FAIRBANKS, Alaska—Combining for 38 points, the duo of Savannah Heugly and Shelby Snook led Western Oregon University to a 74-54 win over Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the team's second in its last three chances, Western Oregon moved back to .500 on the season with a 7-7 record while improving to 3-5 in GNAC games. The 20-point margin of victory tied the largest by WOU this season, matching the 70-50 win against CSU San Bernardino on Nov. 12.

WOU will look to carry the momentum forward with four straight home games scheduled to close out January. Holding a 5-2 record at home this season, the Wolves will host Concordia on Tuesday, Jan. 16 and MSU Billings on Thursday, Jan. 18 next week.

Heugly and Snook both ended the night one point shy of posting season highs as Heugly scored 20 to Snook's 18 against the Nanooks.

"It's always nice to get a split on this road trip. We had good focus today and I thought we did a good job answering when Fairbanks made its runs," WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter said. "Our defensive pressure was solid and we did a great job on the glass."

Helping WOU dominate on the glass, Heugly added 13 rebounds to bash her previous season best of eight boards for her first 'double-double' of the season. Overall, the Wolves created a 49-to-31 edge in total rebounds.

Down 12-6 midway through the first quarter, WOU stepped up on the defensive end of the floor and did not allow a point over the next six minutes of play to create a 23-12 advantage.  

The Nanooks were able to pull back to within five (30-25) in the closing moments of the half, but another extended run of solid defensive pressure limited the home team's attack to earn a 39-27 lead at the break for WOU. Holding UAF to 31.1 percent shooting on the night, the Wolves were not threatened in the second half.

Keyonna Jones added 12 points as the third WOU player in double figures. The GNAC leaders in free throw percentage, the Wolves converted 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) of their chances at the free stripe.

"Shelby and Savannah asserted themselves early on the offensive end and that really helps us get going. They got to the free throw line and made some tough shots while Keyonna gave us quality minutes off the bench," Howard-Carpenter said.