MONMOUTH, Ore. – Junior Shelby Snook scored 23 points, 15 coming in the fourth quarter, and fellow junior Sydney Azorr had 20 points including four 3-pointers helping Western Oregon hold off Alaska 72-67 on Friday night at the New P.E. Building.
 
The win closed out a quick homestand with games on consecutive nights. WOU improved to 6-7 on the season and 1-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. The Nanooks (6-7, 2-4 GNAC) split games for the weekend, after a win at Concordia on Thursday.
 
As a team, the Wolves shot 37.1 percent (26-for-70) from the floor while Alaska shot 40.0 percent (26-for-65). The Nanooks held a 45-42 advantage in rebounds.
 
"This was a hard-fought team win and I'm proud of the grit we showed tonight," WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter said. "It was a tough turnaround after last night's game and it took us awhile to get our legs going."
 
On Friday, the Wolves shook off a cold first quarter that saw the Nanooks sprint out to a 20-4 lead after one quarter. WOU was forced into eight early turnovers and connected on just one shot from the field in 11 attempts.
 
The Wolves trailed by 12 points at the 6:00 mark in the second quarter before Snook's layup triggered a 13-0 run that tilted the advantage to WOU for the first time in the game. Ali Nelke hit a pair of jump shots on successive possessions before Kaylie Boschma hit an open 3-point bucket. Freshman Kory Oleson drove to the hoop for a layup, off a Nelke dish, giving Western Oregon a 27-26 lead. One Snook make from the stripe posted a 30-29 lead at halftime.
 
"After a rough 1st quarter Jasmine Miller and Savannah Heugly got on the glass and that sparked our offense," Howard-Carpenter added. "We started moving the ball around better and knocking down some shots.  Ali and Jasmine had their hands full with (UAF's Jordan) Wilson and (Kaillee) Skjold tonight and they worked their tails off to defend and box out."
 
Western Oregon extended the lead by two after three quarters, 44-41, before both teams found their offensive stride in the final period.
 
Alaska tied the game at 55-55 after a 3-pointer from Jaylee Mays ripped the nets. Azorr cleaned up two WOU misses from short range and hit a short jumper to spark a 4-0 run aided by a Nanook technical foul. Mays connected again from distance, but Azorr had a response from behind the arc two trips down the floor later to keep the WOU lead at four, 62-58
 
"In the second half, Shelby and Syd hit some great shots and seemed to answer every time Fairbanks hit a shot," the head coach said.
 
Snook scored seven points in the final 1:05, with four key free throws falling late, to hold off Alaska. She finished 8-of-17 from the floor and 6-of08 from the line while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Azorr was 6-of-11 for the game overall and made all four tries from the line.
 
Miller followed with eight points and eight rebounds while Boschma had six points, eight boards, four assists and two steals after missing Thursday's game.
 
Alaska was led by Wilson with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Skjold grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds despite a 3-of-15 night from the floor.
 
The Wolves begin a four-game road span on Tuesday (Jan. 10) at Concordia in Portland. WOU and the Cavaliers will tip at 7 p.m. Pacific.
 
"We have another quick turnaround with Concordia on the road Tuesday, but we'll take a day off and get back at it," Howard-Carpenter said. "These next four games are going to be a great test of who we are as a team and our toughness."