University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Coming off of its biggest conference win in over eight years, the Alaska women's basketball team heads out on the road this week for two important Great Northwest Athletic Conference games at Western Oregon and Saint Martin's as it jostles for positioning in the conference standings.
 
Alaska (9-10, 3-8 GNAC) travels to Monmouth, Ore., to take on the Wolves at 4:15 p.m. AKST Thursday, then heads to Lacey, Wash., for a 4:15 p.m. AKST tip-off Saturday against the Saints. This week's road games are the beginning of Alaska's longest conference road stretch this season, which stretches into next week with a 2 p.m. contest at Alaska Anchorage.
 
This week's games are key for the Nanooks in the push towards a GNAC Tournament berth at season's end. Saint Martin's (12-7, 6-4 GNAC) is above Alaska in the sixth and final tournament spot, and Western Oregon (5-13, 2-9 GNAC) is a game behind the Nanooks, also looking to make a climb upward.
 
Alaska already toppled Saint Martin's this season, handing the Saints their first GNAC loss and snapping their six-game winning streak with a 14-point, 78-64 win at the Patty Center on Jan. 9. The Nanooks nearly completed a weekend sweep, but the Wolves escaped with a 81-77 win on Jan. 11 after fending off three different Alaska comebacks.
 
The Nanooks got back on the winning track and snapped a five-game skid Saturday with a 20-point, 88-68 win over Central Washington. It was the Nanooks' largest GNAC win since Dec. 29, 2005, when they beat Western Oregon by 24 (74-50) in Fairbanks.
 
Alaska has scored at least 80 points in three straight games. It is the first time the team has done that since Feb. 17-March 1, 2001, when it scored 89 or more points in four straight contests, including three games over 90. The Nanooks have scored 72 or more points in nine straight games dating back to Jan. 2.
 
All of that scoring has given the Nanooks the GNAC's third-best offense at 73.7 points per game. But Alaska has also allowed a GNAC-worst 72.2 points per game to opponents, translating into a lot of high-scoring games and close losses. Six of the Nanooks' 10 losses this season have been by single digits, and in five of those losses their opponent scored over 70 points.
 
Alaska saw a revival in its 3-point shooting last week. The Nanooks made 22 total 3-pointers Thursday and Saturday and shot 47.8 percent from deep during the week. The team entered the week with a GNAC-low 25.5 3-point field goal percentage and 60 total treys on the year.
 
Freshman forward Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Business Administration) led the Nanooks last week averaging 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and shooting 60.0 percent. She leads the GNAC this week in field goal percentage at 55.9 percent, also ranked 27th in the nation.
 
A host of other underclassmen and newcomers outside of Wilson have also been contributing lately. Freshman guard Victoria Milton (Lansing, Mich./Business Administration) has averaged 13.5 points and 4.8 assists over the last four games. Sophomore guard Brianna Kirk (Noatak, Alaska/Communication) had back-to-back 14-point performances last week against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. Junior guard Candace Prestwich (Murray, Utah/Business Administration) has scored 19, 12 and 9 points, respectively, in the last three games while shooting 44.4 percent (12 for 27) from 3-point range.
 
Game #20: Alaska at Western Oregon – Thursday, Feb. 6 at 4:15 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO
The Wolves (5-13, 2-8 GNAC) have lost five in a row and seven of their last eight, their lone win during that time coming against the Nanooks on Jan. 11. Last week Western Oregon fell by three points at home to travel partner Saint Martin's, 59-56. The Wolves have lost three straight home games dating back to Jan. 16.
 
Western Oregon has the GNAC's lowest-scoring offense, only averaging 62.4 points per game. That has resulted in a conference-worst -7.1 scoring margin as well. Dana Goularte continues to rank among the conference leaders in scoring (3rd, 18.2 ppg), rebounding (3rd, 9.1 rpg), field goal percentage (5th, 50.5 percent) and blocks (3rd, 2.1 per game).
 
Game #21: Alaska at Saint Martin's – Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:15 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:   LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO
The Saints (12-7, 6-4 GNAC) were at one time this season atop the GNAC standings, but just one win in their last four games has dropped them to the precarious sixth-place spot in the conference – the final spot that earns a trip to the conference tournament. Saint Martin's will enjoy it's two-game stint at home this week, where it is 7-1 on the season.
 
The Saints carry the GNAC's best scoring defense at 61.3 ppg allowed, but only have the ninth-best scoring offense (67.3 ppg). SMU struggles from the floor, shooting a conference-low 36.4 percent. Chelsea Haskey is the Saints' only player among the conference's top-10 in scoring or rebounding, coming in seventh in rebounding with 7.3 boards per game. Angela Gelhar is SMU's best free-throw shooter this season, making 85.6 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe.