FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team and head coach Amy Donovan are on the board. The two got their first win of the 2022-23 season with an 80-64 win over the Salem Tigers (W.V.) to end the 2022 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. The win moves Alaska to 1-4, 0-0 GNAC on the season. 

Alaska trailed by four after the first, but used a strong second and third quarter to jump ahead of the Tigers. After moving ahead, they maintained the lead, winning the battle of the fourth 19-17. Alaska shot 46% from the floor in both the second and third while holding Salem under 35% from the floor in all quarters to claim the victory. In the first, Salem jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead, only midway through the first. Destiny Reimers and Taylor Tiulana scored back-to-back buckets to pull within two before Salem made it 13-6. Emma McKenney connected from deep, making it 13-9 with 1:40 remaining but neither side would score in the final 1:40 and the 'Nooks looked at a four-point deficit after 10 minutes. In the second, the Nanooks tied it at 13-13 only a minute and a half into play. They used a Reimers layup from Ellen Silva to make it 13-13. The two traded leads through the next four minutes until a 22-22 tie. After a Kayla Johnson jumper, Salem regained the lead, running out to a six-point lead at 29-23 with 3:25 remaining. 

The Nanooks pulled within two with 25 seconds remaining, but Salem pulled ahead by four in the remaining seconds of the half, taking a 35-31 lead into the break. 

Out of the break, Alaska began their best third quarter of the season so far. Salem scored seven of their 12 points early before Alaska and exploded for 30 in the quarter. After Salem's lead grew to nine at the 7:31 mark of the third, Alaska was jumpstarted by a pair of Johnson free throws. Ellen Silva and McKenney then followed with their own free throws before Johnson connected from deep, tying the game at 42-42. Alaska then used Sam Tolliver free throws and back-to-back deep balls from McKenney and Sam Tolliver to take a commanding 50-44 lead. Their eight-point lead continued to grow, eventually reaching as much as 14 to end the quarter. Alaska took a 61-47 lead into the fourth following another pair of Silva free throws. 

In the fourth, the Tigers pulled within six less than three minutes into the final 10, but Alaska withstood every ounce of the Tigers. Emma McKenney quickly answered, hitting another three-pointer to make it a nine-point Nanook lead with 5:50 left on the clock. Behind three Emma Wass free throws and a Kayla Johnson layup, the 'Nooks quickly found themselves up a dozen with 4:18 left. From that point on, it was all Nanooks, as Alaska jumped ahead by as much as 18, using the final four minutes to cruise to their first victory of the year and end the weekened Invitational 1-1 following their loss last night to Post University. 

On the night, Emma McKenney led the way scoring 25 points on 7-12 shooting, 6-10 from deep and 5-6 from the charity stripe. She added five rebounds and an assist. Kayla Johnson followed behind with 17 points on 6-13 shooting while adding nine rebounds, one steal and assist. Ellen Silva was the final Nanook in double-digits, scoring 11 points on 7-8 shooting from the free-throw line. She also added 14 rebounds for a double-double in the victory. 
 

The Nanooks return to action on Monday, Nov. 28 at home against the Montana State Billings Yellow Jackets.

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