FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Following a 0-2 showing at home last week, the Alaska women's basketball team hits the road to face a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents in Western Washington and Simon Fraser.
The Nanooks (4-11, 0-5 GNAC), who will attempt to end a five-game skid, first take on the Vikings (10-3, 4-1 GNAC) Thursday, followed by a Saturday meeting north of the border against the Clan (8-5, 3-2 GNAC). Both matchups are set to start at 7 p.m. Pacific.
"We're focusing on teamwork, just really stepping up as far as our rotation so we stop leaving people open and step over and commit off the drive so someone's not getting wide-open layups," head coach
Cody Burgess said. "We're focusing on team defense and really trying to help each other when a person gets beat."
Last week, Alaska fell 88-64 on Thursday to Seattle Pacific, which was receiving votes in the latest national poll, and 84-58 on Saturday against Montana State-Billings.
Freshman
Nicole Hartzog (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) led the Nanooks with 17.5 points per game as the rookie shot 13 of 23 from the field, while converting on four of seven three-pointers and all seven free throw attempts. She also had six steals on the week.
"I think she needs to be consistent like that," Burgess said. "There's no reason she shouldn't be at that level and we want that from her. That's what makes this a team is that we need more than one or two women contributing statistically-wise. If she continues to do that, she'll come in to her own a bit more and mature. We want some of her teammates to do that as well to make a more well-rounded team, but we're proud of what she's trying to do."
Senior center
Nicole Bozek (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) also averaged double figures with 15.5 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per outing. She drained 16 of 18 from the charity stripe for the week while also posting her third double-double against MSUB on Saturday with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Bozek is about to reach a career milestone as she is two points shy of the 1,000 points for her career. Once she surpasses that plateau, she will become the 47th player in GNAC history and eighth Nanook to accomplish the feat since the formation of the conference.
In the latest GNAC rankings, Bozek is seventh in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg), while ranking fourth in blocks (0.9) and eighth in free throw percentage (.814). She also cracked the top-100 in the national ranks in both scoring and free throw percentage this week.
Hartzog is fourth in the league in steals (2.1 spg) and 15th in three-point percentage (.349), while freshman guard
Kelly Logue (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) is 12 in assist-turnover ratio (1.1).
As a team, the Nanooks are fourth in the GNAC in free throw percentage (.723) and blocks (2.9 bpg). The team's percentage from the line also places 58th in the nation.
"Benissa [Bulaya] and Nicole [Hartzog] are able to go quick off the dribble, so that's helping us get to the free throw line," Burgess said. "When Nicole [Bozek], Jeni [Gabriel] or Jac [Lovato] get a rebound, they're going up strong with it and there's contact, so at least able to get to the rim. It's not part of our strategy, but we want to be aggressive and if they continue to do that, maybe we can convert more on the bucket and the free throw."
BURGESS ON OPPONENTS: "Western is usually a dominant program and they have been beat this season a couple of times so there's nothing we haven't seen before, which is good news. Simon Fraser is up and coming and so its definitely two teams we have to get after and can't give them a lot of room to work. We need to buckle down and be a team."
Alaska (Game Notes) at Western Washington
When: Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. Pacific
Where: Bellingham, Wash. (Sam Carver Gymnasium)
Live Stats
KBAI 930 AM (Bellingham): Listen
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Western Washington: Located in Bellingham, Wash., Western Washington University was founded in 1893 and has an enrollment of 14,979 students. The Vikings enter Thursday with a 10-3 overall record and 4-1 mark in conference play.
WWU averages 73.3 points per game while allowing 62.2 points through 13 games this season. As a team, it shoots 46-percent from the floor while allowing opponents to shoot 36.5-percent. The Vikings are dominant on the boards, holding a rebound edge of 42.6 rebounds to 32.8 rebounds per game.
Two players score in double figures for a very balanced offense.
Corinn Waltrip leads the team with 12.5 points per game, while
Kristin Schramm scores 10.8 points per game. Four others score between 7.2 and 8.7 points per outing.
Britt Harris is the squad's leading rebounder with 6.8 per contest.
Coach: Carmen Dolfo (Western Washington '86) is in her 21st season at her alma mater and is the winningest coach in school history with a career record of 434-164 (.726) entering this week. She has directed the Vikings to 15 20-win seasons and 19 post-season appearances, including one national semifinal appearance.
Alaska (Game Notes) at Simon Fraser
When: Saturday, January 14 at 7 p.m. Pacific
Where: Burnaby, British Columbia (SFU West Gymnasium)
Live Stats
Video: EducationCDN (Free Streaming)
About Simon Fraser: Located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Simon Fraser University was founded in 1965 and has an enrollment of 30,000 students. Known as the lone NCAA-affiliated school in Canada, the Clan enter this week with an 8-5 record and 3-2 mark in the GNAC.
SFU averages 61.7 points per game while allowing 60.4 points through 13 games this season. As a team, it shoots 39.1-percent from the floor while allowing opponents to shoot a tad better at 39.6-percent. The Clan hold a slim rebounding edge, with 36.3 rebounds as opposed to 35.5 for their opponents.
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe leads the team as she averages a double-double with 15.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, while
Kristina Collins also averages double figures with 10.2 per game. Collins also dishes out a team-high 4.6 assists per outing.
Coach: Bruce Langford is in his 11th season at the helm of the SFU women's basketball program. He led the Clan to a 7-17 record (4-14 GNAC) in the team's initial NCAA season last year as they advanced to the first round of the GNAC Tournament. Prior to SFU's transition, he led his squad to a two consecutive CIS national titles.
