THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thu., Jan. 4 – 7 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
#14 Western Washington (9-2, 1-0 GNAC) at Alaska Anchorage (6-5, 0-2 GNAC)
&
Sat., Jan. 6 – 7 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
Simon Fraser (8-6, 0-1 GNAC [Thu. @UAF]) at Alaska Anchorage
 
LIVE VIDEO: Both games free at youtube.com/uaaseawolves
LIVE STATS: goseawolves.com/sidearmstats/wbball
TICKETS: GoSeawolves.com
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2023-24 stats)
G—Senya Rabouin, 5-5, Jr. (12.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg, .379 3FG, .815 FT)
G—Jazzpher Evans, 5-6, Jr. (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg, .480 FG)
G—Elaina Mack, So. (8.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .360 3FG)
F—Jaisa Gamble, 6-0, Jr. (4.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.0 spg, .545 FG)
F—Kate Robertson, 6-2, Jr. (6.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.9 spg, .444 FG, .875 FT)
 
BORDER RIVALS INVADE: The Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week against No. 14 Western Washington and Simon Fraser at the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
KNOW THE FOES: No. 14 Western Washington comes north with two straight wins after suffering a 74-69 upset loss at Dominican on Dec. 14 ... the Vikings won their GNAC opener 64-57 at home against Simon Fraser on Dec. 2 ... picked second in the GNAC preseason poll, WWU is led by All-America Sr. C Brooke Walling (17.4 ppg, 10.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.9 bpg, .627 FG) and So. G Mason Oberg (12.5 ppg, 2.8 apg, .364 3FG, .844 FT) ... after starting with three straight losses, Simon Fraser put together a 7-game win streak from Nov. 10-25, only to drop its next three games ... the Red Leafs – who visit Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday night – are led by 6-2 Sr. F Jessica Wisotzki (18.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .321 3FG, .867 FT) and 6-2 Jr. C Gemma Cutler (12.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.0 bpg, .607 FG).
 
THE SERIES...
vs WWU: WWU leads 29-28 overall; UAA leads 13-12 in Anch.
Streak: WWU 5
Last: WWU 62-52 (1/28/23 at UAA)
Notes: WWU's current streak matches its second-longest in series history ... UAA is seeking its first win since beating WWU 89-68 in the 2020 GNAC Tournament final ... the Vikings have won two straight in Anchorage ... teams have played 30 times since Jan. 2011, including five meetings in the GNAC Tourney finals (all UAA wins) and NCAA 1st Round games in 2012 and 2022 ... series is tied 21-21 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02) ... UAA leads 14-10 under Ryan McCarthy ... WWU won the first seven meetings in series history, which began Feb.13, 1997.
 
vs SFU: UAA leads 24-8 overall, 11-3 in Anchorage
Streak: UAA 9
Last: UAA 73-71, OT (1/26/23 at UAA)
Notes: UAA's current streak is the longest in series history ... SFU's last win came in a 90-80 upset of UAA in the 2017 NCAA Tournament Second Round in Anchorage ... UAA leads 18-5 in regular-season meetings since SFU joined the GNAC in the 2010-11 season and 17-5 under Ryan McCarthy ... first meeting was a 65-61 UAA win in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 28, 1981.
 
QUEENS OF CALI: The Seawolves ran their win streak to four games with double-digit victories at CCAA foes Stanislaus State and San Francisco State to end the non-conference season, Dec. 17 & 19 ... in the first contest, Jr. PG Senya Rabouin and Jr. G Jazzpher Evans tallied 13 points apiece and Jr. F Nessa Walsh delivered career highs of 7 points (3-5 FG), 8 rebounds and 3 steals with no turnovers in a 60-46 win in Turlock, Calif. ... Jr. C Tori Hollingshead added 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals as UAA held the Warriors to .296 FG shooting and outscored them 28-6 over the last 12:30 ... two days later, Rabouin led four Seawolves in double figures with 14 points (5-10 FG, 3-3 FT) and 8 assists as the visitors led for all but 19 seconds in a 71-51 win in San Francisco ... Hollingshead had 12 points (5-10 FG), 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, So. G Elaina Mack tallied 11 points (3-6 3FG) and Jr. G Ja'Niah Alexander had a career-best performance with 11 points (3-3 FG, 5-5 FT) and 5 steals, helping the Seawolves to a season-best 43-23 rebounding advantage.
 
TEAM NOTES: UAA has allowed just 173 points over its current win streak, marking the fewest surrendered in four straight against fellow NCAA Div. II opponents since the opening four games of the 2016-17 season ... the Seawolves are trying to avoid the program's first 0-3 GNAC start since 2003-04 ... the 33 points allowed against Clarion on Sunday equaled UAA's 10th-fewest against a fellow NCAA Div. II opponent ... the Seawolves lead the GNAC in steals per game (13.5, 16th nationally), offensive rebounds per game (13.8) and offensive rebounding percentage (.385), and rank second in turnover margin (+3.2), scoring defense (58.3), FG% defense (.371), 3FG% defense (.281) and rebounds allowed (33.0) ... UAA's four-game losing skid from Nov. 24-Dec. 2 was its longest since dropping seven straight from Jan. 7-28, 2006 ... the Seawolves' four one-possession losses mark the first time that has happened since the 2007-08 squad suffered four of its five losses that year by three points or fewer.
 
