FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest on Thursday night, falling 62-55 to the Seattle Pacific Falcons at the Alaska Airlines Court. The loss drops Alaska's overall record to 3-12 and 0-9 in conference play, while the Falcons improve to 6-10 on the season and 5-4 in GNAC games.

Coach's Comments
"While we were on the road last week, I thought we worked hard on our defensive play and transitioning into offense. We fell short today but that's a very different team than what I saw on the road last week. I'm proud we made those adjustments and continue to clean up the little things. Every time we made a little mistake, they made an us pay a little bit so we need to continue to work on those small things. Overall, from last week to this week, it was a drastic improvement." – head coach Kerri Nakamoto.

Turning Point
After being up 45-44 with less than a minute in the third quarter, SPU was able to capitalize on a pair of good free throws to take a 45-46 lead into the final stanza. The Falcons were able to convert on a three-point shot only 13 seconds into the fourth quarter to take a 49-46 lead over the Nanooks. Neither team was able to score until the 6:35 mark, where the Falcons extended their lead to six points with a good layup from Jaylee Albert. Although the Nooks put forth their best effort for the remainder of the game, Alaska wasn't able to close the gap from that point forward.

Inside the Box Score

• The Nanooks shot 36.1 percent from the floor (22-for-61), 11.8 percent from beyond the arc (2-for-17) and 90 percent from the free throw line (9-for-10).
• Alaska picked up 16 offensive and 21 defensive rebounds on the night, totaling 31 boards to SPU's 29.
• Alaska also tallied eight assist, 12 steals and one block.
• SPU and Alaska tied each other in scoring 14-14 in the first quarter, while the Nooks outshot their opponent 15-11 in the second. Unfortunately, SPU outscored the Nooks in the third and fourth, 21-16 and 16-10, respectively.

Alaska Leaders

• Four Alaska Nanooks tallied double-digit points on Thursday, including senior forward Marian Wamsley (12), senior guard Emily Evans (11), redshirt-junior guard Sabrina Ungaro (11) and junior forward Kylie Wallace (10).
• Wamsley earned her first double-double of the season with her 12 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 5-for-11 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, while also chipping in seven offensive and three defensive boards.
• In addition to shooting 4-for-11 from the field, 1-for-5 from outside and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, Evans tied for a game-high five assists in 38 minutes on the court.
• Wallace led all players on the court in steals with four on the night.

Next Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team will be back in action on the Alaska Airlines Court on Saturday, Jan. 26, as they take on the Saint Martin's Saints at 3pm AKST. All U.S. government employees currently on furlough and their dependents will receive free admission to the game with presentation of government ID at the door.

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.