Tournament Central
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska women's basketball team returns home after a week in Hawaii for a set of three home games as it hosts the 2011 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational Thursday-Saturday at the Patty Center.
Lenoir-Rhyne (3-1), West Liberty (3-1) and Western State (1-2) join the Nanooks (2-3) in the four-team, three-day event.
They open up Thursday with Western State, followed by West Liberty on Friday and Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday to close the tournament. All three games are set for a 7:30 tip or 30 minutes following the previous matchup.
“It's exciting to get to play three more games this quickly,” head coach
Cody Burgess said. “We're trying to focus on getting our team prepared one game at a time. I want to enjoy the opportunity to have visiting teams up, play some home games and not have to travel. We're looking forward to the competition and hoping our team stays healthy and comes to compete.”
Last weekend, the 'Nooks took two of three on their Hawaiian trek with a pair of true road wins over Hawaii-Hilo (67-42, 64-55) and a neutral-site loss in between to Hawaii Pacific (66-83). Alaska's success was due in big part to its senior post players,
Nicole Bozek (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) and
Autumn Greene (Lewiston, Idaho/Centralia CC). Bozek averaged 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, while Greene had 13.3 points and 4.7 boards on the road trip.
“They're playing with a lot of passion and really trying to lead by example for the younger teammate, which is definitely helping us,” Burgess said. “We factor in that other teams will key in on them and we want to play a well-rounded game of basketball and get everyone to contribute. When they step up, it only fuels the others more.”
GAME 1: Western State vs. Alaska (Game Notes)
When: Thursday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats
Audio: KCBF 820 AM
Video: Penn Atlantic (Free Streaming)
About Western State: Located in Gunnison, Colo., Western State College of Colorado was founded in 1901 and has an enrollment of 1,853 students. The Mountaineers enter Thursday with a 1-2 record with losses to Nebraska-Omaha (59-72) and Northwest Nazarene (57-66) before defeating Eastern New Mexico (68-52) last time out. Three players average double figures, including Katie Hall who is averaging a double-double with 15.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest.
Conference Affiliation: Member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Metro State is the defending regular-season champion and Fort Lewis is the reigning tournament champion. Western State was selected seventh in the preseason poll. Other members include: Colorado Christian, Colorado Mesa, CSU-Pueblo, Nebraska-Kearney, Adams State, UC-Colorado Springs, Regis, Colorado Mines, Chadron State, New Mexico Highlands and Western New Mexico.
Coach: Latricia Trammell (East Central '92) is in her fifth season at the helm and has a 49-61 record in her first four seasons at WSC.
GAME 2: West Liberty vs. Alaska
When: Friday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats
Audio: KCBF 820 AM
Video: Penn Atlantic (Free Streaming)
About West Liberty: Located in West Liberty, West Virginia, West Liberty University was founded in 1837 and has an enrollment of 2,700 students. The Hilltoppers are 3-1 coming into the North Star Invitational with wins over Elizabeth City State (63-56), Concord University (56-54) and an overtime win at Alderson-Broaddus College (79-76) on Monday. The lone loss was at home to St. Augustine's College (49-59). Three players score in double figures as Kayla Ayers leads the way with 16.5 points per game with Hillary Southworth not far behind at 15.5.
Conference Affiliation: Member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. West Liberty and Charleston are the defending regular-season champions and Glenville State is the reigning tournament champion. West Liberty was selected fifth in the preseason poll. Other members include: Concord, West Virginia Wesleyan, Fairmont State, Seton Hill, West Virginia State, Shepherd, Pitt-Johnstown, Ohio Valley, Davis & Elkins, Wheeling Jesuit, Alserson-Broaddus and Bluefield State.
Coach: Lynn Ullom (West Liberty) surpassed the 400-win plateau last season and has averaged more than 20 wins a season in his 20 years at the helm. Entering the 2011-12 campaign, Ullom' record at WLU was 416-184.
GAME 3: Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Alaska
When: Saturday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats
Audio: KCBF 820 AM
Video: Penn Atlantic (Free Streaming)
About Lenoir-Rhyne: Located in Hickory, N.C., Lenoir-Rhyne University was founded in 1891 and has an enrollment of 1,800 students. The Bears enter the tournament with a record of 3-1 with wins over Pfeiffer (84-82 OT), Limestone (77-73) and Francis Marion (67-59) before falling to Lindsey Wilson (52-56) last time out. Three players score in double figures, led by Cameron Sealey, who averages 19.0 points per game.
Conference Affiliation: Member of the South Atlantic Conference. Tusculum is the defending regular-season and tournament champion. Lenoir-Rhyne was selected second in the preseason poll. Other members include: Wingate, Newberry, Catawba, Carson-Newman, Mars Hill, Lincoln Memorial, Anderson and Brevard.
Coach: Todd Starkey (Montreat '93) is in his seventh season at the helm of the Bears' women's program. The reigning SAC Coach of the Year is 103-69 in his career entering the 2011-12 season.