'WOLF BITES: A Preseason All-GNAC pick, Jr. G Jazzpher Evans ranks 15th in the GNAC with 12.3 points per game, along with 8th in steals per game (1.8) and 11th in 3FG%,  ... the Chicago native tied her career high from her Covid freshman season at Quincy with 20 points (8-14 FG, 4-4 FT) in the loss at Pacific, and topped that with 21 points against Adams State ... Evans was named the MVP of the GNAC/PacWest Crossover after helping UAA to two wins in Honolulu with 13.5 ppg on .500 FG ... Jr. C Tori Hollingshead has made a major impact since transferring from Umpqua (Ore.) CC, ranking among the GNAC stats leaders in scoring (17th, 12.0 ppg), rebounding (11th, 6.9 rpg), blocks (3rd, 1.9 [25th nationally]), steals (9th, 1.7 spg) and FG% (4th, .584) ... the Orem, Utah, product shot 9 of 13 and grabbed 9 rebounds to power the win over Hawaii Pacific, and she earned all-tournament spots at both the GNAC/PacWest Crossover and the ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout ... Jr. PG Senya Rabouin has started to settling into her role since transferring from Central Arizona College, providing at least two field goals, one three-pointer, multiple assists and at least one steal in all 11 games ... the Arizona native already has a pair of 20-plus scoring efforts to her credit, moving up in the GNAC stats to 11th in scoring (12.7 ppg), 1st in assists (4.7 apg), 6th in steals (1.9 spg), 9th in FT% (.815), 9th in 3FG% (.379), 7th in 3FGs per game (2.0) and 8th in A/T ratio (1.7) ... Rabouin's 10 assists Dec. 8 against Clarion were the first double-digit performance by a Seawolf since Nov. 2017 (Yazmeen Goo) ... other Seawolves among the GNAC stats leaders are Jr. G Kya Pearson (2nd, 2.2 spg), Jr. F Jaisa Gamble (7th, 1.9 spg) and So. G Elaina Mack (3rd, 2.5 3FG per game; 11th, .365 3FG%) ... Mack has nailed at least one three-pointer in all 11 games, including a 5-of-6 (17 pts) effort in the win at Hawaii Pacific, and 5 of 10 in the first game against Adams State.
 
RABB REHABBING: A transfer from fellow Div. II program Augustana (S.D.), Sr. F Vishe' Rabb made a huge impact in her new uniform last year, earning GNAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honors ... prior to tearing her ACL in the final game of the year, Rabb paced UAA in scoring in 16 of her 26 appearances, while leading the way in rebounding 13 times ... a two-time GNAC Player of the Week and the ASRC/Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player, the Minnesota native scored double figures all but four times and grabbed at least five rebounds in all but three contests ... Rabb ranked 5th in the GNAC stats in scoring with 16.8 ppg, along with 8th in rebounding (6.3 rpg), 4th in steals (2.0) and 1st in FT% (.879, No. 2 on UAA's single-season list) ... after suffering through a midseason slump, Rabb finished on a hot streak, posting four 25-plus scoring efforts in the last seven games (22.7 ppg, 49-51 FT) and her third double-double in the win over Saint Martin's (25 pts/10 rebs) ... the Minnesota native is expected to return to the Seawolf lineup soon after finishing her rehabilitation.
 
WINNING WAYS: UAA is a combined 143-25 – including 67-14 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games over the last nine conference seasons (since Dec. 2014) ... the Seawolves have gone a combined 216-23 (.904) in the last 16-plus seasons on their home courts, including 107-13 (.891) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... UAA had been 32-0 all-time against NCAA Div. II non-conference opponents at the Alaska Airlines Center in the regular season prior to the losses to Adams State ... 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 fell two victories shy of its eighth straight 20-win season (excluding 2020-21, when they played just three games); the Seawolves have produced 17 20-win seasons in 46 years of program history ... the Seawolves have won 69 of their last 74 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 16 full seasons ... the Seawolves have never failed to qualify for the GNAC Tournament, winning six of the 12 titles since the event started in 2011.
 
MASTER OF MAYHEM: Entering his 12th season at UAA and 13th overall as head coach in 2022-23, Ryan McCarthy still stands among the top five active NCAA Div. II coaches in career winning percentage at .806 ... 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 through 2021-22 ... McCarthy sports head-coaching records of 266-58 (.821) at UAA and 280-71 (.798) overall, having served in an interim capacity at Northwest Nazarene in 2010-11 … McCarthy is assisted in 2023-24 by 12th-year associate head coach Shaina Afoa (the 2017-18 WBCA NCAA Div. II National Assistant Coach of the Year) and former UAA men's assistant Jalon McCullough (1st season).
 
2023-24 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
JAZZPHER EVANS
GNAC/PacWest Crossover MVP
Preseason All-GNAC Team
TORI HOLLINGSHEAD
ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
GNAC/PacWest Crossover All-Tournament Team
VISHE' RABB
Preseason All-GNAC Team