NAMPA, Idaho – Winners of four in a row and seven of their last eight, Northwest Nazarene men's basketball will take that momentum and the No. 2 seed into the GNAC Tournament this weekend.
 
The Nighthawks are set to play the winner of Wednesday's 7/10 matchup between Simon Fraser and Alaska Fairbanks in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. Pacific at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.
 
Saint Martin's earns the top seed in the tournament by just .02 points over the Nighthawks, 3.62 to 3.60. The No. 2 seed is the highest that NNU men's basketball has ever achieved, with a No. 3 seed in 2018-19 the previous best.
 
Alaska Anchorage is third, Montana State Billings fourth, Central Washington fifth, and Seattle Pacific sixth to round out the six that would have qualified in a normal season. However, due to an unequal number of games played by all of the teams, the number of teams has expanded to all ten and will include No. 7 Simon Fraser, No. 8 Western Washington, No. 9 Western Oregon, and No. 10 Alaska Fairbanks.
 
With the tournament expanded to all 10 teams, Seattle Pacific was added as a host for first round and quarterfinal games in addition to the main host Saint Martin's. If the Nighthawks are to advance, the semifinals and finals will all be played in Lacey.
 
The tournament figures to be very exciting, as the conference has seen a lot of parity all season with each team winning between 11 and 5 games.
 
NNU earned that two-seed after going 10-5 in GNAC play and 12-8 overall on the season. After a road loss to Central Washington on Feb. 3 dropped NNU to 3-4 in conference action, the Nighthawks went 7-1 during the rest of February, with the only loss coming on a buzzer-beating three-pointer on the road at regular season champion Saint Martin's. The final three games of the regular season were each won by at least 21 points, including a 33-point victory over Seattle Pacific and a 35-point rout of Montana State Billings.
 
All games during the men's and women's GNAC Championships will feature a live webcast via GNAC.tv.
 
Tickets for the GNAC Basketball Championships are on sale as of Sunday. Single-session tickets will be available for $13 for general admission seats and $18 for reserved seats. General admission tickets for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $8. Children five and under are admitted free.
 
Tournament passes for all games, regardless of venue, will be available for $48 for general admission seats and $65 for reserved seats. General admission tournament passes for seniors 60 and older, high school and college students and children between 6 and 12 years of age are $30.
 
County health and safety protocols will be in place for fans attending tournament contests at Seattle Pacific (King County) and Saint Martin's (Thurston County). Per current protocols at both venues, all fans attending the tournament are required to wear facemasks regardless of vaccination status.
 
Nighthawk Notes
 

• As mentioned, NNU has won their last four in a row and seven of their last eight dating back to Feb. 8. In those seven wins, the Nighthawks have allowed just 60.4 points per game, including a 33-point win, 90-57, over Seattle Pacific and a 35-point win, 76-41, over MSUB.
• Of the Nighthawks' eight losses this year, six have been by single digits, with the only two double-digits losses both coming at the hands of Central Washington. CWU is also the only team that NNU lost twice to this season.
• NNU was selected fifth in the GNAC Preseason Poll, bettering that prediction by three slots.
• NNU went 9-1 at home this year, 3-6 on the road, and 0-1 at neutral sites.
• The Nighthawks are 11-2 when leading at half and 1-6 when trailing at the break.
• NNU is 8-4 when they outrebound their opponent and 9-3 when they force more turnovers than they commit.
• The Nighthawks are 11-5 when they surpass 70 points and 11-2 when they hold opponents below 70 points.
• NNU went 7-2 in February after entering the month with a 5-6 record.
• No players have started in every game and Tru Allen is the only one to have played in all 20 games, but the Nighthawks have finally been at full strength for the last couple of weeks.
• When the original starting five of Kobe Terashima, Tru Allen, George Reidy, James Nelson, and Gabriel Murphy have started this season, the Nighthawks are 8-1.
•  NNU is in the top 50 nationally in four categories: 30^th with 39.3 rebounds per game, 30^th with a 30.8 field goal percentage defense, 31^st with 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, and 35^th with 8.3 steals per game.
• First Team All-GNAC performer James Nelson leads the team with 15.7 points per game and a 45.1 three-point percentage while ranking second with 7.3 rebounds per game. Those marks are also ninth, fifth, and sixth in the conference, respectively.
• Gabe Murphy is fourth on the team will 11.2 points per game and ranks fifth in the GNAC with 8.2 rebounds per game, first with a 59.4 field goal percentage, and sixth with 1.1 blocks per game. He was also just named Honorable Mention All-GNAC and earned the final GNAC Player of the Week honor of the regular season.
• George Reidy is second on the team with 13.7 points per game and fourth with 4.8 rebounds per game, and tied for second in the conference with Tru Allen at 1.8 steals per game. Allen is also third on the team with 12.2 points per game. Both players also earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors.
• Christian Rose started 11 games while others were out, and enters the week at 8.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.
• Kobe Terashima adds 6.5 points per game and is fourth in the GNAC with 4.6 assists per game.

 
GNAC Tournament History
 

• Since the GNAC Tournament began in the 2010-11 season, the Nighthawks have qualified in five of the 11 seasons it has been played.
• In the previous four appearances, NNU has gone 3-4 in tournament play.
• The Nighthawks have never reached the finals of the tournament, but have won their quarterfinal matchup in three of the four appearances.
• In the tournament, NNU is 1-1 against Central Washington, 1-0 against both Simon Fraser and Western Washington, 0-1 against Alaska Anchorage, and 0-2 against Seattle Pacific.
• The Nighthawks have never faced Saint Martin's, MSU Billings, Western Oregon, or Alaska Fairbanks in the tournament.

 
Series History vs Potential Quarterfinal Opponents
 

• Against Simon Fraser: NNU is 18-4 against Simon Fraser since joining Division II in 2001-02, going 9-2 at home, 8-2 on the road, and 1-0 in neutral site games. The Nighthawks have won four in a row and are 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. In the last matchup on Feb. 22 in Nampa, NNU defeated SFU by 21, 85-64.
• Against Alaska Fairbanks: NNU and UAF are deadlocked at 20-20 in program histories, with NNU 11-9 and home and 9-11 on the road. NNU has won the last six meetings in a row, but UAF took the six previous. In the last matchup on Feb. 12 in Nampa, the Nighthawks pulled away late for a 73-66 victory over the Nanooks.

 
GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Wednesday, Mar. 2 - First Round
No. 8 Western Washington vs. No. 9 Western Oregon (at Lacey), 4:30 p.m.
No. 7 Simon Fraser vs. No. 10 Alaska (at Seattle), 4:30 p.m.
 
Thursday, Mar. 3 - Quarterfinals
No. 4 Montana State Billings vs. No. 5 Central Washington (at Lacey), 5:15 p.m.
No. 2 Northwest Nazarene vs. Simon Fraser or Alaska (at Seattle), 5:15 p.m.
No. 1 Saint Martin's vs. Western Washington or Western Oregon (at Lacey), 7:30 p.m.
No. 3 Alaska Anchorage vs. No. 6 Seattle Pacific (at Seattle), 7:30 p.m.
 
Friday, Mar. 4 - Semifinals
Semifinal Game 1, 5:15 p.m.
Semifinal Game 2, 7:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, Mar. 5 - Championship
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m.