Box Score

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Jan. 6) -- The Central Washington University women's basketball team rallied from a 13-0 first-half deficit to advance to overtime, but the Wildcats were unable to keep up with the host University of Alaska Fairbanks in suffering a 76-71 loss in extra time on Thursday evening at the Patty Center.

The loss was the third in a row for the Wildcats, who are now 5-6 overall and remain winless (0-4) in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action. The Nanooks, meanwhile, snapped a 16-game losing streak with their first win of the 2010-11 campaign (1-10, 1-3 GNAC). Alaska's last victory was a 10-point decision over CWU in Fairbanks last February.

Four Central Washington players scored in double figures, led by the career-highs of 14 from redshirt freshman Kelsi Jacobson (Spokane/University HS) and 13 from true freshman Deaira Gordon (Ellensburg). That duo combined to make 6 of 12 three-pointers as the Wildcats made 13 treys on the night -- their highest quantity of made threes in a single game since their visit to UAF two years ago. The 39 three-point attempts were a single-game school record.

Thursday's game marked the second straight contest in which the game started with a team scoring 13 straight points. On Monday, Central Washington took a 13-0 lead on visiting Western Washington before falling, 76-67.

Following the 13-point lead by UAF, the Wildcats scored eight straight points on consecutive threes and a Jacobson layup, keeping the Nanooks off the scoreboard for more than four minutes. The margin hovered around five points until the final four minutes of the first half, when Central closed to within three before heading into the locker room with a four-point deficit at 28-24.

Central took its first lead of the game less than two minutes into the second half on a conventional three-point play by Jacobson, and the two teams exchanged leads five times with two ties in the final 20 minutes of regulation. The Wildcats took the lead at the 11:53 mark, and were ahead by as many as nine with 6:30 left, before Alaska scored nine of the final 11 points to force overtime. CWU missed its final seven shots of regulation -- the first five of which were three-pointers and the final two of which were layups -- and UAF tied the game on a three-pointer by Caitlin Hamsley with 39 seconds left.

In overtime, the Wildcats scored first on a layup by senior Aleyse Evans (Sacramento, Calif./Mesa Verde HS) before surrendering six straight points, but CWU then rallied to tie the game at 64-64 with 3:18 left. However, Alaska scored the next nine counters and kept Central off the board for almost three minutes to earn the victory.

Overall, Central shot 34.2 percent from the floor, with its most efficient field-goal period being the overtime session in which it made 4 of 8. The Wildcats finished the game making more three-pointers (13) than twos (12), and their 39 trey attempts were one more than the previous school record set 11 years ago against Humboldt State.

Joining Jacobson and Gordon in double figures for the Wildcats were starting guards Nneka Payne (Auburn) and Luv Rattler (Riverside, Calif./Kentlake HS) with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Payne made a game-high four three-pointers on seven attempts.

Alaska, which shot 42.9 percent from the field and made 23 of 29 free throws -- outscoring CWU by 15 at the foul line -- had five players with 10 or more points, including four of its starters. Hamsley and Jessica Harrison led all players with 17 points apiece, while Nicole Bozek recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Central Washington will continue a difficult stretch of games with a Saturday evening tilt against 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage. The Wildcats will then return home for three straight home games, beginning next Thursday (Jan. 13) against another nationally-ranked foe, Seattle Pacific.