THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thu., Dec. 1 – 7:30 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
Montana State Billings (7-1, 1-0 GNAC) at #11/7 Alaska Anchorage (5-0, 0-0 GNAC)
&
Sat., Dec. 3 – 5:15 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
Seattle Pacific (2-2, 0-0 GNAC [12/1 @UAF]) at #11/7 Alaska Anchorage
 
LIVE VIDEO: Both games free at youtube.com/@UAASeawolves
LIVE STATS: goseawolves.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
SOCIAL MEDIA: Check the @UAAWBB Twitter feed for in-game updates.
TICKETS: GoSeawolves.com
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2022-23 stats)
G—Nicole Pinckney, 5-5, Sr. (8.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 19/4 AT ratio)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, Sr. (10.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, .364 3FG)
G—Jazzpher Evans, 5-6, So. (8.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg)
      or Ra'Anaa Bey, 5-6, Sr. (4.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg, .364 3FG)
F—Vishe' Rabb, 5-9, Sr. (20.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.0 spg, .479 FG, .387 3FG, .833 FT)
F—Kate Robertson, 6-2, So. (7.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg, .486 FG)
 
GNAC STARTERS ON TAP: Off to a 5-0 start and ranked in both national polls, the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team takes a break from non-conference play to open the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season with games Thursday (7:30 pm) against Montana State Billings and Saturday against Seattle Pacific (5:15 pm) at the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Ranked 5th in this week's D2SIDA West Region poll, Montana State Billings brings a 3-game winning streak north after opening the GNAC season with a 67-61 road win over UAF on Monday ... the Yellowjackets, who suffered their lone loss to Black Hills State, are led by Cariann Kunkel (12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, .857 FT) and Dyauni Boyce (12.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg, .468 FG) ...   Seattle Pacific has split its four games against top competition, including a big 70-64 win over perennial contender Azusa Pacific and a 70-62 loss to CCAA preseason favorite Cal State San Marcos on opening weekend ... picked seventh in the GNAC preseason poll, the Falcons are led by Ashley Alter (18.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, .491 FG) and Schuyler Berry (11.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, .571 FG).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs MSUB: UAA leads 38-29 overall, 21-12 in Anchorage
Streak: MSUB 2
Last: MSUB 74-67 (1/27/22 at Billings)
Notes: MSUB swept last year's season series and earned its first consecutive wins over UAA since joining the GNAC in 2007-08 ... UAA has won 25 of 30 overall since MSUB joined the GNAC ... UAA has won 13 of 14 GNAC meetings in Anchorage, including six of seven at the Alaska Airlines Center ... UAA leads 24-4 in GNAC regular-season meetings and 15-5 under Ryan McCarthy ... MSUB is UAA's 3rd-most common opponent (behind UAF and Seattle Pacific), despite splitting into different leagues from 2002-07 … teams played twice yearly from 1984-85 to 2000-01 as members of the Pacific West and Continental Divide conferences.
 
vs SPU: Tied 36-36, UAA leads 22-14 in Anchorage
Streak: UAA 7
Last: UAA 57-50 (3/3/22, GNAC Quarterfinals at SPU)
Notes: The teams met three times last year, all in Seattle due to pandemic-related scheduling quirks ... UAA has won seven of eight against SPU at the Alaska Airlines Center, with the lone loss coming in the 2018 GNAC Tournament semifinals ... series is tied 19-19 in GNAC regular-season meetings after SPU took the first 11 encounters … UAA leads 17-2 under head coach Ryan McCarthy ... SPU is UAA's 2nd-most common opponent, squaring off at least once per season since 1990-91 …  series started in 1979-80.
 
GETTING BY BIOLA: UAA used late rallies to hold off upset bids by West Region foe Biola last week at the Alaska Airlines Center, winning 77-68 on Friday and 86-79 on Saturday ... in the first game, Sr. F Vishe' Rabb eqauled her career-high 22 points from her days at Augustana, along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals, helping UAA overcome an 11-point first-half deficit ... So. G Jazzpher Evans added 14 points and Sr. PG Nicole Pinckney had 7 points and 5 assists as UAA won the first-ever meeting between the programs ... in the rematch, Rabb delivered a career-high 24 points, 12 rebounds and career-high-tying 6 assists as UAA tied the program record with 16 three-pointers ... Sr. G Rachel Ingram scored a season-high 17 points (5-11 3FG) and Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich fought through foul trouble to tally 11 points (3-6 3FG).
 
SHOOTOUT CHAMPS: The Seawolves earned their eighth ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout title with victories over D-I programs UC Riverside and La Salle, Nov. 18-19 at the Alaska Airlines Center ... in the first contest, Sr. F Vishe' Rabb had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals on her way to tourney Most Outstanding Player honors, powering a 64-51 defeat of the Highlanders ... So. F Kate Robertson added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich had 9 points (4-5 FG) and 7 rebounds as UAA outshot UCR .460 to .352 ... in the title game, Hajdukovich and Rabb combined for 40 points (12-20 FG, 6-12 3FG, 10-11 FT), 15 rebounds and 5 assists as UAA built a 26-point advantage and held off the Explorers 88-75 ... Sr. PG Nicole Pinckney added 11 points (3-3 3FG) and 9 assists (with one turnover), joining Rabb and Hajdukovich on the all-tournament team ... both games were discretionary exhibitions, meaning the result and stats counted for UCR and La Salle, but not for UAA.
 
