University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska women's basketball team returns to the Patty Center this week for an eventful home stand, its last of the 2013-14 season.
 
Thursday against Western Washington the Nanooks will cover the Patty in pink for their "Play 4 Kay" game, an opportunity for Alaska to raise breast cancer awareness and funds on the court. Saturday against Simon Fraser the Nanooks will honor senior forwards Samantha Thornton (Bremerton, Wash./Business Administration) and Ruth O'Neal (Fort Washakie, Wyo./Justice) on Senior Night.
 
Both of this week's games will be openers of doubleheaders with the Alaska men's basketball team. Tip-off on Thursday and Saturday is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
 
Alaska (9-13, 3-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) returns home after an 0-3 road trip that saw them compete into the second half of all three games, only to see their opponent pull away for the victory. The Nanooks were outscored in the second half by an average of 12.7 points per game over the three contests while averaging a two-point halftime lead during the trip.
 
The schedule gets no easier for the Nanooks, as all four of their final games this season are against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the national poll. Both Western Washington and Simon Fraser bring in long winning streaks and votes in the national coaches' poll this week.
 
As the season winds down, this weekend will be a chance for Alaska fans to not only see seniors O'Neal and Thornton for the final time, but also to see the Nanooks' hard-working freshmen class one more time at home in 2013-14. Four of the top six minutes-getters for the Nanooks this season are true freshmen, and four of Alaska's top six scorers are newcomers.
 
Freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) was the team's leading scorer in its last two games, averaging 15 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Milton has scored double-digit points in seven of her last nine games after only doing so twice in her first 13.
 
Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) has been Alaska's leading scorer all season long, but has been held to just five and six points, respectively, in her last two games. That ended a stretch of 12 straight games scoring in double figures, which included five games over 20 points and 10 with 15 or more.
 
Wilson is still Alaska's top rebounder with 7.6 rebounds per game. The Nanooks have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 1.7 boards per game this season and are the GNAC's second-best rebounding team with 40.2 rebounds per contest.
 
Freshman forward Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Emergency Management) has been in the starting lineup for each of the last five games. She has averaged 8.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg after averaging 5.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg in the first 17 games of the season as a reserve.
 
Game #23: R/V Western Washington – Thursday, Feb. 20 at 5:15 p.m. (AKST)
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The Vikings (15-8, 11-4 GNAC) have won four in a row and 12 of their last 15 after beginning the season 3-5. WWU is receiving three votes in this week's WBCA coaches' poll. Western Washington defeated Alaska 92-80 in Bellingham, Wash., on Jan. 25.
 
The Vikings are among the GNAC's top four in scoring offense (3rd, 73.9 ppg), scoring defense (4th, 65.0) and scoring margin (3rd, +8.8). They lead the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 45.7 percent this season, and 3-point field goal percentage at 35.3 percent. Sarah Hill is fourth in the GNAC in rebounding with 8.1 boards a game.
 
Game #24: R/V Simon Fraser at Alaska – Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5:15 p.m. (AKST)
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The Clan (16-6, 10-4 GNAC) have not lost more than two games in a row all season and have three winning streaks of four or more, including its current four-game unbeaten stretch. Simon Fraser is receiving 23 votes in this week's WBCA coaches' poll, putting them unofficially at No. 32 in the country.
 
Erin Chambers is the conference's top scorer with 22.7 ppg. SFU has only one other player among the GNAC's top-20 scorers, with Katie Lowen at No. 20 with 10.9 ppg. Rebecca Langmead leads the GNAC with 2.4 blocks per game. Simon Fraser's 3-point field goal percentage defense is tops in the GNAC and one of the best in the country, ranking No. 3 at 23.4 percent.