The University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s basketball team blew an opportunity to gain their second GNAC win of the season Thursday, giving up a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter in a 71-63 loss at Saint Martin’s University.
The Nanooks (4-11 overall, 1-7 GNAC) took the defeat despite leading from the 4:23 mark of the first quarter — when Sam Tolliver drained a 3-pointer for a 10-7 UAF lead — until there was 6:55 to play. That was when Rian Clear hit a pull-up jumper to give the Saints a 55-54 lead.
Saint Martin’s (6-10, 2-6) finished the night on a 16-9 run, including hitting five out of six free throws down the stretch to ice the win. The Nanooks, by contrast, hit just one of six shots in the final five minutes.
In a quick but low-scoring first period, UAF overcame an early six-point deficit to take a 19-15 lead. Despite outshooting the Saints in the second quarter 46 percent to 35 percents, the Nanooks committed seven fouls in the period to allow Saint Martin’s to sink six of eight free throws and close to within two points at halftime.
The Nanooks hit their stride in the third quarter with a 10-0 run to stretch their lead to 49-40 with 3:27 to go in the period. But the Saints outscored UAF 7-3 in the remainder of the quarter, setting the stage for their fourth-quarter run to close out the game.
Fouls were a thorn for the Nanooks, who hit drew personal fouls and a technical against Paola Perez-Mendoza, handing the Saints 12 points on the night at the free-throw line. The Saints also had an edge in second-chance points, outscoring UAF 14-5 in that category.
Top scorers for the Nanooks included Tolliver with 15 points, Ellen Silva with 11, and Emma McKenney with 10. Leading the Saints were Anjel Galbraith with 17, Sarah Lamet with 16, and Kiana Rios with 13.
UAF will be back on the court Saturday at 1 p.m. (Alaska Standard Time) in Monmouth, Oregon, against Western Oregon University.
