SEATTLE – For only the fourth time in program history, the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team defeated the Seattle Pacific Falcons on the road with a 72-59 win at the Broughahm Pavilion in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Kaillee Skjold was only three assists short of becoming the GNAC's sixth player in conference history to record a triple-double to lead the Nanooks to an overall record of 9-8 and 5-5 in conference play, while the Falcons fall to 13-5 overall, 5-5 GNAC.
"This was a fast-paced game that was very competitive. Our defense down the stretch was huge in today's win," head coach Cody Bench said following Saturday's win. "Marian Wamsley provided some big play for us in the third quarter and Jaylee and Lexi hit deep three-pointers to five us an edge at the right times."
In a game that only saw one lead change, Alaska started out Saturday's conference contest on fire, going on a 12-point run in the first five minutes before Seattle Pacific was even able to get on the board. Although the Falcons were able to cut the Nooks' lead to just five points with a 1:40 remaining in the first quarter, Alaska concluded the first 10 minutes of the game up 12 points once again over their competitor (26-14).
It wasn't until the 6:13 mark of the third quarter Seattle took a 43-41 lead over the Nooks, after some sharp shooting by SPU put them on a 11-5 run. However, the Falcons' lead didn't last long when the Nooks regained the lead at the 3:09 mark of the third quarter with a good three-pointer by freshman guard Lexi Carpenter.
The fourth quarter proved to be a gritty battle for both teams, with the Seattle coming with three points of Alaska at the 3:26 mark (62-59). The momentum proved to be in Alaska's favor, as the Nooks went on a 10-0 run in the last three minutes of the game for their third-straight win.
The Nanooks are just 17-55 all-time against the Falcons, with last year's 58-56 win over SPU at home on Jan. 23, 2016 snapping a 14-year, 27-game losing streak against Seattle Pacific; prior to that Alaska hadn't beaten the Falcons since Jan. 12, 2002 in a 75-71 overtime win in Fairbanks. Since 1974, Saturday's win is only the program's fourth win at Seattle Pacific, with the last win against the Falcons on the road was a 91-66 decision on Feb. 3, 2000.
Skjold almost became only the sixth player in GNAC women's basketball history to record a triple-double, a feat that has not happened within the conference since 2013. Skjold posted a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, while also dishing a game-high seven assists on the day. The Kasilof, Alaska native shot 6-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to tally her 13th game scoring double-digit figures of the season.
Senior forward Jordan Wilson shot 7-of-10 from the floor and converted on 3-of-4 free throws to register a 17-point night, adding four rebounds and one steal on the day. Senior guard Jaylee Mays shot 4-of-12 from the floor to post 13 points with all four shots coming as three-pointers. Mays also chipped in a game-high five steals against the Falcons.
Senior guard Victoria Milton and Carpenter were the only Nanooks to score double-digit figures on Saturday, collecting 10 points and 11 points, respectively. Milton tallied four assists and one steal, while Carpenter came down with three defensive rebounds.
"Kaillee and Jordan were physical and did a solid job of helping us finish this one," Bench concluded. "Vic and Lexi made some big free throws at the end to help us out but I'm really proud of these ladies. This was a hard one and they gave it their all."
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will be back in action next week, traveling to face in-state rival Alaska Anchorage at the Alaska Airlines Center on Tuesday, Jan. 24 before hosting the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets at the Alaska Airlines Court on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tuesday's game at UAA will tip-off at 7pm AKST, while Saturday's matchup will start at 3pm AKST.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Women's Basketball team page on Facebook.
