Skjold, Bulaya Lift Nanooks over Western Oregon, 60-47

Skjold, Bulaya Lift Nanooks over Western Oregon, 60-47

Box Score

FAIRBANKS - Kaillee Skjold recorded her fourth double-double of the season and Benissa Bulaya had a game-high 20 points as the Alaska Nanooks cruised to a 6-47 win over Western Oregon on Thursday night, snapping its five game losing streak in the process.

Skjold led all rebounders with 13 boards and scored ten points to record her fourth double-double of the season. Skjold's previous double-doubles came against Augustana, Holy Names and Chaminade early in the campaign. The forward was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, including four late in the game to seal the victory for the Nanooks.

"I was very determined to leave a mark on this game," the sophomore said. "This was a huge game for us too. As a unit we put our foot down to end our bad streak. It takes a lot of courage to go out and make that happen, and as a team we did."

Bulaya scored 20 points on the night, including 12 in the second half, as she took over the game offensively, to push Alaska to a 13-9 overall record and 5-7 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Western Oregon, who was led by Dana Goularte and Jordan Mottershaw who each had 11 points, fall to 5-14 on the season and 2-9 in the league.

"We love to win on our home court, so this was a big win for us," said head coach Cody Bench. "We had a lot of key players out so the group that we have now has to play with a lot of heart and grit, and they did that tonight."

The Nanooks dominated at the glass, helped by Skjold's 13 rebounds, as they out-rebounded the Wolves by a 50-32 margin. Rebounding was a huge part of the game, as neither team shot particularly well from the field, especially the vistors who shot just 26.6% (17-64), a point that Bench was quick to point out.

"I thought our defense played extremely well tonight as we forced them into a lot of tough shots. In the first half however, they had eight offensive rebounds, so at halftime we made a concentrated effort to step up our play inside," she said.

Alaska did just that, and in the second half expanded the lead it held throughout, thanks to a 11 rebound margin and making 13 of 14 free-throws. In the second half, Alaska stuck to Bench's game plan and allowed just two offensive rebounds, while grabbing six of their own, leading to six second chance points overall.

Influential play by Victoria Milton who had eight rebounds and two steals, Stephanie Toumson who scored eight points and had six boards and Cassi Williams who hit two 3-pointers also helped pushed the Nanooks to victory.

Attention now turns to Saint Martin's, who sits just above Alaska in the GNAC standings, and who the Nanooks will welcome on Saturday, looking to complete the double over their opponents. Earlier this season, Alaska defeated the Saints in a thrilling overtime game, stateside.

"It's very challenging to complete a season sweep of any team in this conference," Bench said. "We cannot try to be anything other than what we are and remember that this is our home court. There is a lot of opportunity in the game, but the focus will be on defending our home court and playing hard."

Tipoff for Saturday's game is slated for 3:00 p.m. The contest will serve as the annual Play4Kay game, where players will wear pink socks and shoelaces and will also be warming up in pink shirts. The American Cancer Society will set up a table in the Patty lobby with information and to accept donations, half of which will go to the Play4Kay cause and the other will go to Making Strides of Fairbanks.

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