University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska women's basketball team has been involved in close games all season long. Saturday the Nanooks will hope another close game with their rival can turn their way this time around at Alaska Anchorage's Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
 
Alaska (9-12, 3-10 GNAC) wraps up its longest conference road trip of the season at 2 p.m. Saturday against the Seawolves (15-6, 8-5 GNAC) in Anchorage for the teams' second meeting this season.
 
The Nanooks played closer to the Seawolves earlier this season than they have in nearly seven years. They came back from a double-digit deficit and led with under five minutes to play before finally succumbing to UAA 96-87 at the Patty Center on Jan. 18.
 
It was the closest score between the two teams since Alaska last won in the series, 85-83 on overtime on Jan. 27, 2007. The Seawolves have won 13 straight games in the series, but Jan. 18 was the first of those games they won by less than double-digits.
 
The Nanooks are 1-7 this season in games decided by less than 10 points. Last week the Nanooks held halftime leads on the road at both Western Oregon and Saint Martin's, but second-half scoring droughts did them in, eventually falling in both games.
 
Alaska's centerpiece this season has been freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration), who in 21 games so far in her rookie season is averaging 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Saturday at Saint Martin's Wilson was held to less than 10 points for the first time in 13 games.
 
Wilson tops all GNAC freshmen in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (55.7 percent). She is second among GNAC rookies in free-throw percentage (80.5 percent) and is third in steals per game (1.5) behind UAA's Kiki Robertson (3.8) and fellow Alaska freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) (2.0).
 
Saturday's game will be a matchup of the conference's top scoring offense in Alaska Anchorage (82.1 ppg) and the GNAC's worst scoring defense in Alaska (71.5 ppg allowed). If the Seawolves want to score in bunches, they will have to do it inside the arc. Alaska boasts the GNAC's second-best 3-point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 24.5 percent shooting from downtown.
 
Game #22: Alaska at Alaska Anchorage – Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. (AKST)
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The Seawolves (15-6, 8-5 GNAC) have won three of their last four games and are 9-2 this season at home. Alaska Anchorage has only lost one GNAC game at home, falling 85-78 to Saint Martin's on Jan. 11. Alaska Anchorage is the GNAC's top scoring offense (82.1 ppg) by 6.5 ppg and have a conference-best +13.1 scoring margin. The Seawolves also pull down the most rebounds per game, averaging 43.9.
 
Four players average in double-digit scoring for the Seawolves, led by Alli Madison's 14.8 ppg. Kylie Burns is the team's best rebounder and second-best scorer at 7.1 rpg and 11.9 ppg. Robertson is second in the GNAC in assists per game (5.1) and first in steals (3.8).