University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska women's basketball schedule gets no easier this week as Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition gets underway. The Nanooks get to start the conference season at home, but they welcome No. 6-ranked Seattle Pacific Thursday before hosting preseason GNAC favorite Montana State Billings Saturday.
 
Alaska (6-2) just finished playing another top-25 team Saturday in the championship game of its own Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. Wayne State College, ranked No. 22 this week, beat the Nanooks 82-64, but the runner-up finish in the tournament was the team's highest in five years.
 
The Nanooks got off to their best regular season start in years and look to continue that momentum with the start of GNAC play. They started 4-0 for the first time since 2000-01, and their 6-1 record heading into Saturday was their best since 2007-08.
 
Junior guards Benissa Bulaya (Sacramento, Calif./Communications) and Kelly Logue (Fair Oaks, Calif./Journalism) were both named to the All-Tournament team last week. Bulaya also earned Era Alaska Nanook of the Week accolades for averaging 12.0 points per game, including a game-best 18 points in Alaska's 12-point win over Lees-McRae on Friday. She hit 16-of-22 (.727) free throw attempts while also averaging 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per outing.
 
Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) still reigns as Alaska's top scorer and rebounder through eight games at 15.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Bulaya has helped drive the offense with 9.3 ppg of her own to go with 3.3 assists per contest.
 
Game #9: No. 6 Seattle Pacific at Alaska – Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
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The Falcons (6-0) wrapped up their preseason slate unbeaten with perfect 2-0 records in three different tournaments, including a title at last week's Azusa Pacific Crossover Classic. SPU has outshot its first six opponents by a combined 42.2 to 34.2 percent and have outscored them by an average of 11.8 points. The Falcons have the GNAC's best scoring defense, limiting opponents to 55.3 points per game.
 
Katie Benson has been Seattle Pacific's top player, averaging a double-double with 21.3 points and a GNAC-best 11.0 rebounds per game. Benson has shot a team-best 57.5 percent from the floor, including 40 percent from beyond the arc. Aubree Callen (14.7) and Suzanna Ohlsen (10.5) have also averaged double-digit scoring. Ohlsen is averaging 3.5 assists per game.
 
Game #10: Montana State Billings at Alaska – Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
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The Yellowjackets (5-2) have won five straight after dropping their first two games of the Disney West Coast Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 8-9. They also lost an exhibition game to Montana State 58-49 on Nov. 20. MSUB received six first-place votes in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and was selected as this year's conference favorite.
 
Kayleen Goggins enters the weekend as the Yellowjackets' leading scorer with 14.1 ppg. Bobby Knudsen is averaging 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Janiel Olsen is the team's top rebounder at 7.5 boards per contest. Montana State Billings has the best rebounding defense in the GNAC, allowing a conference-low 30.3 boards a game.