Box Score ST. GEORGE, Utah - The Alaska Nanook women's basketball team rolled on in a 94-72 win over Dixie State, to continue its unbeaten, 3-0, start to the season, on Wednesday night.
Jordan Wilson was the game's top performer as her double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds set the tone for the Nanooks. Benissa Bulaya and Stephanie Toumson also had big nights for the Nanooks, as Bulaya scored 17 points and had eight assists while Toumson scored ten and had nine boards.
"We fought a tough game tonight and I think this was a good win for us," said head coach Cody Bench. "We were tested on the road and were able to maintain our lead throughout the game."
"Jordan Wilson was a force tonight," continued Bench, "and Stephanie Toumson helped immensely on the boards."
Wilson shot 62.5% (10-16) from the field, made six of her seven free throws (85.7%) and made two three pointers to cap her impressive night.
Bulaya was also graceful from the field, as she went 7-13 (53.8%) from the field while Toumson came off the bench to shoot 57.1% (4-7) from the floor. Autumn Childers was the fourth Nanook in double figures, as she contributed 11points for the night.
The first five minutes of the game were back and forth, but after Dixie took the lead at the 14:03 mark, Alaska would respond, to make the game 17-16, and not look back as it would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
"Dixie State hit some threes early in the game, but our guards really stepped up their pressure on defense," stated Bench. "Our post players were rock solid defensively and offensively. They work hard as a unit and work well together."
As a faction, the Nanooks were impressive on offense, as they shot 47.9% (34-71) and shot 35% (7-20) from beyond the three-point arc. Defensively, the Nanooks were symbiotic throughout, illustrating what their coach said, as they forced Dixie into 21 turnovers and had 12 steals, leading to 26 points.
The Nanooks bench play was also strong tonight, as substitutes contributed 34 points, compared to only 13 for the Red Storm.
Alaska will look to continue its momentum this weekend as it takes on Cal State San Marcos on Friday and Chico State on Saturday as part of the Dixie Thanksgiving Classic.
