University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Box Score Photo Gallery

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Saturday's Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown at the Patty Center looked a lot like Thursday's, with a total of 53 personal fouls and 52 turnovers between Alaska and Western Oregon, but the ball didn't bounce the Nanooks' way this time as the Wolves escaped with an 81-77 victory.
 
Western Oregon (5-8, 2-3 GNAC) staved off three different Alaska comebacks during the game to come away with its second GNAC win and just its second victory this season over an NCAA Division II team.
 
Alaska's last push knotted the game at 69-69 on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Adminstration) with 2 minutes, 19 seconds, to play. That capped a quick 5-0 run by the Nanooks (8-6, 2-4 GNAC) that helped them come back from being seven down at 67-60 with 4:12 left.
 
But the Wolves would help themselves from the free-throw line, especially in the clutch, going a perfect 10 for 10 in the game's final 2 minutes, 50 seconds, and shooting 24 for 33 (72.7 percent) for the game. During that same stretch Alaska went 0 for 4 from the floor with four fouls and two turnovers.
 
The teams combined for 50 points off turnovers and went a combined 44 for 59 from the free-throw line, though Western Oregon held the advantage in both categories. The Wolves had 30 of their 81 points off Nanooks turnovers, compared to Alaska's 20 points off giveaways. WOU's 24 free throws bettered Alaska's 20 (20 for 26, 76.9 percent).
 
Alaska had four players score in double figures. Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) led all players with 22 points and nine rebounds. It was the third straight game and fifth this season that Wilson went over the 20-point mark. Fellow rookie Milton went for a career-high 18 off the bench and also had four steals and three assists.
 
Sophomore guard Brianna Kirk (Noatak, Alaska/Communication) and freshman guard Autumn Childers (Dewey, Ariz./Civil Engineering) both had 10 points for the Nanooks. Alaska outrebounded the Wolves 43-33, while Western Oregon was the better-shooting team, 46.6 percent (27 for 58) to 42.9 percent (27 for 63).
 
Western Oregon had five players post double-digit scoring, led by Jordan Mottershaw's 19 points off the bench. Mottershaw was 6 for 9 from the floor and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line. She also chipped in four steals and four rebounds for the Wolves. Dana Goularte had 16 points, Chantel Divilbiss poured in 15, and Kelsey Henry and Elise Miller added 10 each.
 
Alaska's biggest comeback of the game took them nearly the entire second half to complete, but it finally pulled even at 57-57 with 7:31 to play in the game after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. The final surge of that comeback was an 18-4 run that spanned 7:42 and gave Alaska its first lead of the game at 59-57.
 
Milton was the spark for the run, scoring six points, grabbing two rebounds and tallying one assist and a steal. Western Oregon turned the ball over four times during the Nanooks' run.
 
Alaska would only hold the lead for 1:06, as two free throws from Elise Miller tied it at 60-60. A 10-2 run by the Wolves gave them back the lead for good at 67-60, and they would close it out with free throws.
 
The Nanooks' first gap closure came in the first half. After falling behind 16-8, the Nanooks made it a one-possession game with five straight points in 91 seconds, making 16-13. The Wolves also stopped that momentum, going on a 16-3 run that gave them a 16-point lead 6:10 before halftime.
 
Alaska closes out its three-game home stand at 5:15 p.m. Saturday against rival Alaska Anchorage, 85-78 losers to Saint Martin's Saturday night. The game will be the first game of a doubleheader with the Alaska men's basketball team, who faces Northwest Nazarene.