ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Alaska Nanooks came close but fell just shy of their first conference win of the season, as the Nooks dropped a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup 84-74 to the Central Washington Wildcats at the Nicholson Pavilion on Thursday night. The loss drops Alaska overall record to 4-21 on the season and 0-19 in league play, while the Wildcats improve to 15-12 overall and 11-8 in conference games.
Alaska was outscored by no more than eight points in the first three quarters before outdoing their opponent 24-21 in the final stanza. Alaska shot 46.8 percent from the field (29-for-62), 36.4 percent from behind the arc (4-for-11) and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (12-for-16).
Alaska and Central Washington both tallied 12 offensive and 23 defensive rebounds to total 35 boards on the night, while the Nooks also posted 16 assists and five steals on the night.
A record-high four Nanooks scored double-digit the figures on Thursday, led by sophomore guard
Kylie Wallace, who registered a game- and career-high 29 points. Wallace shot 11-for-17 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while also chipping in two assists and two steals.
Sophomore guard
Lexi Carpenter was the second-highest scoring Nanooks against the Wildcats, shooting 6-for-16 from the field, 1-for-4 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line to tally 15 points. Carpenter also picked up five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes on the court.
Junior center
Josie Sewell registered her first double-double of her career in Ellensburg, collecting 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sewell shot 5-for-11 from the field and 2-for-5 from the free throw line, while also recording four offensive and six defensive rebounds.
Junior guard
Emily Evans was the only other Alaska player to score double-digit figures on Thursday, shooting 4-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-7 from three-point range for 11 points. Evans also dished a team-best four assists in a game-high 37 minutes on the floor.
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will travel to Nampa, Idaho to take on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in a GNAC contest on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 5pm 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.
