NAMPA, Idaho -- The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team looks to continue their winning ways this weekend, as they take to the road for a brief two-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference trip, as they travel to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, followed by a Saturday afternoon contest at Central Washington on Saturday. Tip-off against the Crusaders is set for 5 p.m., while the Nooks will challenge the Wildcats at 3 p.m.
Alaska is fresh off its first GNAC weekend sweep in exactly one year, as the Nanooks defeated Concordia, 75-66, last Thursday and Western Oregon, 75-55, on Saturday. The two wins were the first for the Nooks in conference action this year, as they are now 2-4 in the league. Overall, Alaska is 7-9 on the year. For Northwest Nazarene, they too are 2-4 in the GNAC, as they are tied with the Nooks for eighth place. NNU is 4-8 this season and enters play on Thursday on a two-game losing streak. Central Washington is a part of the four-team logjam for fourth place, as the Wildcats are 3-3. CWU has won two games in a row, and sports a 10-4 record overall.
Last Time Out
Junior Jordan Wilson continued her recent offensive tear on Saturday night, as she scored a game-high 25 points to help the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team earn its second-straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory with a 75-55 win over Western Oregon at the Alaska Airlines Court.
Wilson, who was coming off a career-high 35-point performance against Concordia on Thursday night, recorded her sixth game with 20-or-more points this season. The 25-point effort also marks the 14th-straight game that Wilson has recorded double-digits, which sets a new career-best double-digit scoring streak. The forward went 9-of-13 for the night and was an impressive 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds and tied her career-high in steals with six.
GNAC Player of the Week
Alaska Nanooks women's basketball junior Jordan Wilson has been named this week's Great Northwest Athletic Conference's Player of the Week, after collecting a pair of 25-point-plus performances to help the Nooks go 2-0 last week in GNAC play.
This is the first GNAC weekly award for Wilson this season and the second time she has been named the GNAC Player of the Week in her career. The last time came during her very first week in a Nanook uniform, as she garnered the award for the week of Nov. 4-10 during the 2013-14 season. She is the second Alaska women's basketball player to be named the GNAC POTW this season, as senior Stephanie Toumson earned the distinction back in November.
30-Point Performance
Wilson's 35-point effort was the second time this season that a Nanooks player has recorded 30-or-more points in a game. Junior Kaillee Skjold also topped the 30-point plateau on Dec. 5 at Simon Fraser. The duo becomes the first pair of teammates to score 30-or-more points in different games in the same season for Alaska since they joined the GNAC back in 2001.
Wilson Atop of Scoring List
Thanks to her recent offensive outburst, junior Jordan Wilson has jumped up to No. 2 in the GNAC in points per game this season. The Henderson, Colorado native is averaging 17.4 points per game, and is coming off a pair of 35-point and 25-point performances against Concordia and Western Oregon. The junior has recorded double-digits in 14-straight contest entering this week.
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Queen of Thieves
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team has collected the second-most steals in the GNAC this season, as they have taken the ball away from their opponent a grand total of 175 times. They boast the second-highest steals per game average in the conference, as they are collected 10.9 steals per game.
Juniors Jordan Wilson and Jaylee Mays are tied for fifth in the conference in steals per game, as they are both averaging 2.3 swipes per game.
Lending a Hand
The Nanooks have handed out the second-most assists in the GNAC this season, as they handed out 256 assists through 16 games this season. Alaska is averaging 16 assists per game, which is the third-highest per game average in the conference.
Junior Kaillee Skjold leads the team with his 3.8 assists per game average, a mark that ranks eighth on the conference's assists list. Senior Arinesha Smith is one spot behind Skjold on that list, as she is averaging 3.4 assists per game.
Scouting the Opposition – Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders look to end their recent two-game losing streak on Thursday. NNU and Alaska are currently tied for eighth in the GNAC, as both teams hold a 2-4 record in league play. Northwest Nazarene's overall record this season is 4-8, while their two GNAC wins have come against Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific.
Offensively, the Crusaders are the second-highest scoring team in the conference, as they are averaging 72.6 points per game. Despite the high points per game average, NNU is shooting just 38.4 percent. Ellie Logan is the team's top scoring threat, as she is 15th in the league in scoring with her 11.8 points per game average. Taylor Simmons is the only other double-digit scorer for Northwest Nazarene by chipping in 10.4 points per contest.
On the defensive end, NNU is giving up a league-high 75.4 points per game. Teams are shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, which is also the highest a team is giving up in the conference.
Scouting the Opposition – Central Washington
The Wildcats find themselves amongst the four teams that are currently tied for fourth place at 3-3. CWU has won two-straight contest entering this week, as they collected a road sweep of Simon Fraser and Western Washington. Central Washington is 10-4 on the year and have won five of its last seven games.
CWU is averaging 64.4 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor. The field goal percentage is the third-highest in the GNAC. Jasmine Parker is the team's leading scorer with her 12.6 points per game average. Parker's scoring average is 10th-best in the league, while Jasmin Edwards is also averaging double-digit points with her 11.8 average.
Central Washington has been find success on the defensive end of the floor, as they are allowing the second-lowest point per game average at 54.4. Teams are shooting 35.5 percent from the floor, which is also the second lowest field goal percentage allowed in the GNAC.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
