Women’s basketball falls to SFU, WWU
Story and photo by Teegan Silva
University of Alaska Fairbanks basketball players celebrate a goal on February 14, 2026.
Will you be my Valentine, Nook? Over Valentine’s weekend UAF women’s basketball hosted Simon Fraser University and Western Washington University on February 12 and 14. With the season coming to a close at the end of the month, the Nanooks are hungry for a win in their remaining six games. The Nanooks lost 54-92 to Simon Fraser; they lost 28-60 against Western Washington.
Alaska started strong against Simon Fraser in a tight back-and-forth first quarter with five lead changes. Senior Tamai Mancuso drilled two three-pointers and had an offensive rebound good for a putback. The game was tied 10-10 near the end of the quarter until two Nanook turnovers led to fast break layups for the SFU Red Leafs, with the Nanooks now down five to start the second.
Simon Fraser was on fire in the second quarter, shooting 67% from the field and 44% from three, and the Nanooks simply could not find a way to stop them. The Red Leafs went up 46-22 at halftime and carried that momentum into the rest of the game to defeat the Nanooks 92-54.
Despite the loss, Mancuso put up a good effort on both sides of the court with 27 points, three steals, and three rebounds to claim player of the game. In the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, she’s currently ranked 7th in scoring and 4th in three-pointers per game. Seniors Pearle Green and Emily Freeman added nine and eight points, respectively. Freeman also dished three assists, with three steals and five rebounds.
Western Washington won the tipoff to start Saturday’s Valentine’s Day matchup. Freeman scored all of the Nanooks’ points in the first quarter, knocking down a deep three from the top of the key and another from the wing. At the end of the first quarter, the Nanooks trailed the No. 2-ranked team in the conference, the Vikings, by 10 points.
Alaska put together a great sequence of offensive and defensive possessions to start the second quarter. Mancuso was fouled driving to the hoop and sank her two free throws to cut the lead to eight, followed by an Amelia Brady block on defense. Green then made two free throws for the Nanooks to make it a two-possession game. However, the Nanooks struggled to score for the remainder of the half, and the Vikings extended their lead to 31-11.
The Nanooks made a good effort to get back into the game in the third quarter, starting a run with a Mancuso three followed by a Chozen Horn-Young jumper. On defense, Horn-Young grabbed a rebound and then scored a layup on the fast break, forcing Western Washington to take a timeout. An offensive rebound and put-back by junior Genevieve Velasquez ended the third quarter.
The Nanooks played aggressively in the fourth, but the added physicality resulted in multiple fouls that put the Vikings in favorable scoring positions. Western Washington went on to win 60-28, though the Nanooks defense held them under their season average in points per game.
UAF will travel to Seattle, WA and Billings, MT next week to conclude their road schedule this season. The Nanooks will return home on February 26 and 28 for their final two games, where they will also honor seniors Mancuso, Freeman, Green, and Jazlynn Novelli. The men’s basketball team will also be back at home on February 26 and 28 for Senior Night.