FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team's comeback fell short on Thursday night, as the Nooks fell 59-57 to the Western Washington Vikings in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest at the Alaska Airlines Court on Thursday evening. The loss drops Alaska's overall record to 3-6 and 0-3 in GNAC play, while the Vikings improve to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in league matchups.
Coach's Comments
"I told them at halftime, that the first half, we were very much still on Christmas break, and now that's out of the way. Then we came out in the second and I really liked the way we played. I'm happy that we're going into Saturday's game against Simon Fraser on a high note. I think we showed in the second that we can compete offensively and defensively and calmed down. We definitely looked like we hadn't played in a month but I'm happy we made that adjustment at half to come out stronger and much more comfortable for the second." - head coach
Kerri Nakamoto.
Turning Point
After being outscored 35-17 in the first two quarters, Alaska matched their opponent in the third quarter, posting 20 points to WWU's 17. The Nanooks' sharp-shooting and strong defense in the fourth quarter gave them a 20-7 edge over their opponent in the final 10 minutes.
Inside the Box Score
- Alaska shot 45.8 percent from the field (22-for-48), 41.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-for-12) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (8-for-12).
- In the fourth quarter alone, Alaska shot 70 percent from the floor (7-for-10) and 100 percent in both three-pointers (2-for-2) and free throws (4-for-4).
- As a team, the Nooks picked up four offensive and 26 defensive rebounds to total 30 boards.
- The Nanooks picked up 15 assists, five steals and two blocks.
- On the other end of the court, Western Washington shot 38.7 percent from the floor (24-for-62), 22.2 percent from three-point range (4-for-18) and 58.3 percent from the free throw line (7-for-12).
- The Vikings edged the Nanooks in rebounds, collecting 38, while also producing 15 assists, six steals and two blocks.
Alaska Leaders
- Three Nanooks earned double-digit points on Thursday, led by senior guard Angela Murnion with 15 points.
- Murnion shot 4-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three-point range and 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
- Murnion also tied for the team-high with five rebounds, while also tying for the game-high five assists in 35 minutes on the court.
- Redshirt-junior Sabrina Ungaro and senior forward Marian Wamsley followed Murnion's lead with 13 points each.
- Ungaro shot 6-for-9 from the floor, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, while also picking up four assists.
- Wamsley tied Murnion, junior Kylie Wallace and senior forward Ashlie Blackburn with five assists each.
Next Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Court on Saturday, Jan. 5 to host the Simon Fraser Clan in a GNAC matchup at 1pm 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.
