HONOLULU - The Nanooks kicked off their three-game road trip to Hawaii with a 20-point, 81-61 win over Chaminade on Wednesday evening.
Kayla Johnson notched her first double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Emily Freeman, Miranda Lomax and Destiny Reimers joined her in double-digit scoring, posting 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Freeman got things going right away for the 'Nooks with a three-pointer eight seconds into the contest. However, that would be the only scoring for the Nanooks until the 4:49 mark in the opening period when an Amelia Brady hook shot cut Alaska's deficit to 7-5. The Blue and Gold found themselves down four with less than a minute remaining in the first, but Brady and Johnson helped Alaska find its offense, sinking a layup and three-pointer to end the quarter.
Johnson put the Nanooks ahead just over a minute into the second quarter, draining a three to give Alaska the two-point advantage. She followed that up with a steal, leading to a Reimers three to increase the lead to five. The Silverswords retook the lead with a 6-0 run, putting themselves up 17-16, but Johnson responded with a layup to put the 'Nooks ahead. Freeman hit a three on the following possession, and Reimers and Johnson continued Alaska's offensive surge by hitting a pair of turnaround jump shots, giving it a 25-19 lead with 5:57 left before halftime. Freeman and Lomax connected from deep later in the period, and two Johnson free throws gave Alaska a 35-25 lead at the halfway point.
Brady tallied Alaska's first five points of the third, converting a three-point play 2:15 into the period. Lomax, Freeman and Taylor Tiulana all hit shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, and despite not hitting a shot from the field for the final four minutes of the period, the Nanooks still held a 10-point lead at 57-47 heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
Johnson posted the first six points for the 'Nooks to start the fourth, and a Lomax layup extended Alaska's lead to 65-53. Taylor Pilot logged Alaska's following six points, which included converting an and-one to put the Nanooks up 72-56 with 4:16 left to play. Lomax and Tiulana would knock down threes later in the quarter, and the 'Nooks would coast to the win and improve to 4-1 on the season.
Alaska shot 42.9% from the floor and beyond the arc, while CUH posted shooting clips of 33.3% and 20%. The Nanooks hit 12 three-pointers in the contest and held the Silverswords to just three makes from distance. The Blue and Gold also led in rebounds (42-38), bench points (42-27) and points off turnovers (26-22).
The Nanooks take on the Silverswords one more time in a rematch on Friday, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. AKST.
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