THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
12th annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships
Carver Gymnasium – Bellingham, Wash.
(times listed as Alaska Standard Time)
Thursday, March 2 (Quarterfinals)
4:15 pm: #6 Simon Fraser (10-12) vs #3 Central Washington (20-7)
6:30 pm: #5 Seattle Pacific (14-12) vs #4 Alaska Anchorage (18-9)
Friday, March 3 (Semifinals)
4:15 pm: SFU/CWU winner vs #2 Montana State Billings (23-6)
6:30 pm: SPU/UAA winner vs #1 Western Washington (22-3)
Saturday, March 4 (Title Game)
6:30 pm: Semifinal winners (winner earns automatic NCAA Tournament berth)
 
LIVE VIDEO: youtube.com/gnacsports
LIVE STATS: wwuvikings.com/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. (5.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.6/1 A/T ratio)
G—Jahnna Hajdukovich, 5-8, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg, .367 3FG)
G—Jazzpher Evans, 5-6, So. (9.5 apg, 2.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg, .436 FG)
F—Vishe' Rabb, 5-9, Jr. (16.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.0 spg, .873 FT)
F—Kate Robertson, 6-2, So. (6.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg, .488 FG)
 
TOURNEY TIME: The Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team chases a conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth when they take the No. 4 seed into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships this week in Bellingham, Wash. ... the Seawolves begin their quest with a quarterfinal battle Thursday (6:30 pm AST) against No. 5 seed Seattle Pacific (14-12) at Carver Gymnasium ... UAA would face top-seeded and host Western Washington in Friday's semifinals and likely need to win the title game Saturday in order to secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: After a hot start to GNAC play, Seattle Pacific has gone 4-8 since Jan. 14 ... also needing to likely win the GNAC Tournament in order to make the NCAAs, the Falcons are led by Ashley Alter (15.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg, .780 FT) and Natalie Hoff (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .814 FT).
 
GNAC TOURNEY HISTORY: The Seawolves have never missed a GNAC Tournament, capturing six of the first 12 titles (2011, '12, '15, '16, '17, 20) ... last year UAA came up short in the semifinals, losing 80-65 to eventual champ Central Washington in Lacey ... UAA has a 15-5 record in GNAC tourney games, going 2-2 in the quarterfinals, 7-2 in the semifinals and 6-1 in the finals ... UAA's last title came in 2020 when it beat Western Washington 89-68 in Seattle.
 
GNAC Women's Basketball Championships Results
Year Champ Rnr-Up Score Site MVP
2022 CWU   WWU    57-46 SMU  Sam Bowman, CWU
2021 No Tournament (Covid-19)
2020 UAA   WWU    89-68 SPU  Safiyyah Yasin, UAA
2019 NNU   UAA    70-64 WWU  Ellie Logan, NNU
2018 MSUB  SPU    71-61 UAA  Alisha Breen, MSUB
2017 UAA   WWU    79-70 SMU  A. Williams, UAA
2016 UAA   MSUB   77-57 SMU  Kiki Robertson, UAA
2015 UAA   WWU    71-58 MSUB Kiki Robertson, UAA
2014 WWU   SFU    78-74 SMU  Jenni White, WWU
2013 WWU   SFU    60-40 SMU  T.Williams, WWU
2012 UAA   WWU    67-52 SMU  H. Holmstead, UAA
2011 UAA   WWU    68-67 WWU  K. McBride, UAA
 
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs. SPU: UAA leads 38-36 overall, 1-0 neutral
Streak: UAA 9
Last: UAA 64-54 (2/23/23 at SPU)
Notes: This will mark the fifth GNAC Tourney meeting, all of which have come in the quarterfinals (a 57-50 UAA win last year in Seattle) and semifinals (three times, UAA leads 2-1) ... UAA leads 6-1 in postseason play, including NCAA Tournament wins in 2008, 2009 and 2010 ... the only neutral-court meeting was a 76-68 UAA win in the 2017 GNAC semis at Saint Martin's ... UAA leads 21-19 in GNAC regular-season meetings, after SPU took the first 11 encounters … UAA leads 19-2 under head coach Ryan McCarthy ... SPU is UAA's 2nd-most common opponent, squaring off at least once per season (excluding 2020-21) since 1990-91 … series started in 1979-80.
 
vs. WWU: WWU leads 29-28 overall, 14-10 in Bellingham
Streak: WWU 5
Last: WWU 62-52 (1/28/23 at UAA)
Notes: A semifinal matchup Friday would mark the third straight year the teams have met as least three times, including 2019-20 when the teams were set for a fourth meeting in the NCAA 1st Round before the pandemic shutdown ... teams have met five times in the GNAC Tournament – all UAA title-game victories ... teams have met eight times in the postseason (UAA leads 6-2), including WWU's 76-64 NCAA 1st Round win last year in Hayward, Calif. ... a WWU win Friday would give the Vikings their longest win streak against UAA since taking the first seven meetings (1997-2001) ... 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 ... teams have played 30 times since Jan. 2011 ... series is tied 21-21 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02), while UAA leads 14-10 under head coach Ryan McCarthy.
 
