BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Junior Jordan Wilson was one of three Alaska Nanooks women's basketball players to score double-digits against Western Washington on Thursday, but her 16-point performance would not be enough to get the Nanooks past the Vikings, as they fell, 90-59, in their Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener.
Wilson connected on six of her 15 attempts from the floor against the Vikings (4-3, 1-0 GNAC) to collect a team-best 16 points for the Nanooks. (5-4, 0-1 GNAC). The forward was joined by Arinesha Smith and Jaylee Mays in the double-figure scoring column, as each guard recorded 10 points apiece. For Wilson, it marks her seventh-straight double-digit scoring game. The Henderson, Colorado native has averaged 17.6 points per contest through the duration of the streak.
The trio's performance made up 36 of the team's 59 points on Thursday, as the Vikings defense limited Alaska to a 37.5-percent shooting performance.
"Unfortunately, we were outrebounded and outplayed on the defensive end tonight," said head coach Cody Bench after the game. "Western Washington is a well-rounded team that's very fundamental. They play like champions all the time, and unfortunately we didn't have our best performance. We need to rebound and get back it for another GNAC game on Saturday. There are things that we will need to clean up defensively. We cannot let team's shoot such high percentages and outrebound us by as much as they did tonight."
The Vikings connected on 54.8 percent of their attempts, as they hit 34 of their 63 shot attempts. WWU took a 39-31 lead into the break and used a 71.4 percent shooting performance over the final two quarter to capture the 31-point victory. Western Washington held a 47-20 advantage on the glass, which led to 13 second-chance points.
Mays and Smith were able to facilitate the ball against WWU, as each picked up three assists in the loss. The guards did provide Alaska with a bright spot on the defensive end, as Mays picked off the Vikings four times, while Smith collected two steals of her own.
Reigning GNAC Player of the Week, Stephanie Toumson, had her double-double streak come to an end in Bellingham, as the center picked up eight points and a team-best six rebounds.
Alaska returns to action on Saturday, as they'll cross the border to take on Simon Fraser. Tip-off from Burnaby, British Columbia is set for 11 a.m.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
