THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thu., Jan. 26 – 7 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
Simon Fraser (6-7, 4-5 GNAC)  at Alaska Anchorage (12-6, 4-5 GNAC)
&
Sat., Jan. 28 – 7 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
#11 Western Washington (14-2, 8-1 GNAC [Thu. @UAF]) at 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. (5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.8/1 AT ratio)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, Sr. (10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg, .346 3FG)
G—Jazzpher Evans, 5-6, So. (9.1 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.7 spg, .415 FG)
F—Vishe' Rabb, 5-9, Sr. (15.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.1 spg, .324 3FG, .828 FT)
F—Kimani Fernandez, 5-10, Sr. (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 bpg, .600 FT)
 
SECOND HALF SPRINT: The UAA women's basketball team begins the second half of the round-robin Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule with games Thursday against Simon Fraser and Saturday against nationally ranked Western Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center ... the Seawolves start the week in a three-way tie for fifth place in the league standings, with the top six teams set to earn GNAC Tournament berths.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Simon Fraser brings a three-game losing streak north as the Red Leafs are battling for GNAC Tournament positioning alongside UAA ... the NCAA's lone Canadian program is paced this season by GNAC-leading scorer Jessica Wisotzki (21.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .486 3FG, .761 FT) and the nation's leading shot blocker in Gemma Cutler (12.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.9 bpg, .595 FG) ... ranked 11th in the coaches' and 12th in the NCAA Div. II Top 25 media poll, Western Washington heads to Fairbanks after having its 14-game win streak snapped Saturday in a 73-61 loss at MSU Billings ... the defending GNAC regular-season champion Vikings are led by Brooke Walling (14.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.1 bpg, 1.7 spg, .589 FG) and Avery Dykstra (8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, .450 3FG, .825 FT).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs. SFU: UAA leads 23-8 overall, 10-3 in Anchorage
Streak: UAA 8
Last: UAA 86-69 (12/31/22 at SFU)
Notes: Thursday will mark Simon Fraser's first trip to Anchorage in 1,071 days ... teams played only once in 2021-22 due to Covid ... UAA's current eight-game streak is the longest in series history, including an 85-61 win in the last game in Anchorage, Feb. 20, 2020 ... UAA leads 17-5 in regular-season meetings since SFU joined the GNAC in the 2010-11 season and 16-5 under Ryan McCarthy ... first meeting was a 65-61 UAA win in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 28, 1981.
 
vs. WWU: Tied 28-28 overall; UAA leads 13-11 in Anchorage
Streak: WWU 4
Last: WWU 104-51 (12/29/22 at WWU)
Notes: WWU is trying to match its longest streak since taking five straight from 2004-06 ... WWU's 104-51 win Dec. 29 was the largest margin in series history and the first time either team has reached the century mark against the other ... the Vikings won last year's meeting in Anchorage, 53-45 ... teams have played 29 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 21-20 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02) and 14-9 under head coach Ryan McCarthy ... WWU won the first seven meetings in series history, which began Feb. 13, 1997.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Seawolves split their road contests last week, winning 69-61 at Western Oregon on Jan. 19 and falling 66-65 at Saint Martin's on Jan. 21 ... in the first game, Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich led the way with 22 points (7-9 3FG) – becoming the first player in program history to sink at least seven treys on fewer than 10 attempts – while So. G Jazzpher Evans grabbed 4 steals and matched her career high with 5 assists ... Sr. F Vishe' Rabb had 14 pionts and 4 steals, So. F Kate Robertson had 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Sr. PG Nicole Pinckney nearly doubled her career high with 9 rebounds as UAA extended its longest win streak in any sport to 36 straight over WOU ... on Saturday, Pinckney had 13 points, 4 assists and no turnovers, but Saint Martin's made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left for the winning points, snapping a 13-game losing skid to the Seawolves ... Rabb had 12 points and Hajdukovich finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
 
SEAWOLVES BY THE NUMBERS: The Seawolves lead the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 1.41 and rank in the top 30 of the NCAA Div. II national stats in six additional categories – 5th in turnover margin (+9.6), 6th in fewest turnovers per game (12.1), 16th in assists per game (16.9), 20th in steals per game (11.9), 21st in 3FGs per game (8.3), and 29th in turnovers forced (21.6) ... UAA leads the GNAC stats in TO margin, A/T ratio, steals and offensive rebounding (14.4 orpg), while ranking 2nd in 3FGs/game and 3rd in scoring offense (72.2) and assists.
 
'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 10 of her 16 games and leading the way in rebounding eight 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 twice and grabbed at least five rebounds in 13 of 14 contests ... Rabb ranks 6th in the GNAC stats in scoring with 15.8 ppg, along with 8th in rebounding (6.6 rpg), 4th in steals (2.1) and 7th in FT% (.828) ... a preseason All-GNAC pick along with Rabb, Sr. G Jahnna Hajdukovich is UAA's second-leading scorer with 10.8 ppg, and third-leading rebounder at 4.5 rpg ... the former Dimond High star has hit at least one trey in 14 of 16 games, including an impressive 8-of-13 display in the wins over William Jewell and a 7-of-9 showing at Western Oregon ... with 33 total points last week, Hajdukovich has risen to GNAC ranks of 16th in scoring, 9th in 3FGs per game (2.1) and 18th in 3FG% (.346), while on UAA's career lists the second-generation Seawolf now ranks 36th in scoring (710 pts), 7th in 3FGs made (153), 12th in 3FGs per game (1.4), 16th in 3FG% (.355), 15th in games played (112) and 14th in victories (94) ... 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 9th nationally with a 2.8 A/T ratio, along with a league rank of 13th in assists (2.9 apg) ... Pinckney stands 17th on UAA's career list for 3FGs (103), 16th in games played (111) and 15th in victories (91) ... So. F Kate Robertson has made a strong debut with 6.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg (9th GNAC) and 1.2 spg, while shooting .466 (11th GNAC) from the field ... the Casper (Wyo.) College transfer had her first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against HPU, and she currently ranks 2nd in the GNAC in offensive rebounding with 3.1 orpg ... 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 15th in the GNAC with 1.4 3FGs/gm, while on UAA's career top-20 lists she stands 9th in 3FGs/gm (1.7) and 8th in 3FGs made (137) ... So. G Jazzpher Evans tallied double figures for the fourth time this year and scored her most points as a Seawolf with 17 in the win at Simon Fraser ... the Chicago native and Quincy University transfer has recorded multiple field goals in every game this season and had 10 multi-steal games, ranking 6th in the GNAC with 1.8 spg ... UAA got a major piece of its lineup in January when Sr. F Kimani Fernandez returned from a preseason foot injury ... a key reserve on UAA's NCAA Tournament squads in 2019, 2020 and 2022, the Hawaii native ranks 19th on UAA's career FG% list at .481 and is 34th in total rebounds with 365 ... other Seawolves among the GNAC stats leaders include So. F Tubby Tovia at 5th in A/T ratio (2.3), Fr. G Elaina Mack at 13th in 3FG% (.357), and Jr. G Anaiah Moore at 14th in assists (2.7 apg) and 7th in A/T ratio (2.1).
 
WINNING WAYS: UAA is a combined 137-19 – including 65-10 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 210-20 (.913) in the last 16 seasons on their home courts, including 101-10 (.910) 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 .813 ... 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 256-49 (.839) at UAA and 270-62 (.813) 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)