FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks women's basketball team lost to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Feb. 5. With the loss, the Nanooks drop to 2-15, 1-11 GNAC.

Alaska battled to within a bucket after the first quarter, trailing 21-19 after the opening 10 minutes. Pearle Green kicked off the scoring, opening the game with a three-pointer. Caitlin Pusich followed up with her own three-ball, as Alaska opened up a 6-0 lead. That lead continued to grow as Ellen Silva got on the board followed by Destiny Reimers, making it 10-0 Nanooks in the opening three minutes. NNU responded, pushing back to tie the ballgame at 13-13, eventually taking a 15-13 lead. After NNU grew their lead to four, the Nanooks came back to take a one-point on a Paola Perez-Mendoza steal and bucket. Unfortunately, the Nighthawks had the last-laugh in the first, hitting a three with five seconds remaining to take a 21-19 lead into the first break.

Out of the huddle to start the second quarter, NNU jumped ahead by six. After trading buckets, the Nanooks pulled back within two with a pair of Reimers free throws. Green pulled them within a field goal again, but NNU pushed ahead by as much as 10 before taking an eight-point lead into halftime. 

That lead grew to 13 at the beginning of the second half, but Green connected on a three following a Reimers jumper, bringing the Nanooks within seven with 6:56 to go. Nearning the midway point of the third, the 'Nooks found themselves within five, but after a green layup, three and Pusich jumper, they still found themselves down five. They'd eventually break the threshold and come within four with 2:11 remaining in the third, but Nazarene pushed it to nine as they entered the fourth. At the beginning of the fourth, Alaska's deficit became seven on back-to-back-to-back buckets from Silva, Claudia Diez Marti and Green. 

That was as close as they'd get. NNU's lead would stretch back out to 14 for the final of 87-73. The Nanooks as a team shot 39.2% from the field while adding 30.3% from beyond the arc. 

Pearle Green had the hot hand for Alaska as the freshman continued her high-scoring on the season. She posted 29 points, a new career-high, on 11-27 shooting and added three assists and two steals. Caitlin Pusich added 12 points, grabbing five rebounds, four assists and picking up one steal. Four other Nanook scorers added six or more points on the night. 

Women's basketball next plays on Saturday, Feb. 12 when the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves come to town for their rivalry game. That game will be played at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium in Fairbanks and is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.

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.