Women's basketball heads to No. 22 NNU and Central for final GNAC road trip
February 14, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Final Road Trip of the Season
The Nanooks travel away from Fairbanks for the final time this season when they take on 22nd-ranked Northwest Nazarene Thursday at 5 p.m. (AKST), followed up by a 6 p.m. (AKST) meeting Saturday at Central Washington.
Nanooks at a Glance
Alaska currently sits 2-19 on the season with a 0-13 mark in GNAC play entering this week's road trip. Saturday's loss against Seattle Pacific extended Alaska's losing skid to 12 games and its GNAC losing streak to 22 straight. The last GNAC win for the Nanooks was back on Jan. 21, 2012, when they downed Western Oregon 69-68 at home.
Taylor Altenburg leads the team with 10.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while Benissa Bulaya averages 8.4 points and 2.9 assists per outing. Jacqueline Lovato also contributes 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds while Kelly Logue adds 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. Alaska scores 62.0 points per game while allowing its opponents to average 74.2 points per game. It leads the conference with 11.2 steals per game.
Alaska Drops Both in Home Stand
A big first-half run and a balanced attack gave way for Montana State Billings to notch a 70-50 win versus Alaska at the Patty Center last Thursday. Two days later, Seattle Pacific shot better than 50 percent and used a pair of runs in the second half to grab an 87-71 win over Alaska.
The Nanooks were led by Kelly Logue, who scored 12.5 points per game, along with 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest. Benissa Bulaya averaged 12.0 points per game, which included a career-high 18 points Saturday, as well as 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. She also dished out six assists against SPU. Ruth O'Neal posted her first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Falcons and finished the week with 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Nanooks in the GNAC and National Rankings
Taylor Altenburg ranks 19th in the league in scoring and 11th in rebounding. Benissa Bulaya is fourth in shooting percentage (.492), fifth in steals (2.4) and 11th in assists. Kelly Logue is fourth in steals (2.4) and Altenburg is ninth in the same category (1.9) while she also places ninth in free throw percentage (.768) and 11th in blocks (0.8). Jacqueline Lovato is also 14th in three pointers per game (1.5) while Samantha Thornton is tied for 15th in blocks (0.6).
The Nanooks rank 42nd in the country in the steals department while Logue is 91st in thefts and Bulaya is 93rd.
Scouting the Crusaders
Northwest Nazarene entered the top 25 this week at No. 22 as it stands 17-3 overall and 9-3 in the GNAC standings. Last week, NNU won 49-41 at Saint Martin's and 73-62 at Western Oregon. The Crusaders average 71.7 points per game while holding opponents to 60.2 points. They rank second in rebounding turnover margin and garner more offensive rebounds (16.4) than any other team. Megan Hingston leads the league with 18.8 points and is second with 9.4 rebounds per game while Chelsie Luke is seventh with 15.0 points per outing. Hingston is also fifth in shooting (.492) and 10th from the free throw line (.762) and Taylor Simmons is tied for second in steals (2.7) while Luke is fifth in free throw shooting (.850).
Scouting the Wildcats
Central Washington enters the week 9-11 on the year and 4-8 in GNAC play following a 78-72 loss at Western Oregon, followed up by a 52-38 win at Saint Martin's. CWU averages 65.8 points per game while limiting teams to 61.7 points per outing. The Wildcats are the second-best shot blocking team in the GNAC with 4.5 swats per game. Jessica VanDyke is 12th in scoring with 13.2 points per game and first in threes per game (2.7) while Jasmine Parker is seventh in rebounding (7.1) and the league leader in blocks (2.6). Ally Schmittis fourth in assists (4.6) and seventh in free throw shooting (.803) and Daisy Burke and Leslie Stillar rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in three-point percentage.
Alaska Nanooks Women's Basketball
Game 22 at No. 22 Northwest Nazarene (17-3, 9-3 GNAC)
Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 | 5 p.m. | Johnson Sports Center
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Game 23 at Central Washington (9-11, 4-8 GNAC GNAC)
Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 | 6 p.m. | Nicholson Pavilion
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