FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team returns to competition this week, hosting a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests at the Alaska Airlines Court this Thursday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 5. The Nooks will take on the Western Washington Vikings on Thursday at 5:15pm AKST before facing the Simon Fraser Clan on Saturday at 1pm AKST.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this week's games in Fairbanks, both Thursday and Saturday's games, along with every home and conference game for the remainder of the season, will be broadcasted live through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal in the link posted above. Please be advised that when on the road, the broadcast is produced by the home school and not the Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team opened up GNAC play on the road before the holiday break, falling 92-53 to the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Nov. 29 in Nampa before falling to Central Washington 76-61 on Dec. 1 in Ellensburg. The Nanooks' last win was against Cal State Dominguez Hills (65-61) on Nov. 16.
Ranked Nooks
Four Nanooks are ranked within the top-10 individually in the GNAC in 10 different statistical categories:
- Assists
- Defensive Rebounds
- Field Goal Percentage
- Minutes Played
- Offensive Rebounds
- Marian Wamsley (3rd): 3.41 offensive rebounds per game average (27 total)
- Rebounds
- Scoring
- Steals
- Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
- Sabrina Ungaro (8th): 2.3 three-pointers made per game average (18 total)
All-Time Series
All-time against the Western Washington Vikings, Alaska is 4-49. The first-ever meeting between the two teams resulted in a 71-53 loss on the road on Jan. 19, 1976. The Nanooks are currently riding a 28-game losing streak to the Vikings, with Alaska's last official win coming as a 75-71 victory at home on Feb. 21, 2004. The Nanooks also defeated the Vikings 78-72 on Feb. 28, 2008 but the win was vacated due to NCAA infractions.
Against the Simon Fraser Clan, Alaska is 0-20 all-time. The first meeting between the Clan and the Nanooks resulted in an 81-47 decision on the road on Jan. 21, 1977. Since then, Alaska has yet to defeat the Clan, with their last meeting coming as a 77-61 loss at home on Jan. 25.
Western Washington Vikings (7-3, 2-0 GNAC)
The Vikings split a pair of games prior to the holiday break, as they hosted the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic. Sophomore Kelsey Rogers shined in her first two non-conference contests of the season, averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across the pair of games. Rogers currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game, followed by Anna Schwecke (13.2 points per game) and Dani Iwami (12.1 point per game).
Simon Fraser Clan (5-4, 1-1 GNAC)
The Clan fell in a pair of non-conference games at the Vikings Holiday Hoops Classic before breaking for the holidays. Sophomore Jessica Jones led the team in the two games, averaging 16 points per game. Jones and senior Sophie Swant are at the top of the SFU scoring list after nine games, averaging 14.7 points per game, while Tayler Drynan is following closely behind at 11.3 points per game.
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.
