FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team fell at home to the Seattle Pacific University Falcons on Saturday, March 2, to wrap-up the season. The 'Nooks (5-23, 3-15 GNAC) fought the whole game, falling in the fourth.
Lily Stewart got the scoring started for the Nanooks, netting a layup off of an offensive rebound from an Emma Wass miss. The Falcons got out to an early 7-2 lead, and Wass netted a layup to cut into the Falcon lead. An Ellen Silva layup and threes from Wass and Emma McKenney gave the 'Nooks a 12-8 lead. A McKenney and-one pushed Alaska to its highest lead of the first quarter, 17-12. Seattle Pacific cut the lead to just two, Jayda Van Dyke answered with a jumper. SPU would add another and-one to cut the Alaska lead to 19-18 to end the first.
Destiny Reimers opened up scoring in the second quarter with two free throws. Ellen Silva kept the lead at three, responding to a SPU bucket with one of her own. SPU took the lead back, tying the game with a three and taking a two-point lead off a jumper. Silva responded with another jumper to tie the game at 25. The 'Nooks would hit a cold spell as SPU embarked on a 7-0 run for a 32-25 lead. Silva ended the run with two free throws, the Falcons matched her basket with a fast break layup. Kayla Johnson matched the layup of her own before SPU split a pair of free throws to give the Falcons a 35-29 halftime lead.
Reimers opened the scoring once again. Johnson added a layup to cut the Falcon lead to two, 35-33. SPU answered with a 4-0 run of its own. Reimers ended the run with a jumper from the paint. Back-to-back scores from SPU extended the lead to eight, 43-35. Silva hit a jumper to stop the run, starting a 6-0 run with scores from Wass and Johnson. The third continued as a quarter of runs, as Seattle Pacific went on another 4-0 run, extending the lead back to six. Seniors Emma McKenney and Emma Wass went on a 7-0 run, five coming from Wass, including a three, giving Alaska a one-point lead late in the third. Seattle Pacific answered with a layup to take a 49-48 lead into the fourth.
Alaska went cold from the field in the fourth quarter. Senior Emma McKenney added her final five points to her career in the fourth. Alaska would walk out with the loss, 72-64.
Four Nanooks scored in double figures, and seniors Emma Wass and Emma McKenney led Alaska in scoring with 14 and 13. Wass added 10 rebounds to close her career with a double-double. Destiny Reimers and Ellen Silva added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Lily Stewart added two points and two rebounds to close her career.
This loss wraps up the Nanooks' season.
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