SEAWOLVES RISING: The Seawolves are ranked in both NCAA Div. II top-25 polls for the second straight week, rising two spots to No. 7 in the D2SIDA (sports info directors) poll and four place to No. 11 in the WBCA (coaches) poll ... UAA leads the early GNAC stats in three categories –  assists (19.0 apg), turnover margin (+10.6) and A/T ratio (1.5), while ranking second in steals (12.8 spg), 3FGs per game (11.4), scoring (81.0 ppg) and FT% (.740) ... in the NCAA Div. II national stats, UAA sits 2nd in A/T ratio (1.53), 4th in assists per game, 4th in 3FGs per game and 5th in TO margin.
 
'WOLF BITES: A second-team All-NSIC performer last season at Augustana (S.D.), Sr. F Vishe' Rabb has made a huge impact in her first handful of games in Green & Gold, earning GNAC Player of the Week honors for her play against Biola ... the Minnesota native has scored at least 17 points and grabbed at least five rebounds in all three games thus far, with her 15 boards against La Sierra the most for a Seawolf since Nov. 2014 ... Rabb ranks 3rd in the early GNAC stats in scoring with 20.4 ppg (21st nationally), along with 5th in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and 4th in steals (2.0 spg) ...  a preseason All-GNAC pick along with Rabb, Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich is UAA's second-leading scorer with 10.4 ppg, including 12.0 ppg in the four Div. II games ... the former Dimond High star has hit at least one trey in all five games, producing early GNAC ranks of 7th in 3FGs per game (2.4), 16th in 3FG% (.364), 13th in A/T ratio (1.6) and 18th in steals (1.4 spg) ... on UAA's career lists, Hajdukovich now ranks 48th in scoring (567 pts), 8th in 3FGs made (128), 12th in 3FGs per game (1.3) and 15th in 3FG% (.359) ... Sr. G Nicole Pinckney becomes the longest tenured player in program history this year – her sixth in the Green & Gold ... the former Chugiak High star leads the early GNAC stats in A/T ratio (4.8, 22nd nationally), along with 3rd in assists (3.8 apg) and 18th in 3FGs per game (1.6), dishing multiple assists and not committing multiple turnovers in any game thus far ... Pinckney stands 17th on UAA's career lists for both 3FGs (95) and victories (85) ... So. F Kate Robertson has made a strong debut with 7.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.4 spg, while shooting .486 from the field ... the Casper (Wyo.) College transfer had her first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against HPU, and had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to aid the Shootout win over UC Riverside ... Sr. G Rachel Ingram's 5-of-11 display against Biola last week marked her 11th career game with at least four treys, resulting in a season-high 17 points ... the Colorado native ranks 9th in the GNAC with 2.0 3FGs per game, while on UAA's career top-20 lists she stands 5th in 3FGs/gm (1.8),  10th in 3FGs made (121) and 18th in 3FG% (.349).
 
WINNING WAYS: Prior to falling 0.04 ranking points shy of last year's crown, UAA's run of six straight GNAC regular-season titles was the longest of any basketball program – women's or men's – since the league was founded in 2001-02 ... at 212-24 (.898), the Seawolves have the third-best winning percentage and fourth-most victories in NCAA Div. II since 2014-15, despite playing only three games in 2020-21 ... UAA is a combined 133-14 – including 63-7 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games over the last seven conference seasons (since Dec. 2014) ... the Seawolves have gone a combined 206-18 (.920) in the last 16 seasons on their home courts, including 97-8 (.924) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... the wins over Biola made UAA 30-0 all-time against NCAA Div. II non-conference opponents at the Alaska Airliens Center in the regular season ... the 2019-20 Seawolves earned the program's fourth 30-win season in five years, starting with an NCAA Div. II-record 38 victories in 2015-16 ... UAA has recorded 20 wins for seven straight seasons (excluding 2020-21, when they played just three games) and has produced 17 20-win seasons in 45 years of program history ... the Seawolves have won 65 of their last 67 regular-season games against Div. II non-conference opponents ... UAA has posted 16 consecutive winning records and earned 14 NCAA Tournament appearance in its last 15 full seasons ... the Seawolves have won six of the 11 GNAC Tournament titles since the event started in 2011.
 
MASTER OF MAYHEM: Now in his 11th season at UAA and 12th overall, Ryan McCarthy currently stands No. 4 among active NCAA Div. II coaches in career winning percentage at .824 ... the winningest coach in UAA women's basketball history since coming north in 2012, McCarthy has led the Seawolf program to unprecedented heights, capturing six straight GNAC regular-season titles (five outright) between 2015-20, four GNAC Tournament titles, eight straight NCAA Tournament berths (discounting the 2020-21 non-season), and ascending as high as No. 1 or No. 2 in the national rankings every season from 2014-15 through 2017-18 ... in 2019-20, McCarthy earned his fourth consecutive GNAC Coach of the Year honor and fifth in six seasons, and 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 249-43 (.853) at UAA and 263-56 (.824) overall, having served in an interim capacity at Northwest Nazarene in 2010-11 … McCarthy is assisted by 11th-year associate head coach Shaina Afoa (the 2017-18 WBCA NCAA Div. II National Assistant Coach of the Year) and former Seawolf great Kiki Robertson (2nd season).
 
2022-23 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
JAHNNA HAJDUKOVICH
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
Preseason All-GNAC Team
NICOLE PINCKNEY
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
VISHE' RABB
GNAC Player of the Week, Nov. 21-27
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player
Preseason All-GNAC Team
 
UAA School Records Broken/Tied in 2022-23
TEAM
Game
Most 3FGs Made — 16 vs Biola, Nov. 26 (ties record set vs Alaska Fairbanks, 2/11/20 and at Warner Pacific, 3/23/21)
Most 3FGs Attempted — 43 at La Sierra, Nov. 6 (old record: 40 vs Kuyper College, 1/3/09 & at St. Andrews, 10/29/19)