Tonight, the 12th-ranked UAA women (17-3, 8-1) will host Northwest Nazarene at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at 7 p.m., and the 25th ranked men (13-4 overall, 7-2 GNAC) are on the road against Northwest Nazarene.
The UAA women, led by Haley Holmstead's 15.4 points per game and Hanna Johansson's 8.9 rebounds per game, have won their last three games by at least 20 points and taken over first place in the GNAC by two games.
Freshman point guard Gritt Ryder said everyone on the team is playing well, but she expected as much before the season began.
"You could see it in preseason games," she said. "We don't have anyone I'm afraid to give the ball to."
The UAA women have a strong history against the Crusaders (11-6, 5-4), having won the last seven meetings, including a 79-71 win at Northwest Nazarene last month.
The Crusaders have been on a roll of late, however, notching two impressive home wins last week against Simon Fraser and Western Washington, both of which are tied for second in the GNAC.
The UAA men have battled numerous injuries but still cling to a tie with Western Oregon for second place in the GNAC. The Seawolves are coming off a 66-55 road win over Western Oregon, but have also suffered two losses in their last four games.
The men handled Northwest Nazarene 85-62 at home last month and are looking for their second straight season sweep of the Crusaders.
Senior center Taylor Rohde leads the Seawolves with 20 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and sophomore guard Travis Thompson (11.7 points per game) has been shooting up a storm. In last week's win over Western Oregon, he knocked in his first six 3-pointers on his way to a career-best 22 points.
The men and women both face Central Washington on Saturday, with the men completing a four-game road trip and the women hosting the Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at 7 p.m.
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