GNAC release, with poll and team capsults (PDF)
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – With a group of returners that encompasses both quality and quantity, it's no surprise that the Seattle Pacific Falcons are expected to be among the contenders for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball title this winter.
 
SPU has been picked for a second-place finish in the upcoming season behind three-time defending champion Alaska Anchorage. But the difference between them is very small in polling by the GNAC's 11 coaches. The Seawolves received six of the 11 first-place votes and 106 points. Right behind were the Falcons with two first-places and 103 points.
 
While that left those two schools far ahead of others in the poll, they aren't considered to be the only potential challengers for the championship. Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene tied for third with 85 points apiece, but both received first-place votes: two for the Wildcats, one for the newly-renamed Nighthawks.

 

"Our kids are really hungry and motivated," said head coach Julie Heisey, beginning her 13th season in charge. "We had a lot of highlights from last season, but unfortunately, because of some injuries and things, we had to grow and we didn't make the national tournament.
 
"But with as many players as we have back and the way we finished, I think our kids should be able to compete for one of the top spots in our conference."
 
Seattle Pacific is coming off a 19-11 season, including a 10-10 record in conference play that tied for fourth place. The Falcons returned to the conference tournament after a one-year absence, beat Northwest Nazarene in the first round, then made a strong run at Alaska Anchorage in the semifinals before falling eight points short, 76-68.

 

Back from that team are four regular starters, including a pair of All-GNAC honorees who are entering their senior seasons: second-team 6-foot forward Courtney Hollander (11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds) and honorable mention 5-10 guard Jordan McPhee (11.2 points, 5.2 rebound).
 
McPhee was one of two Falcons to start all 30 games. The other was 6-foot forward Erica Pagano, now a senior. Pagano averaged 8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and was the best shooter among the starters at 48.3 percent from the field. She also was reliable at the foul line with an 81.7 percent mark.
 
The other returning starter is redshirt senior guard Rachel Shim. She averaged career-best numbers of 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists after returning from an injury that sidelined her for all but five games of the 2015-16 season.
 
Altogether, the Falcons have seven seniors, six of whom were with the team last year. (The exception is Cici West, who transferred from Portland State.)
 
Taken together, those six – Hollander, McPhee, Pagano, Shim, Lindsay Lee, and Julia Haining – accounted for 50 of SPU's average of 67 points, and 24 of the 36 average rebounds per game.
 
"I think there's a strong desire that when you have six returning seniors, they want to go out on a high note," Heisey said. "There's a lot of hunger, and people have put in a lot of work – just like everyone else in the conference has, too."
 
Lee is a steady, reliable contributor off the bench. She is one of the best shooters from the field (.467) and from 3-point range (.379, with a team-high 33 makes).
 
Except for the month she missed with an injury, Haining was a big factor in reserve, and likely will contend for a starting role. She led the team in field goal shooting at 57.3 percent (47 of 82), grabbed 100 boards, and displayed some precision passing with 24 assists, many coming on the fast break.
 
West helped Portland State post a 12-win improvement last year. At 5-10, she can play guard or forward. She led or co-led the Vikings on the boards 28 times during her three-year career, with a program single-season record with 286 in 2015-16.
 
SPU's quality depth goes well beyond those seniors. Junior point guard Jaylee Albert made some spot starts last year, averaging 3.1 points in 27 games overall, and had the team's best mark from downtown (.400 on 24 of 60). Carly Rataushk. a 6-2 junior center, went from barely playing as a freshman to regular reserve as a sophomore, averaging 5.3 points and hitting .512 from the field (43 of 84).
 
Younger players vying for minutes include redshirt freshman guard Hailee Bennett, sophomore guard Madi Hingston, redshirt sophomore center Jane Grisley, junior Riley Evans, and freshman newcomers Rachel Berg and Ashlee Comastro.


2017-18 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
 
Team (1^st-place votes)                                  2016-17 record (GNAC)                Points
1.   Alaska Anchorage (6)         30-2 (20-0, 1^st)            106
2.   Seattle Pacific (2)          19-11 (10-10, tie 4^th)      103
T3.  Central Washington (2)       15-15 (9-11, tie 6^th)        85
T3.  Northwest Nazarene (1)       12-15 (10-10, tie 4^th)       85
5.   Simon Fraser                 26-8 (15-5, 3^rd)             78
6.   Western Washington           26-6 (18-2, 2^nd)             76
7.   Montana State Billings       8-20 (5-15, 9^th)             66
8.   Concordia-Portland           12-16 (9-11, tie 6^th)        55
9.   Western Oregon               9-19 (4-16, 10^th)            33
10.  Alaska Fairbanks             13-14 (9-11, tie 6^th)        21
11.  Saint Martin's               5-23 (1-19, 11^th)            18