FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team hits the road for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups this week, as the Nooks travel to Monmouth, Oregon to take on the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Feb. 8 before taking on the Concordia Cavaliers on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Portland. Both Thursday and Saturday's games are scheduled for 4:15pm AKST.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this weekend's games in Oregon, both Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcasted and streamed live through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal in the link posted above.
Last Time Out
Alaska continues to search for its first conference win of the season after dropping a 63-46 decision to Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday in Anchorage before taking a 74-59 loss to Montana State Billings on Saturday in Fairbanks.
GNAC Standings
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team remains in 11th place in the conference standings with a 0-14 record. Alaska is only two wins behind 10th place's Saint Martin's (2-12) and four wins behind ninth place and weekend opponent Western Oregon (4-10). In-state rival Alaska Anchorage (13-1) and Northwest Nazarene (17-3) are the only two GNAC teams to have clinched a berth to the GNAC Championships.
All-Time Series
All-time against the Wolves, Alaska trails 20-27 with the first meeting between the two teams coming as a 68-65 loss on the road on Jan. 17, 1977. The Nanooks have already met the WOU Wolves on one occasion this season, taking a 74-54 loss on Jan. 13 at home. Alaska's last win against Western Oregon was on Feb. 2, 2017 with a 79-65 victory in Fairbanks.
The Nanooks and the Cavaliers have only met on seven occasions throughout both program's existence with a 3-4 all-time record. The first meeting between the two teams came as a 82-66 loss for Alaska on Feb. 4, 1983 at home. The Nanooks are currently on a two-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, having lost their last meeting 74-47 in Fairbanks on Jan. 11. Alaska's last win was a 79-74 decision on Jan. 5, 2017 on the road.
Ranked Nooks
Three Nanooks rank within the top-10 individually within the GNAC in four different statistical categories:
- Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goals Made
- Blocks
- Minutes Played
Scouting the Opponent – Western Oregon Wolves (8-12, 4-10 GNAC)
Western Oregon fell in both of their games last week, taking a 66-64 loss to Western Washington and a 74-57 defeat to Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Wolves have had a hard time getting stops, as the Clan shot 42.6 percent from the field while WWU shot better than 48 percent. As a team, Western Oregon shot just 32 percent from the field and went 6-for-37 from the three-point line over the two games. WOU remains second in the league in shooting almost 79 percent from the free throw line. The Wolves also lead the league with 27.1 defensive rebounds per game and are scoring 64.1 points per game.
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia Cavaliers (12-10, 6-8 GNAC)
Concordia snapped a five-game losing skid with a 72-55 win at Simon Fraser on Thursday but eventually fell to Western Washington on Saturday, 84-68. Senior guard Danielle Hartzog averaged 20 points per game over the two contests, while junior forward Bailey Cartwright recorded 14.5 points and seven rebounds per game. Concordia is averaging 69.5 points per game and has limited opponents to a GNAC-best 29.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
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.
