University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A strong second-half surge Friday helped the Alaska women's basketball team overcome a four-point halftime deficit and set up a championship showdown with Wayne State College on Saturday thanks to a 77-65 victory over Lees-McRae on day two of the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational at the Patty Center.
 
The Wildcats (7-0) were 40-point winners over Dominican University of California, 84-44, earlier Friday to move to 2-0 in the tournament with Alaska (6-1). The teams meet at 4 p.m. Saturday for a shot at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational title. Alaska will be trying to win their own tournament for the first time after finishing second six times in the previous 11 editions.
 
Friday's win also extends the Nanooks' best start since 2007-08. That season they started 7-1, including winning six straight from Nov. 30-Dec. 11, 2007.

Junior guard Benissa Bulaya (Sacramento, Calif./Communications) led the way for Alaska with 18 points and five assists, and was named the Era Alaska Nanook of the Game for her efforts. She was 10 for 14 from the free-throw line, including 7 for 8 in the final 2:47 of the game to keep Lees-McRae at bay.
 
Lees-McRae had three players in double-digit scoring, led by Layan De Souza's 17 points. Lauren Lewis scored 16 and Alyssa Munson chipped in 10 while tying for the team lead with seven rebounds.

A tight first half saw nine ties and six lead changes between the two teams. The Bobcats (2-5) came away with a 38-34 lead at the half after outshooting the Nanooks 42.4 to 38.2 percent. It was only the third time in seven games this season Alaska trailed at halftime, and it improved to 2-1 in those situations Friday after another big second-half comeback.
 
Alaska started the second stanza on a 10-2 run in the first 3 minutes, 26 seconds, to take a four-point lead at 44-40. The lead would not change hands again, as the Nanooks pulled away 8 minutes later with a 10-0 run to give themselves a double-digit lead at 58-46.
 
Alaska shot 63.6 percent in the second half alone after shooting under 40 percent in the first. The defense stepped up its game, too, holding Lees-McRae to just 32.4 percent shooting, including 12.5 percent (1 for 8) from behind the 3-point line. The Nanooks also forced seven turnovers and had four steals and three blocks in the second half.
 
The Bobcats cut their double-digit deficit to 5 points with 5 minutes to play on an 11-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer from De Souza off a Nanooks turnover. But they would not get closer than that, as back-to-back buckets from freshman forward Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Management) put the lead back to nine with 3:27 to play.
 
Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) played a big part in the Nanooks' second-half push. After a relatively quiet first half in which she had more personal fouls (2) than field goals made (1), Wilson scored 10 of her 12 points in the second and grabbed three rebounds while going 5 for 6 from the floor.
 
The Nanooks erased multi-possession deficits twice in the first half and made buckets to tie the score on seven occasions.
 
Lees-McRae will face Dominican (Calif.) at 2 p.m. Saturday before Alaska faces Wayne State College at 4 p.m. in the second game of the session.