THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Hoops In Hawaii Tip-Off Classic
T.C. Ching Center - Honolulu, Hawaii
(All times Alaska Daylight)
Friday, Oct. 30 - First Round
4:30 pm: Alaska Anchorage vs #2 Colorado Mesa
Saturday, Oct. 31 - Semis or Consolation Semis
2:15 or 6:45 pm: Alaska Anchorage vs St. Mary's (TX) or Chaminade
Sunday, Nov. 1 - Placing Round
TBD: Alaska Anchorage vs Hawaii Pacific, Lubbock Christian, Western Colorado or Winona State
 
LIVE VIDEO: passthaballlive.com/category/live-events/hoops-in-hawaii-26 ($)
 
LIVE STATS: GoSwords.com/sidearmstats/wbball
 
UAA TENTATIVE STARTERS (2025-26 stats or notes)
G—Amber Kartchner, 5-9, Jr. (11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, .509 FG as freshman at Utah Tech)
G—Mylee Anderson, 5-8, So. (10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.3 spg)
G—Sheridan Liggett, 5-9, 5th (5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.4 apg in 2024-25 at Seattle U)
F—TBD
F—Lillee Duffin, 6-1, Sr. (5.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, .439 FG, .634 FT)
 
ALOHA MEANS HELLO: The Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team introduces itself to the 2026-27 season with a trio of games this week at the Hoops In Hawaii Tip-Off Classic in Honolulu ... the tournament will be a true bracket format, featuring eight NCAA Div. II squads ... UAA opens against defending national semifinalist Colorado Mesa and will face either Chaminade or St. Mary's (Texas) in Saturday's action ... Sunday's game will be against either Western Colorado, Lubbock Christian, Hawaii Pacific or Winona State.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Colorado Mesa is coming off a 37-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Div. II national semifinals in 2025-26 ... the Mavericks are the preseason pick to 'four-peat' as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions, led by all-league guard Mason Rowland (18.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) ... CMU is coached by Seawolf men's alum Taylor Wagner (UAA '01).
 
THE SERIES...
vs CMU/St. Mary's/Winona State: Never played
vs Chaminade: UAA leads 14-0 overall, 7-0 at CUH
Last: UAA 88-59 (11/15/25 at CUH)
Notes: UAA has won every meeting by at least 17 points and scored at least 80 points in 13 of 14 contests ... closest margin came in a 77-60 win, Nov. 14, 2022 in Honolulu ... series started in 2007-08.
vs Western Colorado: UAA leads 4-1 overall (0-0 neutral)
Streak: UAA 2
Last: UAA 82-54 (11/18/17 at UAA)
Notes: First meetings were Dec. 30-31, 2004 ... WCU's only win was a 36-35 decision, Dec. 19, 2009 ... all five meetings have taken place in Anchorage.
vs Lubbock Christian: LCU leads 1-0 overall and neutral
Last: LCU 78-73 (4/4/16 at Indianapolis)
Notes: Only meeting came in the 2016 NCAA Div. II National Title Game at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
vs Hawaii Pacific: UAA leads 14-1 overall, 9-1 at HPU
Streak: UAA 1
Last: UAA 72-49 (11/13/25 at HPU)
Notes: HPU's lone victory was a 54-51 decision, Dec. 19, 2024 in Honolulu ... teams have met twice in the NCAA Tournament opening round (2017 & 2019) ... series started in 1983-84 but teams did not play between 1986-2013.
 
BRIEF SEASON PREVIEW: UAA returns three letterwinners – including starters Mylee Anderson (5-8, G, So., 10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) and Lillee Duffin (6-1, F, Sr., 5.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) – from last year's team that finished 16-11 overall and 8-10 in the GNAC ... second-year head coach Matt Thune has also reloaded the roster with seven transfers and a pair of true freshmen ... Jr. G Amber Kartchner (Utah Tech), 5th-year guard Sheridan Liggett (Seattle) and 5th-year center Bella Hays (Eastern Washington) all bring Div. I experience, while So. F Evan Hamey (Colo. Mesa) and 5th-year guard Kyla Momberg (MSU Billings) contributed to Div. II NCAA Tournament squads a year ago ... the Seawolves are picked sixth of 10 teams in the GNAC preseason coaches' poll.
 
GREAT EXPECTATIONS: So. G Mylee Anderson and 5th-year guard Kyla Momberg were both named to the 2026-27 GNAC Preseason Team last week ... Anderson is coming off one of the top freshman seasons in program history, producing 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game ... the Wasilla native ranked fourth in the GNAC and seventh nationally among freshmen in assists, and she was the GNAC's second-leading freshman scorer ... Anderson started all 26 of her appearances as a rookie, also ranking top-5 in the league with a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio ... Momberg started all 35 games last season for league rival Montana State Billings, helping the Yellowjackets to the GNAC Tournament title and an NCAA berth ... the Box Elder, Mont., native averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and shot .785 on free throws in her first year at the NCAA Div. II level, following a three-year stint at NAIA program Montana Western ... Momberg had some of her best showings late in the season, including 26 points and the game-winning basket in a 2OT win at UAA, and 11 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and five steals in MSUB's GNAC Tourney upset of Central Washington.
 
