HONOLULU - The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team is set for three games in Hawaii this week against the Chaminade Silverswords and Hawaii Pacific Sharks.
Wednesday, Nov. 20
6:30 p.m. AKST at Chaminade | Watch (PPV) | Live Stats
McCabe Gymnasium | Honolulu, Hawaii
Friday, Nov. 22
6:30 p.m. AKST at Chaminade | Watch (PPV) | Live Stats
McCabe Gymnasium | Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, Nov. 23
2 p.m. AKST at Hawaii Pacific | Watch (PPV) | Live Stats
The Shark Tank | Honolulu, Hawaii
Last Time Out
The Nanooks went 1-1 in the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational last weekend, falling to Western Colorado 70-59 on Friday evening before defeating Corban 92-67 Saturday afternoon. Alaska sits at 3-1 on the season after the contests.
In the first game against the Mountaineers, both teams ended the opening 10 minutes tied at 13, but the second quarter would see WCU pull away, building a 33-26 advantage at the half. From there, the Nanooks fought back but could not retake the lead. Kayla Johnson led the Nanooks with 19 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from distance. Taylor Pilot followed with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting while picking up team highs in assists (6), steals (4) and tying for the team lead in rebounds with eight. The Nanooks led in second-chance points (8-4) and points in the paint (32-26) but were out-shot 38.1% to 47.2% during the contest.
Alaska picked up its first home victory of the season against the Warriors, with Destiny Reimers leading the Nanooks with 17 points while going 6-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 from distance. She also picked up a team-high seven assists. Pilot and Jayda Van Dyke followed with 16 points apiece; Pilot went 6-of-9 from the floor, converting her only attempt from distance, and notched six steals. Van Dyke shot 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. Alaska drained its first seven three-point attempts of the game and went 8-of-11 from beyond the arc during the opening quarter. Although Corban took the lead in the following period, the Nanooks would outscore the Warriors 50-20 over the final 20 minutes, securing the 25-point win. The Nanooks shot 44.6% from the field and 44.1% from distance during the contest while going 11-of-12 from the line. Alaska led Corban in points off turnovers (39-27), points in the paint (36-18) and second-chance points (24-16) in the win.
#NookNotes
- Taylor Pilot ranks in the top 10 in Division II for steals, tallying 16 over Alaska's opening four contests.
- Destiny Reimers is the Nanook's leading scorer through the first four games of 2024-25, posting 15.8 points per game on a team-high 44.9% field goal percentage. She has also grabbed a squad-best seven rebounds per game.
- Reimers and Pilot are tied for the team lead in assists, each dishing out 3.8 per game.
- Emily Freeman's 2.25 three pointers per game and 45% field goal percentage from beyond the arc are good for sixth and fourth in the GNAC, respectively.
- Alaska is the 51st-highest scoring offense in Division II, posting 75 points per game. This mark is also good for third in the GNAC.
- The Nanooks have posted the 19th-most three pointers per game this season at 9.3.
- They are outscoring their opponents by an average of 10 points per game to start the season.
- The Nanooks have gotten 24 points per game from their bench this season, the fourth-most in the conference.
Meet the Opponents
Chaminade 1-1, 0-0 PacWest
Head Coach: Michael Edwards (3rd season)
The Silverswords enter the week at 1-1, having split their series against Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). CUH dropped its first game against the Eagles 65-63 on November 8 before winning the second contest, 70-56. They are coming off a 4-22 season that saw them go 1-19 in the PacWest.
CUH is led by senior forward Sameera Elmasri, whose 20.5 points per game this season is good for first in the PacWest and 26th in Division II.
Alaska is 4-0 against Chaminade, with their last matchup coming nine years ago in an 82-63 win.
Hawaii Pacific 1-0, 0-0 PacWest
Head Coach: Ray Alvarado (2nd season)
The Sharks have played one game this season, defeating Hawaii Hilo 68-51 on November 10. They are coming off a 7-19, 5-15 PacWest record last season.
The Nanooks have split their two previous matchups against the Sharks, winning 61-49 in a home contest in 2008 and falling in Hawaii 83-66 during the 2011-12 season.
In its first game of the season, HPU was led in scoring by Ella Berge, who posted 17 points during the win vs. the Vulcans.
What's Next
The Nanooks kick off conference action with home contests against Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. Alaska will face WOU on Thursday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m., before taking on SMU at 1 p.m. that Saturday.
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