FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team concludes its brief three-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference home stand this week, as they host Concordia University (Ore.) and Western Oregon. The Nooks take on the newest member of the GNAC on Thursday, then challenge the Wolves on Saturday. Both games are slated for a 5:15 p.m. start.
The Nanooks enter this week in last place in the GNAC with a 0-4 record. Three of the four conference games for the Nooks have come against the top three teams currently in the GNAC standings. Overall, Alaska is 5-9 on the year, and they look to bring an end to its recent seven-game losing streak. As for this week's opposition, the Concordia and Western Oregon are tied with Central Washington for seventh in the conference standings. All three teams enter this week at 1-3. On the year Concordia is boasting a 3-9 mark, while WOU is 2-10.
Hometown Heroes Weekend
Saturday's game will be a part of this year's 'Hometown Heroes" weekend for both the men's and women's basketball teams. All first responders, emergency personnel and military get in free at the door with valid service agency ID.
Last Time Out
Junior Jordan Wilson scored double-digits for the 12th straight game on Saturday afternoon and added 10 rebounds to post her third double-double of the year, but it would not be enough to help the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team snap their recent skid, as they suffered a hard-fought 59-55 loss to Montana State Billings.
Wilson scored a team-high 16 points, as she improves her double-digit scoring streak to 12 games. The junior is just one game shy from tying her personal-best double-digit scoring streak of 13 games, which was set last season. The Henderson, Colorado native's presence was felt all over the floor on Saturday afternoon, as she grabbed 10 rebounds, four of which were offensive, and handed out a career-best five assists.
Double Header Action
This week's pair of basketball games will be the first GNAC doubleheader of the season for the Alaska men's and women's basketball team. The women will kick things off on both Thursday and Saturday at 5:15 p.m., while the men's game will begin roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game. Doubleheader tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Single game tickets are $8 for adult and $4 for children.
"We're really looking forward to playing a doubleheader this weekend," said head coach Cody Bench. "We are expecting a good crowd, and our team really steps up its game when playing in a crowded gym. So we can't wait to participate in that this weekend."
Approaching a Personal-Best
Junior forward Jordan Wilson has been on one of the hottest scoring streaks in her Alaska career by recording double-digit points in each of her last 12 contests. Wilson needs just one more double-digit scoring performance to match her career-best streak for most consecutive games in double figures.
"She is very crafty and very dynamic," explained Bench of her forward. "She doesn't let one person stop her. She works incredible had to get in good post position and she really hard to develop her midrange jumper. She puts herself in the position to score, and she makes the easy ones most of the time."
Currently, Wilson is fourth in scoring in the GNAC, as she is averaging 15.6 points per game and has recorded double-digits in all but one game this season.
Cleaning the Glass
Last Saturday, the duo of juniors Kaillee Skjold and Jordan Wilson each grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss against Montana State Billings. Wilson's performance was accompanied by 16 points to give the forward her third double-double of the season. The 10 caroms for Skjold marked the fourth time this season that the Kasilof, Alaska native has posted double-figures in rebounds.
Wilson and Skjold each rank in the top 10 in rebounding in the conference, Wilson's 6.9 caroms per game average is seventh-best in the GNAC, while Skjold's 6.7 is tied for eighth.
Handle With Care
Opponents have learned the hard way this season that they must be extremely careful with the ball against the Nanooks. Coming into this week, Alaska is second in the GNAC in steals, as they are forcing teams to cough up the ball 10.9 times per game. The Nooks have three players among the top ten on the GNAC steals list. Jaylee Mays and Jordan Wilson are currently tied for fifth in the GNAC in steals with their 2.1 swipes per game, while Kaillee Skjold is 10th in the conference with her 2.0 steals per game average.
Scouting the Opposition – Concordia University (Ore.)
The Cavaliers enter this week in a tie for seventh in with Western Oregon and Central Washington, as all three teams hold a 1-3 record through four GNAC contests. Concordia is in its first year as an NCAA team, as they made the just from the NAIA this season. Currently, CU is 3-9 through their first 12 games as an NCAA team.
Concordia is scoring 58.5 points per game on a 34.8 percentage shooting percentage. The points per game average is the second-lowest in the GNAC, while the field goal percentage is the lowest. Sierra Dean is the team's top scorer with her 13.4 points per game average, a mark that is ninth-best in the conference. She is the lone double-digit score for the Cavaliers.
Defensively, teams are scoring 64.8 points per game against them. The opposition in shooting 40.6 percent from the field. Both marks are ranked sixth in the league in their respective category. The Cavaliers are forcing 17.6 turnovers per game, which is fifth-highest total in the conference.
Scouting the Opposition – Western Oregon
Like Concordia, WOU opens this week in a three-way tie for seventh in the GNAC. The Wolves are 2-10 on the season, but they are coming off a 1-1 home stand where they knocked off Simon Fraser, 58-57. Western Oregon is currently 0-5 in road games this season.
The Wolves are the lowest scoring team in the GNAC, as they are averaging just 56.7 points per contest on a 36.4 shooting percentage. The team has no player averaging double-digits in the scoring category, as Jordan Mottershaw leads the team in scoring with her 8.9 points per game.
Conversely, WOU is allowing just 67.2 points per game, while allowing teams to shoot 42.3 percentage from the field.
Bench Talk
"The team is pretty hungry to get a win. We are really looking forward to this week's competition. We really want to push the ball up in transition and change up our defenses to make sure our competition doesn't get comfortable in their offense. This weekend is important for us in terms of establishing ourselves and getting that monkey off our back, so to speak." – Head Coach Cody Bench on this week's slate of games.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