BACK FOR MORE: Along with So. G Mylee Anderson, UAA gets back Sr. F Lillee Duffin and So. G Jennifer Nash from last year's team that finished 16-11 overall ...  a JC transfer, Duffin started all 25 of her appearances in her first season as a Seawolf, ranking No. 2 in the GNAC and 23rd nationally with 9.8 rebounds per game ... the Idaho native had four double-doubles and shot .543 from 2-point range, while her rebounding average ranked No. 6 on UAA's single-season list ... Duffin tied UAA's school record with 24 boards in a win over Hawaii-Hilo, and aided UAA's biggest win of the season with 15 rebounds, 4 assists and no turnovers at GNAC regular-season champ Central Washington ... one of five Alaskans on the team, Nash played in 16 games as a freshman last year, contributing 2.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg in 10 minutes per contest ... UAA will also see the premiere of three players who practiced but did not play with the team last year, welcoming former Tacoma prep star Kiara Stone, Aussie forward Cheyann Ashworth and 5th-year guard Sheridan Liggett to the active lineup.
 
TRANSFER STATION: The Seawolves' new-look lineup features seven newcomers with experience at the NCAA Div. I or II levels ... Jr. G Amber Kartchner returns to the court after spending a redshirt season at BYU in 2021-22 and starting all 31 games in 2022-23 at Utah Tech ... at Utah Tech, Kartchner posted 11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.5 spg and shot .509 FG, .368 3FG and .724, scoring double figures 16 times ... former Alaska prep star Bella Hays comes home after four years at Eastern Washington, where she shot .544 FG in 86 career appearances ... Hays, a 6-4 center, had her best year in 2024-25 with 3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg ... 5th-year guard Sheridan Liggett spent three seasons at Seattle University from 2022-25, playing in 60 games with 16 starting assignments ... in 2024-25, the Utah native averaged 5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.4 apg for the Redhawks, posting a career-17 points against Cal Baptist ... another Alaska prep star, So. F Evan Hamey will make her Seawolf debut this week against her old team Colorado Mesa ... Hamey played in eight games last season for a Mavericks team that won the RMAC and reached the national semifinals ... the daughter of former UAA men's all-conference guard Chris Hamey, Evan starred locally at Dimond High ... alongside 5th-year guard Kyla Momberg (see previous note), the Seawolves get two more D-II transfers in former Texas A&M-International teammates Bridgette Tello and Jayden Smallwood ... a 5-9 junior guard, Tello led the Dustdevils last year in scoring with 11.7 ppg, tallying double figures nine times ... a 5-7 5th-year guard, Smallwood was right behind Tello in scoring with 11.1 ppg, plus 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.1 spg, earning honorable mention All-Lone Star Conference recognition.
 
FEELING FRESH: UAA brings a pair of freshmen into the fold with guards Kinzley Larsen and Savannah Kroon ... Larsen compiled over 1,250 career points, 300 rebounds and 250 assists in a legendary career at Rigby High School in Idaho, helping her team to an 88-18 record in four years ... Larsen was the 6A High Country Conference Player of the Year twice, leading Rigby to third place at the state tournament her final season ... Kroon was an AABC Second Team All-State performer as a senior at Wasilla High last year, helping the Warriors to a state tourney berth with 12.8 ppg (.338 3FG), 3.9 rpg and 2.5 apg ... the sixth member of her extended family to play collegiate sports, Kroon will miss the early part of the season with an injury.
 
THUNE UP FOR SECOND ROUND: Indiana native Matt Thune (pronounced 'TUNE') enters his second season at head coach at UAA in 2026-27 ... after inheriting a program with one player on the roster in April 2025, Thune piloted the Seawolves to a 16-11 campaign last winter, including a statement road victory over eventual GNAC champ Central Washington ... Thune came north after assistant stints at five NCAA Div. I programs, helping to spark major turnarounds during stops at Utah Tech, Eastern Kentucky and Weber State ... at Utah Tech, Thune was promoted to associate head coach in 2023-24 after helping the Trailblazers to a nine-win improvement the previous year ... Utah Tech's 19-12 record in 2022-23 marked its most wins in 12 years, achieving the first postseason berth and victory in its Div. I era ... Thune joined Utah Tech's staff following a three-year stint at Eastern Kentucky (2019-22), including two seasons as the program's associate head coach ... at EKU he assisted in rebuilding a program that had not won a Division I contest the year prior to his arrival, helping the Colonels to the fourth-best turnaround in D-I his first year, and a postseason berth in 2022 ... Thune spent three seasons as an assistant at Weber State from 2015-18, helping the Wildcats achieve the most wins in program history (23) and a runner-up finish in the postseason WBI tournament in 2016 ... he got his coaching start on Jeff Walz's staff at Louisville from 2012-15; the Cards won at least 25 games each season, appearing in three Sweet 16s, two Elite 8s and finishing national runner-up in 2013 ... the Indianapolis native graduated from Indiana University in 2012 with a bachelor's in psychology and a minor in management, and earned a master's degree in sports administration from Louisville in 2014 ... Thune is assisted by Jaelen Tatum (2nd season) and former Bartlett High star Mia 'Uhila (2nd season).
 
WINNING WAYS: UAA is a combined 182-41 – including 84-22 on the road – in GNAC regular-season and tournament games since Dec. 2014 ... the Seawolves have gone a combined 245-30 (.891) over the last 19 seasons on their home courts, including 136-20 (.872) at the Alaska Airlines Center (since 2014-15) ... UAA's run of six straight GNAC regular-season titles (2015-20) is the longest of any basketball program – women's or men's – since the league was founded in 2001-02 ... the Seawolves have produced 18 20-win seasons in 47 full years of program history ... the Seawolves have won 81 of their last 89 regular-season games against Div. II non-conference opponents, including a 39-2 mark at the Alaska Airlines Center ... UAA has earned 19 consecutive winning records ... the Seawolves have made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in their last 19 full seasons ... the Seawolves own the most women's basketball GNAC Tournament titles, winning seven of the 15 tournaments since the event started in 2011.
 
2026-27 INDIVIDUAL HONORS
MYLEE ANDERSON
Preseason All-GNAC Team
KYLA MOMBERG
Preseason All-GNAC Team