FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team dropped their third-straight nonconference contest on Saturday afternoon, falling 67-49 to the University of Tampa Spartans in the final game of the 2018 Mt. McKinley State Bank North Star Invitational at the Alaska Airlines Court in Fairbanks. The loss drops Alaska's overall record to 3-3, while the Spartans remain undefeated on the season at 5-0.
Coach's Comments
"I think we had a really good second half and the first half, not so good. I told them at half that I didn't think we were playing like the team we've been all season so far. In the first half, we looked really timid and unsure of ourselves. Even when we played against Oregon, we never stopped fighting and never lost that toughness that we have. That's kind of our identity and I just didn't see it in the first half. We got hit early out of the gate and kind of backed down and that's just not UAF basketball. So I asked the them, can we be the team we've been all season, regardless of the score and I think they came out in the second and did that." – Head Coach
Kerri Nakamoto
Inside the Box Score
- Alaska was outscored by their opponent 27-9 in the first and 18-4 in the second quarter before bouncing back and outdoing their opponent 18-10 in the third and 18-12 in the fourth.
- The Nanooks shot 25.8 percent from the field (17-for-66), 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-for-23) and 50 percent from the free throw line (7-for-14).
- Of Alaska's eight three-point buckets, six came in the last two quarters.
- Alaska posted 17 offensive rebounds to Tampa's nine, but the Spartans posted 39 defensive boards to the Nanooks' 19, totaling 48 to Alaska's 36.
- The Nanooks registered 10 rebounds on the day, four steals and one block.
Alaska Leaders
- Junior guard Sabrina Ungaro shot 5-for-14 from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range and 1-for-2 from the free throw line for a team-best 15 points.
- Senior forward Marian Wamsley was one rebound shy of a double-double on Saturday, collecting 10 points and nine rebounds.
- Sophomore guard Kaylyn Kelly led the Nanooks in assists with three, while senior guard Angela Munrion led her teammates in steals with two.
North Star Invitational Breakdown
- Being a crossover-style tournament, there is no defined winner of the 2018 Mt. McKinley State Bank North Star Invitational.
- However, Tampa was the lone team to walk away on Saturday going 2-0, while Gannon went 1-1 and the Nanooks 0-2.
NSI All-Tournament Team
The following players were named to the North Star Invitational All-Tournament Team:
Next Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on the road next week, taking on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in Nampa, Idaho on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 5pm AKST before facing the Central Washington Wildcats in Ellensburg, Washington on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 6pm 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.
