FAIRBANKS - Basketball is back in Fairbanks! The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team is set to hold its home opener this weekend at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. The Nanooks will host Corban, Western Colorado and Western Oregon for four games across two days.

Friday, Nov. 15
5:15 p.m. | Corban vs. Western Oregon
7:30 p.m. | Alaska vs. Western Colorado
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks

Saturday, Nov. 15
3:00 p.m. | Western Colorado vs. Western Oregon
5:15 p.m. | Alaska vs. Corban
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks

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Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off a road trip that saw them go 2-0 at the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic, hosted by Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif.

Alaska kicked off its season with an 83-75 win over Cal Poly Humboldt. Despite a strong third quarter from the Lumberjacks that saw them erase a 14-point Alaska lead, the Nanooks held Cal Poly Humboldt to 14 points in the final quarter while scoring 20. Kayla Johnson led the team with 21 points and Destiny Reimers posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Nanooks made the most of their turnovers during the contest, scoring 25 points off takeaways while allowing 15. They would also show their strength in the paint, outscoring the Lumberjacks in the lane 40-28.

The Nanooks followed that up with its second win of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking down Jessup 66-48 to improve to 2-0. Reimers paced the squad with 16 points during the contest, while Emily Freeman and Anna Nevison both posted nine points, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Alaska shot 36.5% from the field and 34.5% from distance compared to 23.5% and 17.2% for Jessup. It also outscored Jessup in the paint 22 to 18.

#NookNotes

• Reimers ranks fifth in the GNAC in scoring through two games, averaging 18 points per game over Alaska's opening contests. She is also tied for fifth in rebounding, grabbing eight boards per game.
• Freeman ranks second in the conference in shooting percentage from beyond the arc, shooting .625 from distance to open the season for the Nanooks.
• Taylor Pilot has swiped three steals per game this season, tying her for second in the conference.
• Amelia Brady has blocked three shots in two games for Alaska, giving her the third-most blocks per game for a GNAC player.
• The Nanooks have held opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage among GNAC schools at 30.7%, trailing only Saint Martin's.
• Alaska has grabbed the second-most defensive rebounds per game in the conference with 33.
• The Nanook's team three-point percentage of 32.6% ranks third in the GNAC, .01% behind UAA in second.

Meet the Participants
Western Colorado 0-2, 0-0 RMAC
Head Coach: Adam Jacobson (3rd season)

Western Colorado enters the weekend with an 0-2 record in 2024-25. The Mountaineers fell to No. 2 Texas Woman's University 71-52 to open the season before narrowly dropping a contest against Angelo State, 57-54.

WCU is coming off a 7-20 season where they went 5-17 in the RMAC. Senior center Rachel Cockman returns to the squad after posting a team-leading 14.8 points per game on .448 shooting last season.

Corban 1-1, 0-0 CCC
Head Coach: Kylie Frizell (1st season)

Corban, an NAIA institution, has split its two contests to start the season, defeating Simpson University 77-68 in its season opener before falling to Arizona Christian 87-72. 

The Warriors are coming off an 8-21 season where they went 7-15 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Lizzy Bennett is their top returning scorer from last season; the 6-0 sophomore guard posted 6.2 points per game in 2023-24.

Western Oregon 1-0, 0-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Jessica Peatross (2nd season)

The Wolves have played one game this season, defeating Multnomah 81-77 last time out. Senior guard Bella Pedrojetti posted 34 points in the contest, the most by a WOU player since 2008, and junior forward Natalie Brown grabbed 17 rebounds, which tied a program record for most boards since the 2001-02 season.

The Wolves are coming off a 10-13 season where they went 3-15 in the GNAC. They are returning one player from last year's team in Bella Pedrojetti.

Mt. McKinley Bank
We'd like to extend a big thank you to Mt. McKinley Bank for yet another year as the title sponsor for the North Star Invitational. Your continued support of the women's basketball program for the 2024 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational has not gone unnoticed.

What's Next
After the North Star Invitational, the Nanooks travel to Hawaii for contests against Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. They begin their trip with two games against CUH on Wednesday, November 20, and Friday, November 22; both games are set for a 7:30 AKST tip-off. They conclude their time in Hawaii the following afternoon with a matchup against HPU at 3 p.m. AKST.

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