University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska women's basketball team embarks on its first road trip of the season this weekend, as it heads to the Hawaiian Islands for the first time since 2011-12 for a four-game stretch against BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade and Hawaii-Hilo.
 
Alaska (1-0) will face BYU-Hawaii at 8 p.m. AKST Friday, then take on Chaminade in Honolulu on Sunday at 3 p.m. AKST. Then the team heads to the Big Island to face Hawaii-Hilo on back-to-back days, playing the Vulcans at 6 p.m. AKST on Monday and 5 p.m. AKST on Tuesday. All three Hawaii schools will be playing their season-openers against the Nanooks.
 
Alaska is a combined 5-1 on its last two trips to Hawaii, going 2-1 in 2011-12 and 3-0 in 2007-08. Overall, the Nanooks are 9-4 against the four NCAA Division II schools in Hawaii since 2006-07. Against the three schools they will face this weekend, they are 2-2 against BYU Hawaii, 2-0 against Chaminade and 4-1 against Hawaii-Hilo during that same time.
 
The Nanooks are fresh off their season-opening 87-72 win over Western New Mexico on Friday. It was the first time the team had started the year with a victory since 2009-10, when it defeated Hawaii Hilo – one of the three teams it will face this weekend.
 
The win was big in more ways than just the first season-opening win in four seasons. Alaska's 87 points Friday were the most it has scored against an NCAA Division II school since Jan. 12, 2008, when the Nanooks scored 89 at Northwest Nazarene.
 
Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Red Lion Player of the Week Monday after kicking off her college career in style during the win, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
 
She led all players with her first career double-double in her first career college basketball game and the Nanooks' (1-0) first game of the 2013-14 season. Wilson only missed one shot from the floor (10 for 11) and was 7 for 10 from the free-throw line. Her five offensive and seven defensive rebounds were tops in the game.
 
Her 10 made field goals with only one miss are tied for the second-most all-time in the GNAC. Her 90.9 FG percentage helped the Nanooks shoot 60.0 percent in the game – their best team shooting percentage since joining the GNAC in 2001-02. It was the 25th time in conference history that a team shot at least 60 percent and first time since Jan. 19, 2013, when Simon Fraser shot 60.0 percent against Seattle Pacific.
 
Also, Wilson's 27 points were the most scored by an Alaska player since Jan. 12, 2012, when Nicole Bozek scored 29 at Western Washington. Her 12 boards were the most since Jan. 19, 2012, when Bozek also grabbed 12 in a game against Saint Martin's.
 
A number of rookies had good nights for the Nanooks Friday. Freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. Freshman forward Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Management) had seven points and six rebounds, and freshman forward Autumn Childers (Dewey, Ariz./Civil Engineering) added eight points.
 
Game #2: Alaska at BYU_Hawaii – Friday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. (AKST)
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The Seasiders (0-0) will open their 2013-14 season Friday against the Nanooks. BYU-Hawaii was chosen to finish ninth in the Pacific West Preseason Coaches Poll. Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo was named to the conference's Preseason All-PacWest team after playing in 18 games last year and averaging 16.7 points. She led the conference in 3-point field goals made in league play with 54 and was top 10 in the conference in five different categories during the PacWest season.
 
Game #3: Alaska at Chaminade – Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE AUDIO
The Silverswords (0-0) will also open their 2013-14 season with a game against the Nanooks Sunday. Chaminade was chosen to finish last this season in the PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll. The team went 1-22 last season and 1-18 in the PacWest. Chaminade ended 2012-13 on a 17-game losing streak.
 
Game #4 & 5: Alaska at Hawaii Hilo – Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. (AKST); Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. (AKST)
The Vulcans (0-0) also kick off the 2013-14 campaign against Alaska. Hawaii-Hilo was chosen to finish seventh in this year's PacWest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vulcans went 12-11 overall and 9-7 in PacWest play last season. Last year's leading scorer Kamie Imai returns for her senior season after averaging 10.9 points per game last season.