ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Juniors Jaylee Mays and Jordan Wilson each recorded double-digit points and helped lead a second-half offensive charge for the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, but that would not be enough to overcome a slow first half performance against No. 6 Alaska Anchorage, as they fall, 78-56, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
The loss drops Alaska to 5-6 overall on the year, and to 0-3 in GNAC play. The Nanooks have now dropped four-straight contests. Meanwhile, for Alaska Anchorage, Saturday's victory improves them to 13-1 on the year and 2-1 in league games.
"All week we worked on being able to compete and be involved in the game and not giving them one inch, and I felt like our team rallied and did that in the second half," said head coach Cody Bench. "We executed our game plan to the best of our ability. We only played six people in the second half. We only had nine turnovers and we shot well and moved the ball well. Our team really rose to the occasion in over the final 20 minutes, which was all you can ask from them."
After scoring just 15 points as a team during the first two quarters, the Nooks erupted for 41 points over the final 20 minutes of play. Mays scored 16 of her team-best 21 points in the second half, as she connected on five 3-point field goals, four of which came after halftime. The 21-point outing marks Mays' fourth 20-plus-point performance of the season, while the five three-pointers tie a career-high for the sharpshooter.
Wilson also played a huge factor in the second-half outburst, as she scored all 13 of her points in the third and fourth quarters. The 13-point outing extends Wilson's double-digit scoring streak to nine games. The forward also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
Alaska was able to rally in the second half thanks to their defensive effort. After collecting just two points off turnovers through the first two quarters, the Nanooks outscored the Seawolves, 10-4, over the final two frames. Alaska forced UAA into 11 turnovers in the second half, and 21 for the game. As a team, Alaska collected 10 steals on the night, as Wilson and Kaillee Skjold each had a three apiece.
Leading 34-15 at the half, No. 6-ranked Alaska Anchorage was able to extend its lead to a game-best 22 points at 44-22 after a three-point basket from Jenna Buchanan at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter. From that point, the Nooks would go on a 14-3 run to close frame and pull within 13 points entering the fourth. Alaska cut the deficit to 12 points at 57-45 after an Autumn Childers jumper with 4:55 remaining on the clock. But that would be as close as the Nanooks would get, as they ran out of steam over the final minutes against the No. 6-ranked team in the country, as UAA pushed its advantage back out to 20 points before claiming the 78-56 victory.
"I think we were just gassed at the end," expressed Bench. "We couldn't contest shots as much as we wanted."
The Nooks defense frustrated the Alaska Anchorage offense all afternoon, as they held them to 10 points under their league-best scoring average of 88.3 points per game.
"Defensively, we wanted to change it up and make them fight for every basket and I felt like we did that the majority of the time. I was really impressed with our hustle and our effort on the floor today."
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will be back in action next Friday, as they'll return to Anchorage to participate in the Seawolf Hoops Classic at the Alaska Airlines Center. The Nooks will take on University of California San Diego on Friday at 5 p.m. and conclude with a 4 p.m. showdown with Cedarville University on Saturday.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
