FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team had four players score double figures on Thursday night, as the Nooks rallied from a second half deficit to defeat Saint Martins, 66-60, to win their third-straight game at the Alaska Airlines Court.
The win improves Alaska's record to 8-11 overall, and more importantly 3-6 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, as they move into a four-way tie for sixth place. Saint Martin's is one of the four teams that the Nooks are now tied with, as they drop to 5-11 overall and 3-6 in league games.
"We picked it up defensive in the third and fourth period, and I'm very proud of that," said head coach Cody Bench after the game. "We were able to get some transition baskets and kept Jordan Wilson and Kaillee Skjold on the court in the final two quarters. I thought our resolve down the stretch was really good. Arinesha Smith played well all night. She guarded their team's best player and hit a couple of shots towards the end of the game that put us in a position to win. Overall, it was a good win for us."
Alaska got a combined 37 points from the duo of Skjold and Wilson. Skjold turned in her third double-double of the season, as she scored a team-best 19 points, and collected a team-high 10 rebounds on the night. Wilson extended her double-digit scoring streak to 17 games on Thursday night, as the Henderson, Colorado native tallied 18 points, 14 of which came in the third and fourth quarters. Wilson nearly joined Skjold in the double-double department, as she pulled down eight rebounds, five of which were offensive boards. Each player ended the night with three assists apiece.
The Nooks also got a double-digit scoring performance from senior Arinesha Smith and junior Autumn Childers, as Smith collected 12 points, which included a pair of clutch 3-point field goals in the fourth quarter, and Childers chipped in 10 points. Thursday marked the sixth double-digit scoring game for Smith this season, while it was Childers' second.
Senior Brianna Kirk returned to action from a knee injury for the first time this season on Thursday. Kirk hit her lone 3-point attempt on the night and pulled down a rebound.
The Nanooks shot 39.1 percent for the game, but used a 46.9 field goal percentage in the final two quarters to overcome from a four-point deficit at half time. Alaska forced only 14 Saint Martin's turnovers on Thursday, but they were able to take advantage of the Saints' miscues, by scoring 18 points off SMU turnovers.
Saint Martin's led for of the majority third quarter, and built a game-high six point lead with 4:32 remaining in the period. Alaska used an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the second half at 39-37, after a Wilson fast break layup. The two teams were knotted up at 41-all going into the final period of play.
Alaska quickly took a five-point lead during the first minute of play in the fourth quarter, and used a 9-0 run to take a 10-point lead at 55-45 with 4:52 on the clock. Smith gave the Nooks a game-high 12-point advantage after a 3-point field goal with 2:55 remaining, but SMU battled back and pulled within five with 1:18 left to play.
Smith would again connect from downtown to give her a 62-54 lead with 52 seconds remaining in the contest. Alaska went 4-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute of play, and were able to withstand a late rally by the Saints, before picking up the six-point victory.
The Nanooks will be back in action on Saturday, as they look to snap a 27-game losing streak to Seattle Pacific. Tip-off from the Alaska Airlines Court is set for 6 p.m. AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter.
