 vs S.F. State), and she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the D2 West Coast Classic and all-tourney at the Seawolf Hoops Classic ... on UAA's career lists, she stands 15th in FG% (.494), 15th in blocks (50) and 16th in victories, sporting a 77-10 career record in Green & Gold.
 
PAW PRINTS: Fr. G Rachel Ingram has drained multiple three-pointers in 13 of 23 games thus far, with her 44 treys already surpassing Jessica Madison's old UAA rookie record of 36 (2012-13) ... the Colorado Springs native ranks 3rd in the GNAC with her .400 3FG%, which is also among the top 10 freshman nationally  ... Ingram has also broken the UAA single-game freshman record with seven 3FGs made in the win over Concordia-Portland ... a transfer from Santa Fe (Fla.) College, Jr. G Stephanie Jackson has made an impact in her first season on both sides of the court, ranking 15th in the league with 2.5 assists per game and 12th with 1.6 steals per contest ... Jr. G/F Lauren Johnson has seen her minutes and production increase with the turn of the calendar to 2020, averaging 8.2 ppg on .654 shooting (34-52 FG, 7-16 3FG) shooting in the last 10 games ... during her current run, the North Dakota State College of Science transfer has tallied 10 points against CWU, 16 points against MSUB and 15 points against SPU, while committing just six turnovers in 215 minutes.
 
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 (.821) 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 ... in 2018-19, McCarthy earned his third consecutive GNAC Coach of the Year honor and fourth in the last five seasons ... 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 staying among the top 10 in steals each year since ... McCarthy sports head-coaching records of 211-36 (.854) at UAA and 225-49 (.821) 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.
 
2019-20 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
YAZMEEN GOO
Preseason All-GNAC Team (unanimous)
Seawolf Hoops Classic Most Outstanding Player
NICOLE PINCKNEY
D2 West Coast Classic All-Tournament Team
TENNAE VOLIVA
D2 West Coast Classic Most Outstanding Player
Seawolf Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team
SAFIYYAH YASIN
Preseason All-GNAC Team
D2 West Coast Classic All-Tournament Team
Seawolf Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team
GNAC Player of the Week, Jan. 6-12
 
UAA School Records Broken/Tied in 2019-20
TEAM
Game
Most 3FGs Made, Road – 14 at St. Andrews, 10/29 (ties record set at NW Nazarene, 2/16/13)
Most 3FGs Attempted – 40 at St. Andrews, 10/29 (ties record set vs Kuyper College, 1/3/09)
Fewest Points Allowed, 1st Qtr ­– 4 vs Menlo, 12/18 (ties record for fourth time)
Fewest Points Allowed, 3rd Qtr – 0 vs MSU Billings, 1/18 (old record: 2 vs New Hope Christian, 1/6/15)
Fewest Points Allowed in a Qtr ­– 0 vs MSU Billings, 1/18 (ties record established vs New Hope Christian, 11/6/15)
Largest Scoring Margin, 1st Qtr – +23 [28-5] vs MSU Billings, 1/18 (old record: +21 [30-9] at Saint Martin's, 2/23/19)
Misc.
Consecutive Wins, Alaska Airlines Center – 25, 11/16/19-current (old record: 16, 11/5/15-2/25/16)
Consecutive Conference Wins – 27, 1/3/19-1/18/20 (old record: 26,  11/30/16-1/18/18)
Consecutive Conference Home Wins (reg. season) – 37, Nov. 30, 2016-current (extends record)
Consecutive Wins vs. Opponent – 32 vs Western Oregon (extends record)
INDIVIDUAL
Game
Most 3FGs Made, Freshman ­– 7 by Rachel Ingram vs Concordia-Portland, 12/5 (old record: 6 by Jahnna Hajdukovich, 2/5/19 at UAF)
Season
Most 3FGs Made, Freshman ­– 44 by Rachel Ingram (old record: 36 by Jessica Madison, 2012-13)