THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thur., Dec. 29 – 6 pm AST – Carver Gymnasium – Bellingham, Wash.
#25 Alaska Anchorage (9-2, 1-1 GNAC) at #8 Western Washington (7-1, 1-0 GNAC)
&
Sat., Dec. 31 – Noon AST – SFU West Gymnasium – Burnaby, B.C.
#25 Alaska Anchorage at Simon Fraser (2-3, 0-1 GNAC [Thu. vs UAF])
 
LIVE VIDEO: Thursday at youtube.com/WWUVikingsAthletics
                      Saturday at youtube.com/watch?v=V0XNBhK5yUk
LIVE STATS: Thursday at wwuvikings.com/sidearmstats/wbball
                      Saturday at athletics.sfu.ca/sidearmstats/wbball
SOCIAL MEDIA: Check the @UAAWBB Twitter feed for in-game updates.
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2022-23 stats)
G—Nicole Pinckney, 5-5, Sr. (5.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 4.3/1 AT ratio)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, Sr. (11.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg, .368 3FG)
G—Ra'Anaa Bey, 5-6, Sr. (4.0 apg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 spg)
F—Vishe' Rabb, 5-9, Sr. (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.8 spg, .430 FG, .362 3FG, .878 FT)
F—Kate Robertson, 6-2, So. (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 spg, .500 FG)
 
BACK TO THE GNAC AT BORDER RIVALS: Ranked 25th in the WBCA NCAA Div. II national poll, the Seawolves head to Bellingham, Wash., and Burnaby, British Columbia, this week as Great Northwest Athletic Conference play resumes for the remainder of the regular season ... UAA faces 8th-ranked Western Washington on Thursday at 6 p.m. AST and Simon Fraser on Saturday at noon AST.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Ranked No. 8 in both national polls, defending GNAC regular-season champ and NCAA runner-up Western Washington brings a 7-game win streak into Thursday's contest, suffering its lone loss in the season opener to Azusa Pacific, 59-58 ... the Vikings are led by Brooke Walling (13.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.8 bpg, .575 FG) and Avery Dykstra (9.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .815 FT) ... Simon Fraser – which played only four non-conference games – has dropped three straight since season-opening victories over Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific, including a 69-60 home loss to WWU to start the GNAC on Dec. 3 ... the Red Leafs are led by Jessica Wisotzki (GNAC-best 24.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, .513 FG, .696 3FG, .757 FT) and Gemma Cutler (12.6 ppg, 10.0 ppg, 2.0 bpg, .500 FG).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs. WWU: UAA leads 28-27 overall, trails 13-10 in Bellingham
Streak: WWU 3
Last: WWU 76-64 (3-11-22, NCAA 1st Rd., Hayward, Calif.)
Notes: WWU is trying for its first 4-game win streak since taking five straight from 2004-06 ... the Vikings won last year's meeting in Bellingham, 63-50 ... teams have played 28 times since Jan. 2011, including five meetings in the GNAC Tournament finals (all UAA wins) and NCAA 1st Round games in 2012 and 2022 ... UAA leads 21-19 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02) and 14-8 under head coach Ryan McCarthy ... WWU won the first seven meetings in series history, which began Feb. 13, 1997.
 
vs. SFU: UAA leads 22-8 overall, 8-5 in Burnaby
Streak: UAA 7
Last: UAA 76-55 (2-17-22 at SFU)
Notes: Teams played only once last year due to Covid ... UAA's current 7-game streak is the longest in series history, boosted by four straight victories in Burnaby ... UAA leads 16-5 in regular-season meetings since SFU joined the GNAC in the 2010-11 season and 15-5 under Ryan McCarthy ... first meeting was a 65-61 UAA win in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 28, 1981.
 
SEAWOLVES SPLIT IN SoCAL: The Seawolves finished their non-conference season last week by splitting a pair of contests in the Los Angeles area ... on Dec. 18, Sr. G Rachel Ingram scored a team-high 14 points but UAA trailed from the outset in Carson, suffering its worst loss since Feb. 23, 2006 (67-34 vs SPU) with a 88-58 setback against Cal State Dominguez Hills ... the Toros (10-0) forced 21 Seawolf turnovers and dominated in FG% (.453 to .311), rebounding (49-33) and free throws (25-36 to 13-16) ... the next day in Anaheim, UAA rolled past an overmatched Bethesda squad by the 4th-largest margin and largest road margin in program history, 110-29 ... Jr. G Hayley Berfield (23 pts, 8-12 FG, 4 steals) and Fr. G Elaina Mack (19 points, 5-11 3FG) each tallied career highs in the victory, while Sr. PG Nicole Pinckney had a career-best 7 steals.
 
