Tritons race past Nanooks, 81-54
ANCHORAGE – Senior guard Jamie Katuna scored 18 points and powered a huge first-quarter run Saturday to lead UC San Diego to an 81-54 victory over Alaska Fairbanks in the Seawolf Hoops Classic at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Tritons (8-1), ranked No. 20 in the D2SIDA national poll, also got 13 points and 12 rebounds from forward Farrah Shokoor as they won their seventh in a row.
The Nanooks (5-7) were led by 17 points and three assists from guard Arinesha Smith.
UAF jumped to a 6-2 lead in the first two and a half minutes, but UCSD responded with a 23-0 run to end the quarter and never looked back. The Tritons led 41-15 at halftime as Katuna – a transfer from Div. I San Francisco – scored all 18 of her points in the opening 20 minutes.
The Tritons will complete their first-ever trip to Anchorage with a showdown against host and nationally 5th-ranked Alaska Anchorage in the Seawolf Hoops Classic finale Sunday at 6 p.m., while the Nanooks will face Cedarville (Ohio) in Sunday’s early game at 3:30 p.m.
