FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team were edged in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on Thursday night, as they fell 70-59 to the Saint Martin's University Saints at the Alaska Airlines Court. The loss drops Alaska's overall record to 4-19 and 0-17 in conference play, while the Saints improve to 9-18 on the season and 3-14 in league matchups.
"I'm disappointed, our team really expected to win today. Our team has been playing a lot better but we just didn't seem to get into a rhythm defensively at all, we fouled too much and they made 31 free throws," head coach
Brett Sawyer said on Thursday.
In a tight game, Alaska shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-for-54), 21.4 percent from three-point range (3-for-14) and 42.9 percent from the free throw line (6-for-14). The Nanooks also picked up 13 offensive and 18 defensive boards to total 31 rebounds, while also adding 11 assists, 10 steals and one block.
Alaska was led by sophomore guard
Kylie Wallace, who compiled 17 points on the night, the game-high, by shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free throw line. Wallace also led her teammates in rebounding, collecting five offensive and three defensive boards for eight total. The Petersburg, Alaska native also chipped in a team-best three assists to tie for the game-high.
Sophomore guard
Lexi Carpenter was the only other Alaska player to score double-digit figures on Thursday, as the Yakima, Washington native shot 6-for-9 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-5 from the free throw line for 15 points. Carpenter also tallied four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Three players from Saint Martin's scored 10-or-more points on Thursday, with Saniah Simpson-Patu and Makenna Schultz tying for a team-best 16 points each. SMU shot better than the Nanooks from behind the arc with 23.1 percent (3-for-13) and the free throw line with a 87.1 percentage (27-for-31).
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will play their final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 17, as they host the Seattle Pacific Falcons in a conference contest at the Alaska Airlines Court starting at 7pm 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.
