ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team could not bring its recent skid to a halt on Sunday afternoon, as they dropped a 73-44 decision to Cedarville University (Ohio) to end the 2015 Seawolf Hoops Classic with an 0-2 mark.
The loss marks the sixth-straight defeat for the Nanooks, as they go into the mandatory winter break with a 5-8 record overall. Sunday's loss also ends the Nooks season-long five-game road trip, as they went winless on the trip. For Cedarville, they end the Seawolf Hoops Classic at 1-1, as they push their season record to 7-4.
Junior Jordan Wilson led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season, as she registered 14 points in the loss. The 14-point outing extends Wilson's double-digit scoring streak to a season-long 11 games. The Henderson, Colorado native is just two games shy from tying her career-long double-digit scoring streak of 13 games, which was set during midseason last year.
The junior was the only Alaska player to post double-digits in the scoring column, as the Nooks scored a season-low 44 points in the loss. Junior Kaillee Skjold record nine points against the Yellow Jackets and added a team-best four assists. Fellow guard Jaylee Mays hit one 3-point field goal on the night, as she has now drilled at least one trifecta in 12 of the 13 games she has played in this season.
Cedarville led from beginning to the end on Sunday, as they hit 44.4 percent of their shot attempts to Alaska's 23.3 percent. The Yellow Jackets held a 56-29 edge on the glass, which led to a 19-4 advantage in second chance points. Abby Wolford scored a game-high 21 points for CU, while Kaysie Brittenham added 19 points.
"We had a rough night controlling their guards," said head coach Cody Bench. "They also controlled the boards all night. Jordan Wilson continued to play hard, as did Autumn Childers."
The two teams traded baskets during over the first five minutes of the game, as Alaska was within two points at 16-14 after a pair of Skjold free throws. Cedarville would go on a 14-4 run to close the first quarter to hold a 30-18 advantage after one quarter of play. The Nanooks gave up just eight points in the second frame, however, they managed to only score eight points of their own, and still faced a 12-point deficit at the half at 38-26.
Alaska cut its deficit to single digits in the third quarter, as Arinesha Smith sank a pair of free throws to make it 45-36 with 3:37 remaining in the period. Cedarville doubled up its lead over the final minutes of the frame, as Christina McQueen's layup gave CU an 18-point lead with just seconds remaining in the third. The Yellow Jackets continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter, by outing scoring the Nanooks 17-4 in the final 10 minutes of play, to hand the Nooks a 29-point defeat.
Alaska will be back in action after the Holiday break, as they host Montana State Billings for its Great Northwest Athletic Conference home opener on Jan. 2. Tip-off from the Alaska Airlines Court in Fairbanks is set for 2 p.m. AKST.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
