The defense and rebounding in the first half of coach Amy Donovan’s debut with the University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s basketball team looked promising, as did the debut of freshman Kayla Johnson.
But a sluggish third quarter in which the Nanooks were outscored by 15 and the inability to stop Maison White, who led the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in scoring with 22 points, sent the Nanooks to a season-opening 72-60 loss Wednesday night at the Gallogly Event Center.Â
White was a scorching 11-of-14 from the field, adding 11 rebounds and collecting her first double-double of her career with the Mountain Lions (1-2).
Johnson, the night’s top scorer with 26 points, fittingly made the first UAF basket of the night. She was also instrumental in narrowing the Mountain Lions lead from a game-high 22 down to the final margin of a dozen.Â
The Nanooks, however, also hurt themselves at the free-throw line, connecting on just 17Â of 26 attempts, and from 3-point range, knocking down just one of 12 from behind the arc. UCCS also won the turnover battle giving up 11 while forcing UAF into 24.
In a low-scoring first quarter, UAF trailed by just a point (16-15), but even though the Nanooks were maximizing their opportunities by dominating the boards (seven defensive and five offensive), their eight turnovers in the first period kept them from building a bigger lead. The Nanooks displayed a lack of confidence with the ball, often fumbling it during set plays or making easily intercepted passes.
UCCS widened the lead in the second quarter to as many as five points before Taylor Tiulana’s 3-point basket — the only one of the night —combined with the Mountain Lions’ Amyah Moore Allan and Agar Farres, heading to the bench with three fouls each.
The Mountain Lions, led by White, went on the attack in the second half, taking the lead to double digits in the third quarter and a deficit of 22 in the fourth. White had 12 points in the quarter on six of six shooting with a pair of rebounds and a block.Â
The Nanooks were able to chisel the lead down with the help of sophomore Destiny Reimers, who went 5 for 5 at the free throw line en route to a 13-point night. Ellen Silva with 10 points and nine rebounds was just one board shy of a double-double.Â
The Nanooks will play two more games in the Centennial State this week, Friday against Colorado State University–Pueblo and Saturday against Colorado Christian University.