SEAWOLVES BY THE NUMBERS: The Seawolves remain ranked in the WBCA (coaches) NCAA Div. II top-25 poll this week, dropping 11 spots to No. 25 ... UAA is also No. 8 in the D2SIDA West Region poll ... the Seawolves lead NCAA Div. II with a 1.56 assist-turnover ratio and rank in the top 20 in seven additional categories – 3rd in turnover margin (+11.6), 5th in turnovers per game (11.8), 8th in assists per game (18.5), 5th in  3FGs per game (10.1), 14th in steals per game (12.8) and 18th in turnovers forced (23.45) and scoring offense (78.0 ppg) ... UAA leads the GNAC stats in five categories –  assists, TO margin, A/T ratio, steals and 3FGs per game.
 
'WOLF BITES: A second-team All-NSIC performer last season at Augustana (S.D.), Sr. F Vishe' Rabb has made a huge impact thus far, pacing UAA in scoring in nine of 11 games and leading the way in rebounding six times ... the GNAC Player of the Week for her play against Biola and the ASRC/Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player, the Minnesota native has scored double figures all but once and grabbed at least five rebounds in all 11 contests, with her 15 boards against La Sierra the most for a Seawolf since Nov. 2014 ... Rabb ranks 4th in the GNAC stats in scoring with 17.6 ppg, along with 8th in rebounding (7.4 rpg), 6th in steals (1.8), 4th in FT% (.878) and 10th in 3FGs per game (1.9) ... a preseason All-GNAC pick along with Rabb, Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich is UAA's second-leading scorer with 11.1 ppg, and third-leading rebounder at 3.7 rpg ... the former Dimond High star has hit at least one trey in all 11 games, including an impressive 8-of-13 display in the wins over William Jewell ... Hajdukovich holds GNAC ranks of 18th in scoring, 6th in 3FGs per game (2.3), 13th in 3FG% (.368) and 14th in A/T ratio (1.6) ... on UAA's career lists, Hajdukovich now ranks 40th in scoring (637 pts), 7th in 3FGs made (141), 12th in 3FGs per game (1.34) and 15th in 3FG% (.364) ... 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 GNAC and ranks 7th nationally with a 4.33 A/T ratio, along with league ranks of 5th in assists (3.5 apg), posting at least a 2-1 A/T ratio in nine of 11 games ... Pinckney stands 17th on UAA's career lists in 3FGs (98) and 15th in victories (89) ... So. F Kate Robertson has made a strong debut with 7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg (7th GNAC), 1.5 apg and 1.4 spg, while shooting .500 (10th GNAC) 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 on Nov. 26 marked her 11th career game with at least four treys, resulting in a season-high 17 points ... the Colorado native ranks 14th in in the GNAC with 1.7 3FGs/gm, while on UAA's career top-20 lists she stands 7th in 3FGs/gm (1.8) and 9th in 3FGs made (130) ... Jr. G Anaiah Moore has risen to 6th in the GNAC with 3.5 assists per game and 3rd with a 2.5 A/T ratio ... a transfer from D-I Milwaukee, Moore is also 13th with 1.6 steals per game, boosted by a 6-assists, 4-steal outing against SPU ... other Seawolves among the GNAC stats leaders include So. F Tubby Tovia at 2nd in A/T ratio (3.7) and Fr. G Elaina Mack at 10th in 3FG% (.383) and 15th in 3FGs/gm (1.6).
 
WINNING WAYS: At 216-26 (.893), 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 134-15 – including 63-7 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games over the last eight conference seasons (since Dec. 2014) ... the Seawolves have gone a combined 209-19 (.917) in the last 16 seasons on their home courts, including 100-9 (.917) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... the wins over William Jewell made UAA 32-0 all-time against NCAA Div. II non-conference opponents at the Alaska Airlines Center in the regular season ... 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 ... 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 67 of their last 70 regular-season games against Div. II non-conference opponents ... UAA has posted 16 consecutive winning records and earned 14 NCAA Tournament appearances 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 .822 ... 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 253-45 (.849) at UAA and 267-58 (.822) 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 & at Bethesda, Dec. 19 (old record: 40 vs Kuyper College, 1/3/09 & at St. Andrews, 10/29/19)
Most Steals, Road Game — 28 at Bethesda, Dec.19 (old record of 25 at BYU-Hawaii [11/19/13] also broken at La Sierra on Nov. 6)