FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks women's hoops team won the final three quarters but it was not enough to erase a first-half deficit to NNU as the Nighthawks grabbed a 74-69 win over Alaska. 

NNU jumped out to a quick 27-12 lead after the first quarter thanks to a 42.1% clip from the floor and five made three-pointers. Paired with a 25% quarter for the Nanooks, the 15-point deficit was difficult to crawl out of for Alaska. That doesn't mean they didn't do their best to try. Alaska came out in the second quarter and immediately pulled back to within single-digits. At the 3:58 mark, an and-one for Ellen Silva made it a seven-point lead for NNU at only 34-27. Two buckets to end the half gave the Nighthawks a 12-point lead at the break, but the momentum shift had already been felt. 

Heading into the third, Alaska responded again, cutting the deficit to eight in just the first 1:20. Kayla Johnson and Emma Wass went back-to-back to make it 39-31. Despite NNU stringing together a run and making it a 17-point game, the 'Nooks hung around. Halle Waram connected from deep with 2:14 left in the third, cutting it to 12 before Lily Stewart made a layup and Johnson connected from three with less than a minute remaining to make it a seven-point game going into the final 10 minutes of play. 

In the fourth, Johnson opened up with a three, cutting the lead to four. NNU responded, but Alaska threw another punch, pulling to within two on a 6-0 run. An Emma McKenney layup with 4:09 on the clock made it 66-64 and forced NNU into a timeout. Unfortunately out of the timeout the Nighthawks pushed it out to seven and eventually picked up the five-point win. 

McKenney finished the day with 13 points on 5-9 shooting. Kayla Johnson finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and steals and Emma Wass had 12 points, four rebounds.

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