FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team fell to the Montana State Billings Yellow Jackets 67-61 to open up their 2022-23 GNAC conference play. 

The 'Nooks trailed after the opening quarter before outscoring the Jackets 18-12 in the second and taking a 29-26 lead into the locker room at half. Out of the break, MSUB used a 24-16 third quarter score to re-establish a lead and hold on to it down the stretch, holding back a Nanooks comeback possibility in the fourth. After 60 minutes of play, the Yellow Jackets grabbed the six-point win despite the Nanooks outshooting them from the floor 43% to 31%. In the end, two more made threes played the difference for Montana State Billings as they shot 7-26 from deep compared to the 'Nooks 5-18 shooting from downtown. 

In the first quarter, MSUB jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead on a 12-0 run after Emma McKenney gave the 'Nooks a quick 2-0 lead only 16 seconds into the game. After falling behind 10, the Nanooks pushed back pulling within three at the end of the quarter using a 7-0 run to end the opening 10 minutes on a pair of Kayla Johnson free throws, a jumper from Paola Perez-Mendoza, a three from Taylor Tiulana and another pair of free throws from Perez-Mendoza. The lead went from 10 to three as the two entered the second with a score of 14-11 in favor of MSUB. Alaska grabbed the momentum in the second quarter; MSUB quickly made it a nine-point game, but Alaska did not shy from the challenge as they cut it to one at the 19-18 mark on a Sam Tolliver jump shot. After a Yellow Jacket make, Tolliver came down the court again and drained a three, tying the game at 21-21 before grabbing a steal and dishing the ball to Emma Wass for a 23-21 lead with 4:48 to play in the half. 

The two sides traded leads until the buzzer. Caitlin Pusich hit a jumper with 1:47 left in the second and Wass followed up with a layup with 46 seconds left, ending the scoring for the half and giving the 'Nooks a 29-26 lead at the break. 

Billings quickly gained the lead back out of the break, growing it to three on a bucket from Cariann Kunkel and a pair of free throws from Kunkel. Tiulana made a name for herself from deep, connecting again the next time down the floor, tying the game at 32-32. The Nanooks went bucket-for-bucket with MSUB until the 3:01 mark when MSUB pushed ahead by four on a Shayla Montague three. That lead eventually grew to seven before they entered the fourth up by five. Heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation, MSUB quickly extended their lead to 10. They used a pair of Chloe Williams free throws to make it 55-45, but Alaska found another late run and pushed back to make it a ballgame down the stretch. They managed to string together three makes, pulling within four at the 4:50 mark - they used another Wass layup to make it 55-51 MSUB before a media timeout. 

At the 2:50 mark in the fourth, Tolliver connected on a layup off an assist from Perez-Mendoza, making it a one-point game, but that was as close as the 'Nooks would come. MSUB responded, growing their lead back out to as many as eight in the final two minutes, securing the win in Fairbanks, their third in a week following their 2-0 stint in the Nanook-hosted Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. 

MSUB improved to 7-1, 1-0 GNAC with the win while the 'Nooks fell to 1-5, 0-1 GNAC.

Taylor Tiulana and Sam Tolliver ended the night as the 'Nooks high scorers as both posted 11 points. Emma Wass had a career-night, posting a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double while shooting 5-5 from the floor. In her 12 rebounds, she tallied two offensive and 10 defensive. Paola Perez-Mendoza had six assists to go along with her eight points.

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.