Box Score

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Crusaders drive to the playoffs got a big boost from a strong team effort Saturday night.

Surging in the first quarter, the Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team took control and never let the host Nanooks steal the lead as NNU picked up a crucial 78-74 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory.

"This was truly a team win," NNU's interim head coach John Hartman said. "Everyone on the team contributed.

"This is a hard place to play and they have a good team," Hartman added. "We were able to grit it out and overcome some things that didn't go our way down the stretch.

"I'm proud of these kids tonight."

The win keeps NNU (9-13 overall, 7-9 GNAC) firmly in control of the sixth and final GNAC playoff spot with four games left in the regular season, and the Crusaders will get to play all four of those games at the friendly confines of the Johnson Sports Center.

The Crusaders final home-stand begins Thursday when NNU hosts Western Oregon at 7 p.m.

Saturday in Alaska, the Crusaders surge began with an Ellie Logan bucket that tied the score, 6-6 in the first quarter.

A pair of Elayna Rice free throws, followed by five straight points from McKenna Walker, pushed NNU in front 13-7, and a Kate Cryderman 3-pointer just before the end of the session made it 19-9 in NNU's favor.

A Danielle Jardine layup midway through the second quarter gave the Crusaders a 30-17 lead, and a pair of Lexi Tubbs free throws made it a 57-39 game with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Then it became hang-on time for NNU as the Nanooks got as close as 59-46 down before the end of the period, and trimmed the difference to 71-64 with 4 minutes left to play.

Alaska whittled the lead all the way down to a single possession, trailing 77-74 in the final seconds, but a Kaitlyn Merritt free throw iced a win that saw five different Crusaders score in double digits.

Tubbs led the way for the Crusaders with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Logan, Taylor Simmons and Walker each added 12 points apiece. Simmons also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Cryderman chipped in 11 points and eight boards for NNU.