Box Score



NAMPA, Idaho – The playoffs might be more than a month away, but the Crusaders aren't waiting to start their drive toward the postseason.

Northwest Nazarene's offense began clicking again and the Crusaders defense force two crucial turnovers in the final minute, allowing NNU to score a 75-74 victory over visiting Alaska on Thursday night at the Johnson Sports Center in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

"Our whole focus has just been one game at a time," NNU head women's basketball coach Ryan Bragdon said. "That was our whole focus, just to get that one win.
 

"Now we can just go play."

The Crusaders (5-14, 3-7 GNAC) played very well Thursday and with the win snapped a six-game skid, a streak that began earlier against the same Nanook squad NNU held off Thursday night.

NNU held on thanks in part to Kate Cryderman, who twice in the fleeting seconds stepped in front of an Alaska player and drew a charge.

"Huge, huge; just heads up, smart basketball play," Bragdon said.

The first charge came after Lexi Tubbs put NNU on top, 75-71, with 30 seconds to play.

Trying to rally, the Nanooks (12-8, 4-6) drove to the basket only to find Cryderman – who drew four charges in the contest – waiting not just once, but twice.

"Tough for her to go and get set and to know that she needs to get set in that situation and get in the right spot, and then take it," Bragdon said. "And they were legit charges, and it was a great call."
 

That preserved a strong team effort by NNU, which got double-digit offensive nights from five players, led by Ellie Logan for the third game in a row. Logan finished with 16 points in the win.

The Crusaders battled back from an early 9-point deficit and took their first lead, up 28-27, on a Lexi Tubbs bucket with 5 minutes remaining in the first half.

UAF regained a slim advantage that the Nanooks stretched to 46-41 on a Kaillee Skjold bucket early in the second half before the Crusaders cruised to the lead, going up 65-58 on a CoCo Gall jumper with 7 ½ minutes to play.

The lead didn't last as a Brianna Kirk 3-pointer put UAF in front, 68-65, forcing a valiant push down the stretch by the Crusaders, who used a 7-1 run to secure the lead for good.

Two Logan free throws capped the surge, giving NNU a 72-69 edge it maintained the rest of the way, helped by those two defensive stops in the fleeting moments.

"The girls just wanted it so bad, they've been working so hard," Bragdon said of the win, "the last two weeks of practice have been great."

Tubbs added 15 points and seven rebounds in the victory for NNU, which also got 14 points from Taylor Simmons and 10 points each from Gall and Cryderman.

NNU's drive to the postseason continues Saturday night against a huge foe as No. 3-ranked Alaska Anchorage visits the Johnson Sports Center at 5:15 p.m.

A foe the Crusaders beat once already this season, handing the Seawolves their lone loss of the season, 79-64, in Anchorage on New Year's Day.