University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team returns home this Thursday to open a three-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference home stand, as they take on the Saint Martin's Saints, before entertaining the Seattle Pacific Falcons on Saturday. Thursday's game is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m., while Saturday's contest is to begin at 6 p.m.

Alaska looks to win its third-straight game at home, as they previously swept Concordia (75-66) and Western Oregon (75-55) during their last home stand. The Nanooks come into Thursday's matchup with a 7-11 record overall and stand in ninth place in the GNAC with a 2-6 mark in league games. The Nooks are riding a two-game losing streak coming into the home stand, as they suffered defeats at Northwest Nazarene (74-57) and Central Washington (83-57).

For Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific, the two teams are tied for the coveted sixth spot in the GNAC. Both squads boast a 3-5 record in league play, and both come to Alaska sporting extending losing streaks. SMU has dropped three-straight contests coming into Thursday, while SPU has lost five-straight games. Overall, Saint Martin's is 5-10 on the year, while Seattle Pacific has a 6-9 record.

Last Time Out
Junior Kaillee Skjold posted her second 20-plus point performance of this season on Saturday by scoring a game-high 20 points in an, 83-57, loss at Central Washington, as the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team ends its brief Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip 0-2.

Despite Skjold's performance, the Nanooks could not overcome a Central Washington team that shot a season-high 57.6 percent from the floor. The loss drops Alaska to 7-11 on the year and 2-6 in conference games, while CWU moves to 11-5 overall and 4-4 in the GNAC.

All-Time Series

Saint Martin's: SMU leads the all-time series by one game at 15-14. The two teams have split their matchups in each of the last three years. Alaska last time beat the Saints on Jan. 8, 2015, when they collected an 85-77 win in Lacey, Washington.

Seattle Pacific: SPU holds a commanding, 46-14 edge in the all-time series against Alaska. Seattle Pacific has won 26-straight games in the series. The Nooks have collected just one win over the Falcons since both teams joined the GNAC back in 2001, and that came during the first year of the conference, when the Nanooks defeated Seattle Pacific, 75-71, in overtime in Fairbanks on Jan. 12, 2002.

20-Point Outings
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team had a trio of juniors score 20-plus points last week at Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. The combo of Jaylee Mays (25 points) and Jordan Wilson (22 points) recorded a combined 47 points against Northwest Nazarene, while Kaillee Skjold tallied 20 points against Central Washington. It was the fifth 20-plus-point outing for Mays, while it was the second time Skjold record 20-or-more points in a game this season. For Wilson, it was her team-leading seventh game of scoring 20-plus points.

Double-Digit Scoring Streak
Junior Jordan Wilson has been on one of the most impressive scoring streaks this season in the GNAC. The Henderson, Colorado native enters this week on a 16-game double-digit scoring streak. The streak began back on Nov. 18 at BYU-Hawai'i, and has extended over the past two months of play. Wilson has improved her play of late, as she has recorded at least 20 points in three of her last four outings.

A High Scoring Duo
Juniors Jordan Wilson and Jaylee Mays enter play this week as the second-highest scoring pair of teammates in the GNAC this season. Wilson is currently second in the league in points per game with her 17.4 average, while Mays' 12.9 ppg is the ninth-highest in the conference, which gives the duo a combined 30.3 points per game. Only Alaska Anchorage's Megan Mullings and Jenna Buchanan have a hiring combined points per game average (30.6).

Handle With Care
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team has found a knack for stealing the ball from its opposition this year. The Nooks are currently second in the conference in steals per game, as they are taking the ball from their opponent 11.1 times per game. That has in turn given the Nooks the second-highest turnover margin in the GNAC, as they are +2.72 in the category.

Alaska is one of two teams to have three players featured in the top 10 of the steals per game list. Jaylee Mays leads the team with her 2.4 swipes per game, which is the third-highest mark in the GNAC, while Jordan Wilson is seventh (2.1) and Kaillee Skjold is 10th (1.9).

Scouting the Opposition – Saint Martin's
The Saints enter this week looking to snap a three-game losing streak, as they have dropped contest to Western Washington (66-45) and Simon Fraser (84-54) at home, while losing a game on the road at Montana State Billings (64-49).

SMU features the league's top scorer, as Krista Stabler is averaging 17.9 points per contest. As a team, Saint Martin's is averaging 58.4 points per game on a 34.8 field goal percentage. Megan Wiedeman is also averaging double-digits in the scoring category, as she is posting 12.5 points per game. Wiedeman nearly averages a double-double with her 9.9 rebounds per game average.

Defensively, Saint Martin's is giving up 69.4 points per game, while teams are shooting 41.5 percent against them from the floor.

Scouting the Opposition – Seattle Pacific
Like the Saints, SPU comes to Alaska with hopes of shaking an extended losing streak. The Falcons have dropped six-straight games, all of which have been league games. Seattle Pacific's last win came on Dec. 31, 2015, when they defeated Central Washington, 52-49.

SPU is led by Jordan McPhee, who is averaging 12.8 points per game. McPhee is one of two double-digit scorers for the Falcons, as Courtney Hollander is putting up 12.1 points per contest. As a team, Seattle Pacific is averaging 64.2 points per game on a 39.2 field goal percentage.

The Falcons are allowing teams to score 62.5 points per contest, while giving up a 41.1 percent field goal percentage.

Coaches Corner
"We really want to rebound from last weekend's performance. We didn't really do well on the road. Hopefully we can make a better stand on our home court, play better defense and come out with some wins. Hopefully with a good crowd, and the work that we've put in this week, we'll be able to do well." – Head coach Cody Bench

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