NEWBERG, Ore. – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team kicked off its 2025-26 season with an exhibition contest at George Fox on Thursday. Tamai Mancuso and Emily Freeman both recorded double-digit points, but the 'Nooks dropped the matchup 103-72.

How it Happened
The Nanooks found themselves in an early 10-2 hole through the first 2:10 of the game. Mancuso connected on a pair of threes to make it a 15-10 contest, but a 13-0 Bruins run saw the deficit increase to 18 points. Freeman ended the scoring drought with a three, but that would be the final field goal of the quarter for the 'Nooks, and they entered the first break down 34-17.

Mancuso got things started in the second, knocking down a layup on the first possession of the period. She added a jumper on the following possession to make it 34-21, but GFU put together a 17-4 run over the next six minutes, putting the Nanooks behind 51-25 with 2:50 remaining in the second. Mancuso drained a jumper following a Nanooks timeout, and Freeman connected on a three-pointer less than a minute later, kick-starting a 7-0 run for the Blue & Gold to end the half. Desiree Redfox and Marney Rees chipped in with layups during the run, but the Nanooks entered the halftime break trailing 54-34.

For the first five minutes of the third, the Nanooks saw their scoring come from the free throw line, with Redfox getting their first field goal on an and-one with 4:59 left in the quarter. Mancuso would score 10 of the following 12 points for the Nanooks to close out the third, connecting on two three-pointers and a layup. However, the 'Nooks still trailed 77-53 entering the final 10 minutes of action.

Freeman began the scoring for Alaska 2:45 into the fourth quarter, draining a shot from beyond the arc while being fouled, giving her a chance at a four-point play, which she converted. Mancuso and Freeman were Alaska's primary scorers for the remainder of the game, scoring their next 10 points before Anna Nevison knocked down a three with just over a minute remaining. Ashlyn Waggoner added a layup before time expired, but the Nanooks fell to the Bruins.

Inside the Numbers

• Tamai Mancuso led the way in her first game wearing the Blue & Gold, putting up a team-high 31 points on 11-27 shooting. She went 5-13 from deep and converted four of her five free throw attempts on the day, while posting two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Emily Freeman added 14 points, making her the other Nanook to finish in double-figures. She shot 4-12 from beyond the arc and converted two of three free throws.
• Alycia Shelley was the primary distributor for the 'Nooks, finishing with a team-high five assists.
• Ashlyn Waggoner put up eight points and led the squad with four rebounds.
• As a team, Alaska shot 30.1% from the field and 31.3% from three, while going 18-26 from the line.
• The Nanooks led in points off turnovers 13-11, but trailed in second-chance points (12-7), bench points (31-21) and fastbreak points (40-17).

What's Next
The Nanooks remain in Oregon for one more exhibition game, taking on the Oregon State Beavers at Gill Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 2, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. AKT.

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