FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Junior Jordan Wilson provided the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team with 21 points on Thursday night, but it would not be enough to give the Nooks their first win over Simon Fraser in program history, as the Clan defeated Alaska, 83-68, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at the Alaska Airlines Court.
The loss drops the Nanooks to 12-17 overall and 7-12 in conference play. For SFU, they improve to 14-0 all-time against the Nooks, as they move to 14-10 on the year and 12-7 in GNAC games.
"We knew going in that they had some quality guards and we were unable to keep them contained on the drive and the three-point line," said head coach Cody Bench. "You know, it was unfortunate because I felt like we forced them to take a lot of tough shots in the first and second quarters. We knew they were good, and I was hoping we would have done a better job at contesting their shots. We were able to still put up 68 points, which I'm pleased with. Jordan was battling all night and that was good to see."
Wilson, the GNAC's leading scorer, enjoyed her 11th game with 20-or-more points this season. The Henderson, Colorado native scored 15 of her 21 points in the final two quarters of the night. She also connected on nine of her 17 shot attempts, as she helped the Nanooks post a 40.3 percent field goal percentage.
The GNAC leading scorer was the lone Alaska player to produce double-digits in the scoring column. However, it was a balanced scoring night for the Nooks with eight players contributing five-or-more points. Junior Kaillee Skjold flirted with a triple-double with nine rebounds, eight points and seven assists. Freshman Marian Wamsley also had a standout game on the glass, as she tied her career high in caroms with seven. Wamsley also scored six points to help Alaska score 19 points from the bench. Junior Victoria Milton led all reserves with eight points.
Despite Skjold's and Wamsley's efforts on the boards, the Clan were able to outrebound Alaska, 43-37, on the night. Simon Fraser shot 46.4 percent from the field on Thursday and was led by the duo of Elisa Homer (24 points) and Alisha Roberts (25 points) who scored a combined 49 points. SFU also connected on 12 3-point field goals in the win, nine of which came from Homer and Roberts.
The two teams were knotted at 18-all after the first 10 minutes of play, as senior Arinesha Smith hit a layup with seven seconds to go in the first quarter to tie the game. SFU tallied 10 of the second quarter's first 12 points to take an eight point lead at 5:33 in the frame. The Clan captured a double-digit lead at 39-29 with 1:40 remaining, but Autumn Childers would end the period with three-straight points to pull her team within seven, 41-34, at the half.
Alaska would not score its first basket of the third quarter until 6:22 remaining, as a senior Brianna Kirk hit her third 3-point field goal of the year. Before Kirk's trifecta, Simon Fraser rolled off nine-straight points to take a 50-34 advantage. The Clan extended its lead to a game-high 19 points on two separate occasions in the third quarter, and took a 65-49 lead into the final frame of play.
SFU held its 19-point advantage until the 8:55 mark of the fourth quarter, as the Nooks would go on an 11-2 run to cut their deficit to eight, after a Jaylee Mays 3-pointer made it, 70-62, with 6:13 left to play. That would be as close as Alaska would get to the Clan, as they managed just eight more points for the rest of the game, and suffered a 15-point loss.
The Nanooks will be in action for the final time this season on Saturday, as they host Western Washington. Saturday will be Senior Night at the Alaska Airlines Court, as the Nanooks will celebrate the careers of Stephanie Toumson, Heidi Pichler, Kirk and Smith.
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