Women's Basketball | 11/10/2016 6:12:00 PM

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team officially opens the 2016-17 season with a pair of non-confernce games against a pair of West Region foes, as they host the Academy of Art and Cal State LA on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, respectively. The pair of games is in accordance with the West Region Challenge, as in-state rival Alaska Anchorage flip-flops the Nooks' two opponents this weekend in Anchorage. Friday's game against the Academy of Art is scheduled for 7pm AKST, while Saturday's game vs. Cal State LA is slated for 3pm AKST. Both games will be played at the Alaska Airlines Court.

Alaska Probably Starters
#23 Jordan Wilson
#32 Kaille Skjold
#24 Autumn Childers
#22 Lexi Carpenter
#21 Sanni Salonen

Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Alaska Nanooks traveled to Idaho to face a pair of NCAA DI opponents in the Idaho State University Bengals and the Boise State University Broncos. The Nooks dropped both games on the road, falling 88-46 to Idaho State on Saturday and 75-61 to Boise State on Sunday. In Sunday's exhibition, the Nanooks were neck-and-neck with the Broncos for the majority of the game, while senior Jordan Wilson posted a game-high 19 points and fellow-senior Kaillee Skjold registered a double-double.

Hometown Heroes Week Continues
The Alaska Nanooks' Hometown Heroes Week promotion continues throughout the week and ends Saturday, Nov. 12. By showing a valid military ID at the door, all active or retired military and their dependents will receive free general admission to all Alaska Nanooks home events the week of Nov. 4-12, which includes volleyball, swimming and women's basketball.

GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
The GNAC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll was released on Oct. 19, placing the Nanooks in ninth place overall. The GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll was voted on by all women's basketball head coaches within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, with Alaska receiving 39 votes. The Nanooks concluded their 2015-16 season in eighth place overall with a 12-18 record, while also going 7-13 in conference play.

Wilson Unanimous Pick for Preseason All-GNAC Team
Senior Jordan Wilson was named to the 2016-17 Preseason All-GNAC team last month, being the only selection from the Alaska Nanooks. Wilson, the 2013-14 Freshman of the Year, claimed the GNAC's regular season scoring title last season, becoming only the third player in program history to do so. Wilson appeared and started in each of the Nanooks' 30 games last season, averaging 17 points per game and leading the team in points and field goal percentage.

Scouting the Opponent – Cal State Los Angeles
The Golden Eagles went 10-17 overall last season, posting a 8-12 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association last year. Cal State lost four of their five top-scorers from last season, with junior center Rikke Fabricius coming back as their only returning double-digit scorer. Fabricius averaged 11.6 points per game last season and 1.2 steals per game.

Scouting the Opponent – Academy of Art
The Urban Knights are coming off of a hot season after going 24-9 last season, gaining a NCAA Tournament berth for the 2015-16 season. The Academy of Art plays in the PacWest Conference and graduated off most of their offensive power last season but still boast four seniors on this year's roster.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Women's Basketball team page on Facebook.