Box Score [
Box Score]
Both teams headed into the 2010 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational looking for their first win of the season in Alaska's Thanksgiving night game with Dominican.
The Lady Penguins left the game thankful for a 57-47 win. The Nanooks left hungry for another chance.
The teams were evenly matched through the first half. Freshman
Nicole Pingayak put the Nanooks up 18-16 with 4:16 to play with a pair of free throws.
But there were a combined 11 shots taken between the two teams in the final four minutes of the half, and just two sank—a jumper and free throw from the Dominican side to send the game to halftime 19-18.
Alaska opened the second half on a 10-2 run, including a three-pointer from
Nicole Bozek, and led 28-22. The lead was quickly dissolved by a pair of treys from the Lady Penguins' Kelsey Janusch. Janusch went on to score a game-high 20 points.
The Nanooks were in the game as late as 5:46 left in the second half.
Autumn Greene sank a layup in traffic to put the Nanooks down by two at 41-39. But the Penguins slipped away and led by as much as 13 points in the final stretch.
Greene led the Nanooks with 17 total points, including a 7-for-12 field goal mark.
Whitney Anderson scored 11 for the Nanooks.
Jessica Harrison led with eight rebounds.
Alaska and Dominican were closely matched, shooting 33.3 and 32.2 percent from the field, respectively. Dominican outscored Alaska 25-19 off turnovers and 18-9 from outside the arc.
Dominican is slated to play No. 8 Fort Lewis Friday night at 5:15 p.m. Alaska will host Mercyhurst afterward in the 7:30 game.
