FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A return home this week could be just what the Alaska women's basketball team needs to help snap out of a four-game losing streak. The Nanooks will welcome Northwest Nazarene to the Patty Center Thursday and Central Washington Saturday as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's second half gets under way.
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Thursday's game against Northwest Nazarene is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. Saturday's game against Central Washington is an afternoon affair, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
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The Nanooks (8-9, 2-7 GNAC) have overcome double-digit deficits to take a lead in three of their last four games, but have dropped all three decisions, and eight of their last 10. Offense has not been the problem for Alaska, which is averaging 72.4 points per game – its highest points per game average since the 2000-01 season.
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It has been defense and ball-handling that has hampered the young Nanooks recently. Alaska ranks last in the GNAC this season in scoring defense (71.6 points per game allowed) and turnover margin (-1.71). Meanwhile, four of the six players with the most minutes played for the Nanooks are true freshmen, lending to plenty of in-game learning time.
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The Nanooks have already defeated Saturday's opponent, Central Washington, earlier this season in Ellensburg, Wash. They will look to take advantage of a reeling Northwest Nazarene team Thursday, who's only win in its last five games was a 66-64 edging of Central Washington on Saturday.
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Alaska has seen equal results at home and on the road this season, going 4-5 in the Patty Center and 4-4 on the road. Those marks go to just 1-4 at home and 1-3 on the road in conference play. Alaska has lost two straight in Fairbanks dating back to Jan. 18.
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Freshman forward
Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) has started all 17 of Alaska's games this season and continues to be one of the best rookies in the conference. She leads all freshmen in scoring (17.2 ppg, 4th overall in the GNAC) and rebounding (8.2 rpg, 4th), and carries the top field goal percentage in the entire conference at 55.4 percent.
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Junior guard
Candace Prestwich (Murray, Utah/Business Administration) scored a season-high 19 points off the bench Saturday at Western Washington to lead the Nanooks. She hit five 3-pointers – the eighth straight game that she has made at least one trey.
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Freshman guard
Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) has started in the last three games after coming off the bench in Alaska's first 14 games this season. She scored double-digit points in back-to-back games last week at Simon Fraser and Western Washington for the first time this season. She also dished a career-best eight assists against the Vikings and only turned the ball over twice in two games last week for a +5.5 assist/turnover ratio.
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Game #18: R/V Northwest Nazarene at Alaska – Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
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The Crusaders (11-6, 4-5 GNAC) are reeling after starting the season 10-2. They snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a 66-64 buzzer-beating win at Central Washington. NNU was ranked as high as No. 17 in the WBCA NCAA Division II national poll, but are now outside the poll receiving 12 votes.
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The Crusaders have the second-best scoring offense in the GNAC at 76.4 points per game. They are also the best free-throw shooting team in the conference, making 79 percent of their attempts. NNU has not defended the 3-ball well this season, as opponents are shooting 32-.1 percent from behind the arc against them – second-worst in the GNAC. Three Crusaders are among the GNAC's top-10 scorers, led by Megan Hingston, who is sixth with 16.4 ppg. Hingston is also seventh in rebounding with 7.9 rpg. Chelsie Luke powers NNU's free-throw shooting with an 88.6 percent clip from the charity stripe – second-best in the conference.
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Game #19: Central Washington at Alaska – Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. (AKST)
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The Wildcats (6-11, 1-8 GNAC) have lost seven of their last eight games and begin the second half of the GNAC season in last place. Five of those seven losses have been by single digits. CWU will play five of its last nine games on the road, where it is just 1-3 this season.
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In contrast to Northwest Nazarene, the Wildcats are the worst free-throw shooting team in the conference this season, only making 65.3 percent of their attempts. They are the second-best rebounding team in the GNAC with 42.2 rpg, but tied for eighth out of 10 teams in field goal percentage defense (40.4 percent). Jessica Van Dyke is CWU's leading scorer with 16.2 ppg. Jasmine Parker is the team's top rebounder with 8.1 rpg – tied for fifth-best in the GNAC. Ally Schmitt is second in the conference with 5.7 assists per game.
