FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Following a 19-day hiatus from the hardwood for the holiday break the Alaska women's basketball returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference action this week with a pair of road games.
The Nanooks (4-7, 0-1 GNAC) face Northwest Nazarene (7-3, 1-1 GNAC) in Nampa, Idaho, on Thursday at 5 p.m., followed by a noon matchup Saturday in Ellensburg, Wash., at Central Washington (3-6, 0-2 GNAC) in the final game of the 2011 calendar year.
“It's time to start making an impact with our conference games and we're going to try to buckle down and compete,” second-year head coach
Cody Burgess said. “We're going to take it one game at a time and the time off hopefully realigns everybody's focus and reemphasizes how short the season is.”
Alaska is coming off a 1-1 split at the 2011 AT&T Hoops Classic in Anchorage back on Dec. 9 and 10. The Nanooks first took down Academy of Art 68-62 before falling 69-60 to Hawaii-Hilo the following afternoon.
Senior center
Nicole Bozek (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts after averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games. She also went 20 of 21 from the charity stripe on the weekend.
In the win over Art U, senior forward
Autumn Greene (Lewiston, Idaho/Centralia CC) posted a double-double with 20 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Freshman guard
Nicole Hartzog (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) also contributed double figures, averaging 12.5 points in the split.
Bozek currently leads the team and ranks seventh in the GNAC with 15.5 points per game, while being fourth in the league in rebounding with 8.5 boards per game.
“She does a good job on the boards and getting the ball and making a move to the basket so she can get to the line,” Burgess said. “I credit her teammates for looking for her and trying to feed her the ball any time they can. Having her ready to go these next couple games and she's really going to be a determining factor for us.”
BURGESS ON NORTHWEST NAZARENE: “Northwest Nazarene is really guard oriented and it has a pretty good inside player. We're really going to have to focus on defense. They want to push the ball. Northwest Nazarene has a really scrappy defense and tries to create havoc. We're going to have to play more mature and take care of the ball and hoping we get a quality shot each possession.”
BURGESS ON CENTRAL WASHINGTON: “Central is about 90 minutes from my hometown so I always like to beat those kind of schools. They're a new team with a new coach and they're trying to find themselves a little bit. It should be a good matchup in the sense that they have a talented guard and some new post players. We're going to have to outwork them.”
Alaska at Northwest Nazarene
When: Thursday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m.
Where: Nampa, Idaho (Johnson Sports Center)
Live Stats
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Northwest Nazarene: Located in Nampa, Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University was founded in 1913 and has an enrollment of 1,944 students. The Crusaders enter Thursday with a 7-3 overall record and 1-1 mark in the GNAC. They are also perfect at home with a 4-0 record at the Johnson Sports Center.
NNU averages 73.5 points per game while limiting the opposition to just 59.8 points per game. As a team, it shoots 42-percent from the floor while its opponents shoot 37.7-percent. The Crusaders hold a comfortable lead in rebounding this season, averaging 44.6 rebounds as opposed to 36.6 for their foes.
A pair of Crusaders average double figures, led by
Megan Hingston, who scores 16.7 points to go with her 8.0 rebounds. Right behind her is
Briaunna King, who tallies 15.8 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds. Both rank in the top six of the conference in scoring. Three other players average at least 9.0 points per game.
Coach: Kelli Lindley is in her 11th year at the helm after taking a leave of absence last season. She holds a record of 153-108 entering this week's slate and has guided her squad to four NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure.
Alaska at Central Washington
When: Thursday, Dec. 31 at 12 p.m.
Where: Ellensburg, Wash. (Nicholson Pavilion)
Live Stats
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Central Washington: Located in Ellensburg, Wash., Central Washington University was founded in 1891 and has an enrollment of 10,750 students. The Wildcats enter Thursday's game versus UAA with a 3-6 record and 0-2 mark in conference play.
CWU's point differential is nearly even as it averages 67.6 points while allowing 67.4 points per game. It shoots just 35.8-percent and allows opponents to shoot 45.7-percent. Rebounding is also close, but the Wildcats hold a slim advantage on average at 38.6 rebounds to 37.8 rebounds per game.
Three players score in double figures, led by
Jessica VanDyke, who tallies 12.9 points game to go with her team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. Also in double figures are
Alex Dunn (10.8 ppg) and
Sophie Russell (10.4 ppg).
Coach: Shawn Nelson (Carroll '96) is in his first year at the helm of the women's basketball program at CWU. He spent the previous eight seasons as head coach of his alma mater at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.