SEAWOLVES BY THE NUMBERS: The Seawolves rank top 25 in five NCAA Div. II national stats categories, including top-15 marks in A/T ratio (7th, 1.26), turnover margin (10th, +7.6) and fewest turnovers per game (15th, 12.9) ... UAA is also 19th in assists (16.3 apg), 22nd in steals (11.4 spg), 34th in turnovers forced per game (20.5), 36th in 3FGs per game (7.7) and 50th in offensive rebounds per game (13.5) ... UAA leads the GNAC stats in TO margin, steals and offensive rebounding, while ranking 2nd in A/T ratio and 3rd in four other categories.
 
ABSOLUTELY RABB-ULOUS: A second-team All-NSIC performer last season at Augustana (S.D.), Jr. F Vishe' Rabb has made a huge impact in her new uniform this year, pacing UAA in scoring in 15 of her 25 games and leading the way in rebounding 12 times ... a two-time GNAC Player of the Week and the ASRC/Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player, the Minnesota native has scored double figures all but four times and grabbed at least five rebounds in 22 of 25 contests ... Rabb ranks 5th in the GNAC stats in scoring with 16.8 ppg, along with 8th in rebounding (6.3 rpg), 5th in steals (2.0) and 2nd in FT% (.873, currently No. 3 on UAA single-season list) ... after suffering through a midseason slump, Rabb has been on a tear since Feb. 9, with four 25-plus scoring efforts in the last six games (23.8 ppg, 43-45 FT) and her third double-double in the win over Saint Martin's (25 pts/10 rebs).
 
HOMETOWN HEROES: UAA's five seniors this year have combined for 23 years in a Green & Gold, led by hometown standout senior guards Jahnna Hajdukovich and Nicole Pinckney ... a preeason All-GNAC pick along with Rabb, Hajdukovich is UAA's second-leading scorer with 11.0 ppg, and third-leading rebounder at 4.5 rpg ... the former Dimond High star has hit at least one trey in 24 of 27 games, including an impressive 8-of-13 display in the wins over William Jewell and a 7-of-9 showing at Western Oregon ... the 5th-year standout has risen to GNAC ranks of 16th in scoring, 8th in 3FGs per game (2.0) and 13th in 3FG% (.367), while on UAA's career lists the second-generation Seawolf now ranks 30th in scoring (813 pts), 6th in 3FGs made (171, needs six to tie for 5th), 12th in 3FGs per game (1.4), 14th in 3FG% (.361), t-11th in games played (121) and t-11th in victories (100) ... meanwhile, 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 10th nationally with a 2.6 A/T ratio, along with a league rank of 15th in assists (2.7 apg) ... Pinckney stands 14th on UAA's career list for 3FGs (108), t-12th in games played (120) and 13th in victories (98) ... she has also shown a penchant for big shots year year, including the game-winner in the final seconds against Simon Fraser.
 
MORE 'WOLF BITES: UAA's third-leading scorer with 9.5 ppg, So. G Jazzpher Evans finished the regular season with six double-figure efforts in the last nine games, including 14 points (6-10 FG) in last week's victory at Seattle Pacific ... the Chicago native and Quincy University transfer has recorded multiple field goals in all but one game this season and has 16 multi-steal games, ranking 6th in the GNAC with 1.8 spg ... So. F Kate Robertson has made a strong debut with 6.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg (10th GNAC) and 1.1 spg, while shooting .488 (7th 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 4th in the GNAC in offensive rebounding with 2.7 orpg ... Robertson takes a six-game streak of .500-plus shooting into the GNAC Tournament, connecting on 21 of 31 shots (.677) since Feb. 9 ... 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 18th in the GNAC with 1.3 3FGs/gm, while on UAA's career top-20 lists she stands 10th in 3FGs/gm (1.6) and 8th in 3FGs made (145) ... 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 21st on UAA's career FG% list at .470 and is 32nd in total rebounds with 401 ... other Seawolves among the GNAC stats leaders include Fr. G Elaina Mack at 11th in 3FG% (.369), and Jr. G Anaiah Moore at 18th in assists (2.5 apg) and 7th in A/T ratio (1.8).
 
WINNING WAYS: UAA is a combined 143-22 – including 67-12 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 214-21 (.911) in the last 16 seasons on their home courts, including 105-11 (.905) 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: In his 11th season at UAA and 12th overall, Ryan McCarthy currently stands among active the top five NCAA Div. II coaches in career winning percentage at .809 ... 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 262-52 (.834) at UAA and 276-65 (.809) 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
KIMANI FERNANDEZ
CSC Academic All-District Team
GNAC All-Academic Team (team-high 3.77 GPA)
JAHNNA HAJDUKOVICH
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
Preseason All-GNAC Team
GNAC All-Academic Team
RACHEL INGRAM
GNAC All-Academic Team (team-high 3.77 GPA)
NICOLE PINCKNEY
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
GNAC All-Academic 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)
Most Points, 3rd Qtr ­— 33 vs Saint Martin's, Feb. 16 (old record: 32 vs New Hope Christian, 1/5/15)
Most Points, Any Quarter, Home Game — 33 vs Saint Martin's, Feb. 16 (ties record set vs Holy Names, 1/17/17)