Women's basketball to host pair of nationally-ranked GNAC teams

January 3, 2013

University Relations

Jamie Foland
474-6807

The Alaska women's basketball begins 2013 at home as it resumes Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week against ninth-ranked Simon Fraser and 20th-ranked Western Washington at the Patty Center.

The Nanooks (2-7, 0-1 GNAC) first take on the No. 9 Clan (9-1, 2-0 GNAC) Thursday before wrapping up the weekend versus the Vikings (8-2, 2-0 GNAC). Both games are set for 7 p.m. tip offs.

Last time out, Alaska notched its first two wins of the season with a pair of non-conference victories against Dallas Christian College. The 'Nooks first won 96-50 before taking an 84-40 victory from the Crusaders.

Senior guard Taylor Altenburg (Elko, Nev./Criminal justice) led the team with 13.5 points per game to go with 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Junior guard April Fultz (Rialto, Calif./Political science) also averaged 13.5 points per game as well as 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.0 steals. Junior guard Marissa Atoruk (Kiana, Alaska/Business administration) had double-figure scoring with 12.0 points per contest while junior forward Ruth O'Neal (Fort Washakie, Wyo./Justice) led the team in rebounding with 7.0 boards per game.

On the season, Fultz leads the team and is 12th in the GNAC with 13.3 points per game as well as tied for 14th with 2.0 steals and 17th with 5.6 rebounds per outing. Altenburg is 16th in scoring, with 11.9 points and leads the team and ranks 11th with 6.2 boards per game. Sophomore guard Benissa Bulaya (Sacramento, Calif./Business administration) is tied for third with 2.5 steals and 15th with 2.8 assists per game and sophomore guard Kelly Logue (Fair Oaks, Calif./Communication) is tied for 14th with 2.0 thefts per game while junior guard Destini Lewis (Beaumont, Texas/Psychology) is 11th in assists with 3.0 dimes per contest.

The Nanooks average 67.4 points per game while allowing opponents to score 74.6 points. They are second in the GNAC in rebounding offense with 42.3 boards per game and garner a conference-best 17.9 offensive rebounds per game while also ranking second with 11.7 steals per contest.

Game 10: No. 9 Simon Fraser vs. Alaska – Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.
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The Clan enters the week with a 9-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in GNAC play. They won for the sixth straight time back on Dec. 29 at home against Trinity Western (87-55). This road trip is only the second true road game for the Clan and their first since Nov. 17 at Dixie State.

SFU is third in the GNAC in scoring offense with 74.3 points per game and leads all 10 teams defensively, as it only allows 52.7 points per game. The Clan are the league's top- shooting squad (.465 FG) and also leads the conference in three-point defense (.252 3PT). They also average a league-high five blocks and a second-best 18.4 assists per game.

Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe is fifth in the GNAC with 16.3 points per game while teammate Erin Chambers is sixth with 15.7 points per outing. Raincock-Ekunwe also dominates the glass with a GNAC-best 12.2 rebounds per game, including a GNAC-record 24 against Trinity Western. Additionally, she leads the conference with a 66-percent shooting percentage while two of her teammates rank in the top 10. Kristina Collins is fourth in assists (4.7 apg) and sixth in three-point percentage (.431 3PT) while Chambers is third in free throw percentage (.905 FT) and 10th in three-point conversions (.364 3PT). Rebecca Langmead and Raincock-Ekunwe are blocking machines, accounting for an average of 3.4 blocks between them per game.

Game 11: No. 20 Western Washington vs. Alaska – Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.
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The Vikings enter Thursday's match-up at Alaska Anchorage with an 8-3 overall record and perfect 2-0 mark in GNAC play. WWU is back for the first time since Dec. 19 and has won two straight entering 2013. The two wins came against No. 6 Washburn and No. 15 Grand Canyon down in Las Vegas.

WWU averaged 71.2 points per game while ranking second defensively in the GNAC, allowing just 58.4 points per game. It leads the league in shooting defense (.365 FG) while ranking third in both field goal percentage (.441 FG) and three-point percentage (.347 3PT). The Vikings are second in blocks (4.6 bpg), third in rebounding margin (+5.4 rpg) and fourth in assists (16.6 apg).

Britt Harris is seventh in the GNAC with 15.4 points per game while two others average double-figure scoring. Sarah Hill is tied for seventh in rebounding (6.9 rpg) while Harris is 15th (5.7 rpg) in the same category. Trishi Williams is third in shooting (.561 FG) while Harris is right behind her in fourth (.554 FG). Williams is also fifth in the conference in the steals department (2.4 spg) while Corinn Waltrip is the fourth-leading three-point shooter (.452 3PT).