NAMPA, Idaho - The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team fell to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Jan. 6. Alaska held their own, keeping the game tied at the half, but NNU pulled away late, snagging the win 81-75. This loss drops Alaska to 1-7, 0-2 GNAC.

After one, NNU was holding on to a one-point lead, 17-16. Alaska jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before NNU got on the board and tied things up at 6-6. It remained a one-possession game the rest of the quarter as NNU ended with the final lead on a small run to end the opening-quarter. Alaska pulled within one on two Savannah Huerta free throws to end the quarter. To start the second, Pearle Green connected on a three, giving Alaska a 19-17 lead. That lead grew to eight on a Destiny Reimers layup with seven minutes remaining in the half. NNU made a run of their own, retaking the lead at 26-25 on a 9-0 run. The two teams went back-and-forth for the final three and a half minutes and with six seconds remaining, Green made a jumper in the paint tying the game up at 32-32 at the half. 

Out of the locker room, NNU put a jump on Alaska, grabbing the lead and running out to an 18-point lead and eventually 15-point lead heading into the fourth. Alaska shot 21.43% in the third while Northwest Nazarene shot 45.45%. This made for an exciting fourth quarter. 

Alaska responded from their down-quarter and posted a game-high 68.75% shooting performance in the fourth, outshooting the Nighthawks by over 15%. Destiny Reimers was the first to chip away at the NNU lead, pulling them within 15. After trading the next few buckets, the Nanooks then pulled within eight on a Green three followed by a Claudia Diez Marti layup. Green would then hit three-consecutive free throws and follow with a jumper off of a Paola Perez-Mendoza steal, making it a three-point game with 5:45 left. With 2:25 remaining, Reimers hit two free throws, giving Alaska the lead back. They held the lead one last time at 2:05 on a Reimers layup, but that would be it. NNU turned the game around and avoided the Nanooks massive comeback, taking the six-point win. 

Pearle Green led all scorers with 26 points on 50% shooting from the floor, 4-9 from deep and 6-8 from the charity stripe. She added four steals and two assists. Claudia Diez Marti added 17 of her own, dishing out three assists and picking up one steal. Olivia Kraska and Reimers joined the two in double-digit scoring as Reimers posted 11 with six assists and nine rebounds. Kraska ended the night with 10 points and five boards. 

The Nanooks are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 8 at Central Washington. 

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team, follow @NanooksWBB on Twitter, @NanookWBB on Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Women's Basketball team page on Facebook.