University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Box Score
HILO, Hawaii — The Alaska women's basketball team's fourth straight win to open the season Monday did not come as easily as the first three, but the Nanooks were able to overcome a late five-point deficit thanks to three different rookies and hang on for a 62-61 win at Hawaii Hilo to move to 4-0 on the year for the first time in 13 years.
 
Freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) hit the eventual game-winning bucket on a jumper with just 2 minutes, 17 seconds to play, putting the Nanooks (4-0) up 62-60.
 
Hawaii Hilo's (0-1) Alexa Jacobs went to the free-throw line for a chance to tie it with 68 seconds left but missed her first free throw. She would make her second to make it 62-61 Alaska. The Nanooks missed two jumpers and two free throws in the ensuing 60 seconds, handing the Vulcans an opportunity to win it with seven seconds left, but a desperation 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded was off, giving Alaska its first 4-0 record since the 2000-01 season when it defeated Southern Oregon twice and Lynn University twice to open the year.
 
Trailing 60-58 moments before , Alaska freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) capitalized on an opportunity to tie the game by drawing a foul and hitting two free throws with three minutes on the clock to tie the game at 60-60.
 
It was freshman forward Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Management) who got the Nanooks going on the comeback trail with her first career 3-pointer, getting them within two at 60-58 after being behind 60-55 with under four minutes to play in the game.
 
Wilson led Alaska with 16 points, her fourth straight double-digit scoring performance in as many career games at the collegiate level. Skjold had a career-high 14, while Milton chipped in seven points and pulled down a team and career-high eight rebounds.
 
Hawaii-Hilo's Kamie Imai led all players with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jacobs added 13 and Danielle Kooyman had eight. The Vulcans outshot the Nanooks 41.8 to 33.3 percent from the field Monday and 61.9 to 52.8 percent from the charity stripe, but still came away with a season-opening loss.
 
The game was a back-and-forth battle the whole way with 13 ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven points in the game, and after the 16:50 mark in the second half they were not separated by more than five the rest of the way.
 
The Vulcans only held a two-point advantage (33-31) at halftime despite outshooting the Nanooks 50.0 to 29.4 percent in the first stanza.
 
Alaska overcame its last seven-point deficit of the game with an 11-4 run early in the second half, highlighted by points from four different players including junior forward Delisa Chapman (Palmdale, Calif./Social Work), who ended with six points and seven rebounds.
 
The Nanooks wrap up their four-game Hawaii road trip at 5 p.m. AKST Tuesday with another game at Hawaii Hilo.