HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Senior Stephanie Toumson and junior Jordan Wilson each picked up a double-double to help guide the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team to an 82-63 victory at Chaminade University on Thursday night.
The 6-1 Toumson was a force to be reckoned with all night, as she collected a game-best 20 points and pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds, while blocking two shots. The Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe native's 20-point performance ties a career-high, as she previously hit the mark against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 21 of last year. Tonight's performance also marks the fourth double-double of her career, and the first of this season.
For Wilson, she collected 13 points and tied Toumson in the rebounding category by pulling down 10 caroms of her own. Eight of Wilson's 10 rebounds were offensive, as she helped the Nanooks (2-2) score 16 second-chance points. Thursday's performance marks the second double-double for Wilson this year, and is the ninth of her career.
Junior Jaylee Mays also enjoyed a double-digit scoring night, as the guard scored 19 points, thanks in large part to three 3-point field goals. The junior college transfer has now recorded 19-or-more points in three of her first four games in a Nanooks uniform. As a team, Alaska shot 41.9 percent from the field, and connected on a blistering 52.4 percent of their attempts in the third and fourth quarters to mount a 19-point victory.
"We started off pretty slow, but we were able to come out pretty strong in the final two quarters," said head coach Cody Bench. "We had an adjustment at the half and isolated the post. We were able to get some good looks down low and finish close to the basket. We shot and defended better in the second half, which was the difference. It was nice to see us get the lead and extend it, and I hope we can carry that intensity and that energy into Saturday's game."
Alaska scored 38 points in the paint against Chaminade (0-1) in the victory. 26 of those points came after halftime, as Bench's bunch collected a total of 16 fourth quarter points in the paint.
The Nanooks clinged to a 30-27 advantage going into the locker room. Alaska used a 12-4 run to open the third quarter, as they held a 43-31 lead after a Toumson free throw. The Nanooks built its lead as high as 18 in the third quarter and held a 56-40 lead going into the final frame. Alaska quickly regained its 18-point advantage after a Wilson jumper with 8:17 remaining in the game. The Nanooks would keep the Silverswords at bay for the remainder of the contest, as they scored the 19-point victory.
The Nanooks will be back in action on Saturday, as they'll conclude their three-game, four-day tour of Hawai'i with a contest against Hawai'i-Hilo. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 4 p.m.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
