FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska women's basketball team concludes non-conference play this weekend when it flies down to Anchorage for a pair of neutral-site contests against PacWest foes as part of the AT&T Hoops Classic at UAA's Wells Fargo Sports Center.
The Nanooks (3-6) face Academy of Art (3-2) Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a meeting with Hawaii-Hilo (1-4) Saturday at 3 p.m.
“Our matchups should be competitive,” head coach
Cody Burgess said. “Both teams are in situations like our with second-year head coaches trying to get their programs on the right track. That always makes it fun in the sense that it will be competitive. All the teams have nothing to lose and just want to improve their record and program.
UAF is coming off a Great Northwest Athletic Conference loss at home to rival Alaska Anchorage last Saturday. The 10th-ranked Seawolves jumped out to the lead midway through the first half of the league opener for both squads and never looked back, taking a 78-29 win from the Nanooks.
“We've been really focused on trying to improve our defense, rebounding and getting into the pressure situations full-court so we can handle it better,” Burgess said. “We're working hard to get prepared.”
The Nanooks' second matchup will be against a familiar foe as they've played Hilo twice already, taking wins in both contests.
“With Hawaii-Hilo, it's always tough to play a team three times and let alone win three times, so it will be a challenge,” Burgess said. “But I think it's something we're capable of.”
GAME 1: Alaska (GAME NOTES) vs. Academy of Art
When: Friday, Dec. 9 at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Anchorage, Alaska (Wells Fargo Sports Center)
Live Stats
About Academy of Art: Located in San Francisco, Calif., Academy of Art was founded in 1929 and has an enrollment of 16,000 students. The Urban Knights enter Friday's game with a 3-2 record and are coming off a 2-0 sweep at the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic with wins against CSU-Los Angeles (81-73) and Western Oregon (61-59). They are led by Alisa Griggs and Devin London who average 14.6 and 13.2 points, respectively. As a team, it averages 61.2 points per game, while allowing 65.2.
Conference Affiliation: Member of the Pacific West Conference. Grand Canyon is the defending conference champion. Academy of Art was selected fifth in the PacWest preseason poll. Other members include: Dixie State, California Baptist, Hawaii Pacific, BYU-Hawaii, Hawaii-Hilo, Notre Dame de Namur, Dominican (CA) and Chaminade.
Coach: LaNay Larson is in her first year at the helm and came to Academy of Art after serving as the Head Assistant Women's Basketball Coach as well as Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach for Dixie State College since 2006.
GAME 2: Alaska vs. Hawaii-Hilo
When: Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Anchorage, Alaska (Wells Fargo Sports Center)
Live Stats
About Hawaii-Hilo: Located in Hilo, Hawaii, the University of Hawaii at Hilo was founded in 1947 and has an enrollment of 4,051 students. The Vulcans notched their first win of the season Tuesday night with a 58-42 victory over BYU-Hawaii. They are 1-4 entering Friday's game vs. No. 10 Alaska Anchorage.
Conference Affiliation: Member of the Pacific West Conference. Grand Canyon is the defending conference champion. Hawaii-Hilo was selected seventh in the PacWest preseason poll. Other members include: Dixie State, California Baptist, Hawaii Pacific, Academy of Art, BYU-Hawaii, Notre Dame de Namur, Dominican (CA) and Chaminade.
Coach: David Kaneshiro (Beloit '95) is in his second season after going 9-15 in his inaugural year at the helm and is the first full-time women's basketball head coach in program history. He had two previous stops prior to Hilo, spanning five seasons, where he tallied a record 62-66.
