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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Freshman forward
Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Managament) notched a double-double and four other players scored in double figures Saturday afternoon as the Alaska women's basketball team kicked off the 2013-14 season with a 95-45 exhibition win over a team of Nanooks Alumnae.
Skjold scored 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds coming off the bench for the current Nanooks. Senior forward
Samantha Thornton (Bremerton, Wash./Business Administration) and sophomore guard
Brianna Kirk (Noatak, Alaska/General Studies) had 13 points apiece to lead Alaska in scoring.
Freshman forward
Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) had 11 and junior guard
Benissa Bulaya (Sacramento, Calif./Communications) had 10 to round out the Nanooks' double-digit scorers.
Former Nanook
Marissa Atoruk (2011-13), who most recently played for the team last season, led all players with 16 points. Atoruk made three 3-pointers and was 7 for 8 from the free-throw line. The Alumnae made good on their free throws for most of the afternoon, shooting 82.1 percent from the line.
But it was the second-chance points and points off turnovers that heavily added Alaska in the 50-point victory. The Nanooks had 30 more offensive rebounds than the Alumnae (41-11), resulting in 37 second-chance points. They also grabbed nine more steals (20-11) and had only 15 turnovers to the Alumnae's 25, equaling 33 points off turnovers for Alaska.
The Nanooks open their 2013-14 regular season at 5:15 p.m. Friday at home in the Patty Center against the Western New Mexico Mustangs.
