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FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Freshman forward
Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) kicked off her college career in style Friday, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to help the Nanooks win their first season-opener in four years, 87-72 over Western New Mexico.
Wilson 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 Friday night (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.
The Nanooks shot 60.0 percent in the game – their best team shooting percentage since joining the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2001-02. It is the 25th time in conference history that a team has shot at least 60 percent and first time since Jan. 19, 2013, when Simon Fraser shot 60.0 percent against Seattle Pacific.
Alaska held Western New Mexico to 31.8 percent shooting on the night, including going just 2 for 16 from the 3-point line. The Nanooks outscored the Mustangs (0-1) in the paint 38-26 and their bench bettered WNMU's 34-21.
Wilson's 27 points are the most scored by an Alaska player since Jan. 12, 2012, when Nicole Bozek scored 29 at Western Washington. Her 12 boards are the most since Jan. 19, 2012, when Bozek also grabbed 12 in a game against Saint Martin's.
The win to kick off the season was the Nanooks' first since 2009 when they defeated Hawaii Hilo 66-65. 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. Friday's score was almost identical to Alaska's 2012-13 season opener, which they dropped to another Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team, Colorado School of Mines, 87-73.
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.
Western New Mexico had four players score in double-digits, led by RaTanya Newsome's 19. Stephanie Moore (11), Ashley Mitchell (10) and Jordan Gutierrez (10) also scored in double figures for the Mustangs.
Alaska took the lead for good with 11 minutes, 20 seconds to play in the first half on a jumper from senior forward
Ruth O'Neal (Fort Washakie, Wyo./Justice) that made it 16-15 Nanooks. That jumper was part of a 10-4 run by Alaska that pushed the lead to six with 8:40 to play before halftime.
The Mustangs closed the gap to two and three points on several occasions, but Alaska continued to regrow its lead. A 3-pointer from junior guard
Candace Prestwich (Murray, Utah/Business Administration) with 1:09 left in the first half put the Nanooks up by eight at halftime.
The Nanooks' bench outscored WNMU's bench 19-5 in the first half. Alaska also went to work down low, outscoring the Mustangs 24-16 in the paint during the game's first 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Nanooks held no less than a two-possession lead through the first 10 minutes before going on a 9-0 run that put them up by 17 with 9:14 to play. Alaska bested Western New Mexico 9-0 in second chance points during the second half thanks to a 25-11 rebounding advantage during the half.
Alaska travels to Hawaii next week for a four-game road trip beginning Nov. 15 at BYU-Hawaii. The Nanooks will face the Seasiders, then face Chaminade and Hawaii Hilo in back-to-back games.
