#18 Seawolves dispatch Nanooks, 81-48

FAIRBANKS – Nicci Miller and Nikki Aden led a balanced scoring effort Wednesday as the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team earned an 81-48 victory over Alaska Fairbanks at the Patty Center.

The Seawolves (16-3, 6-2 GNAC), ranked No. 18 nationally and No. 4 in the NCAA Division II West Region, also got a nice effort from Hanna Johansson with 12 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Kaitlin McBride tallied a career-high nine points.

The Nanooks (1-18, 0-8) were led by 20 points from senior forward Lakeshia Levi, but the home team was outshot .493 to .333 and forced into 25 turnovers. UAF has now lost five in a row to its rivals, including the last three games in Fairbanks by a combined 87 points.

Johansson – who shot 5 of 6 from the field and sank both of her free throws – started the game with a personal 6-2 run, and the Seawolves slowly stretched their advantage. Leading 23-12 with 4:34 on the clock, Aden then powered a 20-3 spurt to end the half, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the blitz, including a put-back layup just before the buzzer.

The Seawolves substituted liberally in the second half as they maintained their advantage, putting 13 of 14 players in the scoring column.

Miller shot 7 of 11 from the field and grabbed three steals, while McBride was perfect on four shots, along three steals, three assists and no turnovers. Meanwhile, senior guard and Fairbanks native Leah Stepovich tied her best rebounding total as a Seawolf with six boards, getting her first career starting assignment.

The result gave 4th-year head coach Tim Moser his 100th victory at UAA, pulling the feat in just 118 games.

The Seawolves now have a full week to prepare for their next game, a Feb. 11 showdown with current Great Northwest Athletic Conference leader and nationally ranked Western Washington. That game tips at 5:15 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Nikki Aden: G/F; 5' 8"; Freshman

#50 Hanna Johansson: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

#0 Nicci Miller: F; 5' 10"; Junior

#RS Leah Stepovich: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#21 Kaitlin McBride: G; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#25 Nikki Aden
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G/F

#50 Hanna Johansson
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F

#0 Nicci Miller
: 5' 10"; Junior
: F

#RS Leah Stepovich
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#21 Kaitlin McBride
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G