FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Despite overcoming a 21-point deficit in the third quarter, the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team couldn't complete the comeback and fell 59-55 to the Concordia Cavaliers in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at the Alaska Airlines Court on Saturday afternoon.
"We didn't show up in the first half and that's what made it hard to come back," head coach Cody Bench said following Saturday's loss. "I'm glad we showed some fight and made a comeback, which is what I expected but we didn't nearly make the shots we needed to in either the first or second half. So overall poor shooting and some defensive lapses in the first half made it hard game to win today."
Senior forward Jordan Wilson led the Nanooks' offense with 15 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and converting on 3-of-4 free throws. The Henderson, Colo. Native also chipped in six rebounds, three assists and one block on the day.
Fellow senior forward Kaillee Skjold was the only other Nanook to score double-digit figures against the Cavs, as the Kasilof, Alaska native shot 6-of-23 from the field and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Skjold also recorded a team-high nine rebounds, including six offensive camrons. Furthermore, Skjold collected one assist.
Senior guards Victoria Milton and Gabriela Jimenez both tied for the game-high four assists, while freshman guard Lexi Carpenter tallied a game-high six steals.
In total, Alaska only shot 30.4 percent from the floor (21-of-69), 20 percent from three-point territory (3-of-15) and 55.6 percent from the free throw line (10-of-18). The Nooks registered 40 rebounds, 14 steals and 13 assists. Additionally, Alaska recorded 23 points off of Cavalier turnovers, 18 points in the paint and 17 points from the bench.
Concordia was led by Danielle Hartzog, who shot 5-of-11 from the field and made 3-of-4 free throws to post a game-high 16 points. CU's Bailey Cartwright recorded 13 points, while Jordyn Peacocke pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Concordia shot 40.7 percent from the field (22-of-54), 35.3 percent from behind the arc (6-of-17) and 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the free throw line. The Cavs also picked up 44 rebounds, 23 assists and 11 steals.
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will hit the road this week, taking on the Central Washington Wildcats on Thursday, Feb. 9 before facing the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders on Saturday, Feb. 11.
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.
