Box Score FAIRBANKS – The Nanook women fell, 77-61, to the No. 3 ranked Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday afternoon at the Patty Center.
Autumn Childers and Cassi Williams led the way each with career-high point totals of 17 and 14 points, respectively. Childers hit seven field goals, many of which came on the fast break, while Williams hit four 3-pointers en route to her career high.
The Seawolves were led by Megan Mullings who scored 21 points, including nine field-goals inside the paint and Jenna Buchanan who had 12 points. Stephanie Toumson of Alaska and KeKe Wright from UAA matched each other for a game-high eight rebounds.
With the loss, Alaska falls to 13-11 overall and 5-9 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference while the nationally ranked Seawolves improve to 23-1 overall and 13-1 in the league.
Alaska matched UAA in the early exchanges of the game, neutralizing its high-powered offense with its tenacious defense. However, as the half went on, the Seawolves began to pull away and ended the opening period with a 36-26 lead.
In the second half, Alaska went toe-to-toe with UAA for most of the final 20 minutes, but foul trouble and a 50-33 rebounding deficit quelled any hope of a comeback. In the second half, Alaska was just outscored by five, 41-35.
The Nanooks now head to face Western Washington and Simon Fraser before returning home against Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific to close out the regular season.
The contest also served as a tribute to both Linda Moffitt and Ellen Hannan, with the latter's jersey being retired as part of the ceremonies.
Linda Moffitt Tribute
Linda Moffitt played in the women's basketball program at the University of Alaska from 1972-1976. In the early 1970, the women's basketball team was recognized as a club. After reading a three part series about Women in Sport in Sports Illustrated in 1973, Linda wrote a letter to the Office of Civil Rights about the status of Intercollegiate Athletic at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
As a result Linda's letter, many changes were set in motion, including the first intercollegiate game at the Patty Gym on November 22, 1974. UAF Dahls met cross state rival UAA Sourdoughs coach by UAF alumni, Milo Griffin. Arlon Woodlee coached the UAF team. The UAF players in that first intercollegiate game at the Patty Center were Linda Dolney – Fairbanks, Linda Moffitt – Palmer, Paula Messer – Palmer, Diane Kennedy (Hutchison)– Wasilla, Heidi Hyser – Hudson, Shannon Jones – Cordova, Nancy Cook – Fairbanks, Linda Major (Walsh)– Glennallen, Carol Carlson – Fairbanks, Denise Major (Wallace)– Glennallen, Etta Ahkivgak (Fornier)– Barrow, and Lori Major – Glennallen.
This season is the 40th Anniversary of that first intercollegiate game in Alaska.
This game, we also celebrate Linda's bold action, which resulted in the advancement of equal opportunity for women's athletics at UAF, in Alaska, and the Northwest. Linda Moffitt was the first recipient of the "Gratitude Award" presented by WomenWhoDared.org.
Although Linda passed away August 20, 2014 from cancer complications, her daring action lives on. Her plaque, being presented by Dr. Gary Gray, will be hung in the Hall of Honor at the Patty Gym.
Ellen Hannan Honored
Ellen Hannan, a native of Anchorage, played for the UAF Nanooks 1977-1981. Every year Ellen was a key contributor on the women's basketball team. She worked equally hard on both ends of the court in all practices and games. What was really impressive about Ellen was that her focus was always about the team's success. The records she established were a merely byproducts of her all out efforts. After 33 years, she still holds the top rebounding UAF record at 1013 and she is second in all-time scoring at 2,051. What makes her scoring records so amazing is that Ellen played when women used the same size basketball as in the men's game and before the 3 point line was installed.
To recognize Ellen's achievements in March 1981, UAF retired her jersey, #33, and placed it in the award case in the lobby. Ellen's jersey was the first basketball jersey to ever be retired at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. For some unknown reason her jersey disappeared from the trophy case in the Patty Center lobby.
Her jersey is being rededicated and will be hung in the Hall of Honor at the Patty Gym.
