ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team continues their three-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip on Saturday afternoon, as they take on archrival, and No. 6-ranked, Alaska Anchorage. Tip-off from the Alaska Airlines Center is set for 2 p.m.
The Nanooks (5-5, 0-2 GNAC) travels to Anchorage with hopes of snapping their three-game losing streak. Alaska will also be looking to pick up its first GNAC win of the 2015-16 season, as they suffered a pair of setbacks at Western Washington and Simon Fraser last week.
Like Alaska, the Seawolves (12-1, 1-1 GNAC) enter Saturday's showdown off a loss, as they dropped their first contest of the season at Western Washington. The loss dropped Alaska Anchorage to No. 6 in the USA Today NCAA Division II Coaches Poll.
Where to Watch
Saturday's contest will be shown live throughout the state on GCI Channel 1 & 999. For fans out of the Alaska viewing area, they can catch all the action on the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal at www.portal.stretchinternet.com/uaf free of charge.
All-Time Series
The Seawolves lead the all-time series 62-44 and have one each of the last 16 contests. The last time the Nanooks captured a victory against UAA came on Jan. 27, 2007, when they won an 85-83 overtime thriller in Fairbanks. Saturday will be the 106th meeting between the two Alaskan schools.
Last Time Out
Junior guard Kaillee Skjold scored a career-high 30 points and collected 12 rebounds for the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team last Saturday afternoon, but that would not be enough to lift the Nanooks past Simon Fraser, as they fell, 77-60, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
A Rare 30-Point Outing
Last Saturday, junior Kaillee Skjold became just the fourth Alaska player to enjoy a 30-point performance since the Nanooks joined the GNAC back in 2001. She also becomes the first player to accomplish the feat in nearly six years. Sheena Brown was the last player for Alaska to surpass the 30-point plateau with her 44-point outing against Central Washington back on Feb. 12, 2009.
Double-Digit Scoring Streak
Jordan Wilson enters play on Saturday looking to extend her double-digit scoring streak to nine games. The Henderson, Colorado native has netted double-digits in all but one game for Alaska this season, as she leads the team in scoring with her 16.3 points per game average. Her 16.3 points per game ranks her fourth in scoring this season in the GNAC.
Triple Threat
Junior guard Jaylee Mays has been deadly from behind the arc this season, as she has hit a team-best 22 trifectas through 10 games this season. Mays currently ranks fourth in the GNAC in 3-point field goals made per game, as she is putting in 2.2 three-point baskets per game.
Mays isn't only a three-point specialist, but she has also been a stud on the defensive end. She currently ranks second in the conference in steals, with 2.5 swipes per game. She has collected a total of 25 steals through 10 games.
Better Handle With Care
Teams have found out the hard way this season that if you do not take care of the ball, the Nanooks will it from you. Alaska is second in the GNAC in steals per game, as they are swiping the ball 11.9 times per game. That number has led to the Nanooks to have three players inside the top five of the individual steal leaders in the GNAC. Jaylee Mays is second in the conference with her 2.5 steals per game average, while Kaillee Skjold and Jordan Wilson are each tied for fourth with a 2.2 average.
Scouting the Opposition – No. 6 Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves enter this weekend with a 1-1 record in GNAC play as they split their conference-opening weekend at Simon Fraser and Western Washington. UAA is currently ranked No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and were ranked as high as No. 2 before losing at Western Washington last Saturday.
Alaska Anchorage is the highest scoring offensive team in the GNAC, as they are averaging 88.3 points per game on a 46.8 percent field goal percentage. The Seawolves also hold a conference-best +13.1 rebounding margin, and rank No. 1 in assists with their 21.1 assists per game average. Senior Megan Mullings, the 2015-16 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, leads a quartet of double-digit scorers for UAA, as she is averaging 16.8 points per game, a mark that is third-best in the GNAC.
The No. 6-ranked team in the country is allowing a conference-low 54.1 points per game through 13 contests. Their +34.2 scoring margin in tops in the conference by 24.6 points. The Seawolves are allowing teams to shoot just 32.5 percent from the floor, which also leads the conference.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
