ROCKLIN, Calif. - Basketball season is upon us! The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team is set to start its season this weekend with two contests at the 18th annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic, hosted by Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif. The Nanooks will begin the trip with a matchup against Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday at noon AKST and take on Jessup the following afternoon at 1 p.m. AKST.
Friday, Nov. 8
12 p.m. AKST vs. Cal Poly Humboldt | Watch (PPV) | Live Stats
Warrior Arena | Rocklin, Calif.
Saturday, Nov. 9
1 p.m. AKST at Jessup | Watch (PPV) | Live Stats
Warrior Arena | Rocklin, Calif.
#NookNotes
- Alaska sees seven players return to the team this season. Junior guard Taylor Tiulana, senior forward Tristian Martin, sophomore guard Anna Nevison, senior guard Jayda Van Dyke, senior guard Destiny Reimers, junior forward Kayla Johnson and sophomore forward Halle Waram all come back for another year with the Nanooks.
- The Nanooks are bringing in five transfers in 2024-25. Emily Freeman, a junior guard from Irvine Valley College; Bobbi Clark, a senior forward from Park University; Taylor Pilot, a senior guard out of CSU Stanislaus; Miranda Lomax, a junior guard from Concordia University Irvine and Amelia Brady, a redshirt sophomore center out of Dominican University (Calif.) all join the squad.
- The remaining two newcomers are freshman center McKayla Hart and freshman guard Grace Gillespie.
- Head coach Amy Donovan returns for her third year in charge of the Nanooks. She is joined by Mondo Naiki, who was elevated to assistant coach after two seasons as a student manager and student assistant coach. Rounding out the coaching staff is Milo Griffin, who comes to the women's basketball team after serving as an assistant for the Nanooks men's basketball team.
- The Nanooks are coming off a 4-23 record last season while going 3-15 in GNAC play.
- Alaska is set to play 11 games at home this season while hitting the road for its remaining 16 contests.
Preseason Poll
Western Washington claimed the top spot in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, released on October 18. The Vikings collected 91 points and four first-place votes, finishing one point ahead of reigning regular season champion Montana State Billings, who earned five first-place votes and 90 points. Alaska Anchorage checked in at the third spot, receiving 79 points and a first-place vote. The Seawolves were followed by Central Washington, who finished one point behind UAA in fourth place. Simon Fraser was picked fifth with 59 points, while Northwest Nazarene's 47 points put them sixth in the poll. Saint Martin's was tabbed to finish seventh, tallying 37 points. Seattle Pacific came in eighth with 34 points, while the Nanooks were predicted to finish ninth in the conference, receiving 20 points. Western Oregon rounded out the list in 10th with 15 points.
Meet the Opponents
Cal Poly Humboldt
Cal Poly Humboldt is also playing in its season opener vs. Alaska. The Lumberjacks have hosted two exhibition games this season, picking up wins against Lincoln University on October 21 (77-49) and Simpson on October 29 (66-49). They are coming off a 12-14 season, which saw them go 10-12 in the CCAA.
Junior guard Marley Johnson is Cal Poly Humboldt's top returning scorer from last season, as she posted 8.3 points per game on 34.1% shooting while going 34.5% from distance. She was also second on the team in blocks last season with 13.
The Lumberjacks are led by head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, who enters her ninth season with the program in 2024-25. She is joined by assistant coach Guillermo Blas Jr.
Jessup University
Jessup is set to begin its first season as a member of the NCAA, having previously competed in the NAIA. It ended last season with a 22-8 record, going 9-5 in the GSAC. The Warriors fell in the GSAC Championship quarterfinals vs. Arizona Christian, 70-59, and dropped their matchup in the opening round of the NAIA Championship to Oregon Tech, 79-72. This season will see the Warriors join the PacWest conference.
Jessup is returning its leading scorer from last year in junior guard Andrea Jovicevic. A native of Podgorica, Montenegro, Jovicevic averaged 15.3 points per game in 2023-24, shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. She was second on the team in assists (58) and steals (36) during the 2023-24 season.
The Warriors are led by fourth-year head coach Corey Laster, who took over in the summer of 2021. During his tenure, he compiled a 50-38 record, making the GSAC Tournament twice in three years and advancing to the NAIA Championship once. Joining him on the Jessup coaching staff this season are assistant coaches Kaitlin Larson and Lauren Richter, and volunteer assistant Matthew Lowry.
What's Next
Following the trip to California, the 'Nooks play their home opener at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. They open the invite with a contest against Western Colorado on Friday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. Alaska then plays Corban University to close out the weekend, with tip-off set for 5:15 p.m. the following day.
Follow the 'Nooks
IG - @NanooksWBB
X - @NanooksWBB
FB - Alaska Nanooks Women's Basketball
