FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team was defeated, 68-70, by the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets. This gives the team their seventh consecutive loss bringing them to 6-11 overall and 1-7 in GNAC play.
Jocelyn Gandara got the scoring started for Alaska with a jumper soon after the tip-off. The team got off to a great start and went on a 9-2 run that had them up, 14-6, with 2:55 left in the quarter. The Nanooks led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.
The Yellowjackets put up more of a fight in the second quarter and the two teams swapped the lead three times over the course of the quarter. MSUB held the lead at the end of the second quarter, 36-34.
Jocelyn Gandara led Alaska in scoring with 13 points at the half.
The 'Nooks came out of the locker room with great energy and two free-throws from
Alanna Conwell at the 2:32 mark would give the team back the lead, 50-48. The team ended the third quarter with a six-point lead, 56-50.
Alaska went on a 9-3 run to start the fourth quarter and held a nine-point, 61-52, with 8:24 left in the game. MSUB retaliated with a 12-2 run to rally back and take the lead, 67-66, with 24 seconds left on the clock. The Nanooks called a timeout and drew up a great inbounds play that resulted in an open layup underneath the basket for Gandara and reclaimed the lead, 68-67. With six seconds left on the clock the Yellowjackets ran up the court and found Taylor Cunningham wide open and she drained a three pointer. One last shot from
Brittany Richards missed the mark and MSUB took the win, 70-68.
Jocelyn Gandara led Alaska in scoring with 23 points and six rebounds. Behind her,
Kylie Wallace had 12 points and four rebounds.
Sabrina Ungaro had a stellar day defensively with eight steals to her credit.
Alanna Conwell provided great bench production with 10 points and six rebounds.
"We should be winning the games that we're not winning that are close" Head coach Nakamoto said "its small mistakes that we're making and way too many of them, and when you lose by one basket you just take away one of those mistakes of the thirty we did and you probably win. These are games I think that we're giving away."
Alaska finished the game shooting 27-63 from the field, 3-13 from three-point range, and 11-19 from the free-throw line.
The team will be on the road next Thursday, January 16, at Simon Fraser University. The game is scheduled for 6 P.M. 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.
