Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
FAIRBANKS, AK - Gannon used a school record 20 three-pointers to defeat the Alaska Nanooks on day one of the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational, 105-54. Caitlyn Lowe scored a game high 32 points, and the Gannon defense forced 20 turnovers in the lopsided affair.
The Alaska Nanooks started off the game without a field goal for the first five minutes and fell behind 9-0 before that first basket.
The Nanooks were able to chip into the lead and trail by only 5 before the Lady Knights quickly asserted their dominance and took control of the basketball game. Gannon used a 10-0 run in the middle of the half to stretch their lead to 13, on their way to a 31 points halftime lead.
Gannon used 51% shooting and eight three-point field goals to open up a 50-19 halftime lead. Gannon's defense was suffocating down the stretch run of the half when the Lady Knights held Alaska to only three points over the last 7:07 of the half.
Lakeshia Levi scored six first half points and
Jessica Harrison had a team-high three rebounds at the break. Caitlyn Lowe was one of eight players to register a point for the Lady Knights as she had a game-high 13.
Gannon forced 12 Nanook turnovers and out rebounded Alaska 25-14.
Alaska came out of the break and played solid offensive and defensive basketball to outscore the Knights for the first ten minutes of the half. Alaska went on a 9-3 run over three minutes of play to cut the Lady Knight's lead to only 27 with a Britany Aldrich lay up.
Alaska was held scoreless for the next seven minutes after the Aldrich lay up which saw the Lady Knights lead climb to 46. The Knights took their biggest lead of the contest at 53 with 1:45 remaining.
Alaska was led by
Lakeshia Levi who went 8 of 17 for the field for 19 points, and also pulled down team-high 6 rebounds.
Jessica Harrison and
Brittany Aldrich also had ten points each for the Nanooks.
Caitlyn Lowe scored a game-high 32 points on 11 of 15 shooting (8 of 12 from three-point land) as four other Lady Knights reached double-figures. Julie Kleber and Carrie Nolan had 17 and 16 points respectively as Gannon shot a gaudy 54% from the field.
The Lady Knights also made 20 three-point baskets, which is now a new school record. For the contest Gannon went 20 of 33 (61%) from behind the arc as five different players hit three's.
Both teams will resume the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational tomorrow when
Gannon will take on West Florida at 2:00 p.m. and the Nanooks will battle Henderson State at 4:30 p.m.
West Florida 81, Henderson State 74
The West Florida Argonauts opened up the eighth annual Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational with a bang on Thanksgiving night and earned an 81-74 victory. The Argonauts jumped out to a fast 9-2 on the back of Amy Drake who canned two quick three point shots.
The Lady Reddies fought back into the game and took their first lead which capped off a 10-2 run to give Henderson State a 12-9 lead. Henderson State held the lead for the rest of the first half and went into the break up 35-34.
The Argonauts took the lead at the 16:29 mark of the second half, 41-39, and never trailed the rest of the contest.
Amy Drake had a game high 24 points for West Florida on 8 of 11 shooting and hit all five of her three-point opportunities. Tiffany Williams also scored 16 points and six rebounds in the win.
Danyelle Harris registered a double-double for the Lady Reddies (16 points, 10 rebounds) while Janisha Young contributed 12 points in the loss.
West Florida will return to the floor tomorrow to take on Gannon University at 2:00 p.m. while the Lady Reddies will take on the Nanooks at 4:30 p.m.
