Chico State claims North Star title

Submitted by Tom Myrick
Phone: 907-474-6805
11/25/07

Alaska came agonizingly close to grabbing their first Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational tournament title, only to see it slip away at the end, as a late Chico State run propelled them to a 74-65 win over the Nanooks.

Trailing by 16 at the half, an explosive second half from Alaska saw the hosts grab a two-point lead with just five minutes left to play. A three-point play from Christine Vest, however, put the Wildcats back in the lead for good, as the visitors responded with a late 14-4 run that would see them crowned tournament champions.

Despite the tough loss, the Nanooks’ fightback against a tough opponent gave head coach Lynne Andrew plenty of reasons for optimism as they head into the season.

"I am very, very proud of them," she said. "To be in the second game of the year and to be this close to a team that is ranked 15th in the nation, and for them to continue to battle and not roll over, I am very proud of that. We just have to continue to find that fire for forty minutes."

While their defensive intensity enabled Alaska to get back into the game, a tough night from the free-throw line may have cost them a win: the Nanooks could shoot just 47.6 percent from the charity stripe for the game, including hitting just 13 of 31 in the vital second half.

"It was a very physical game, so you know there are going to be fouls, and we’ve just got to knock them down," said Andrew. "It was one of those things that if somebody fouls you, you’ve got to make them pay. Bottom line is that in a tense situation, we just need to be able to block everything out: just relax, shoot it, and not think about missing."

Chico State got 18 points from tournament MVP Audriana Spencer, and 10 points apiece from Renee Goldoff and Jessica Von Tillow. The Wildcats showed their depth as well, getting 28 points from their bench as opposed to just 12 for the Nanooks.

Alaska’s Kari Reabold wrapped up a tremendous tournament with a game-high 19 points and six boards. Friday night’s hero Sheena Brown, who joined Reabold on the all-tournament, also finished with 15 points, while Cristina Bruketta turned in 13 points and three steals.

The Nanooks (1-1) head to Anchorage this weekend for the Glacier Classic, where they will take on Mesa State on Nov. 30 and Chaminade on Dec. 1. Alaska returns to the Patty Center on Dec. 6 to take on Texas-Permian Basin.

The full list of the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational All-Tournament Team is as follows:

Kari Reabold, Alaska
Sheena Brown, Alaska
Renee Goldoff, Chico State
Takesha Riggs, Fort Valley State
Amanda Shannon, Merrimack

Tournament MVP: Audriana Spencer, Chico State