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UAA women handle Hilo, 102-44

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#4 UAA women host AT&T Classic

THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF BASKETBALL...

UAA hosts AT&T Classic
Dec. 11 & 12, 2009
Wells Fargo Sports Complex (1,250)
Anchorage, Alaska

Friday's Games
Grand Canyon (4-2) vs Alaska Fairbanks (1-5*), 5 pm
BYU-Hawaii (2-2*) vs #4 Alaska Anchorage (6-0), 7 pm
Saturday's Games
BYU-Hawaii vs Alaska Fairbanks, 5 pm
Grand Canyon vs #4 Alaska Anchorage, 7 pm

*BYUH and UAF will play Thursday night at the WFSC at 7 pm in a non-Classic game

RADIO: Live on FM-93.7 KAFC and UAA student radio FM-88.1 KRUA (UAA games only)

TV: Friday's UAA-BYUH game will be shown tape delayed on KCFT Ch. 35 (GCI cable 19) at 11 p.m. that evening and again Saturday at 10 a.m. … Saturday's UAA-GCU game will air at 11 p.m. that night and again at 11 a.m. Monday.

ONLINE VIDEO & AUDIO: All four AT&T Classic games will be video-streamed live (free) at greatnorthwest.tv ... online audio for all applicable UAA women's games is also available at GoSeawolves.com in the 'SplashZone' (subscription fee applies).

LIVE STATS: Free at GoSeawolves.com (all games)

UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2009-10 stats)
G—Kiki Taylor, 5-5, Sr. (8.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.7 spg, .409 FG)
G—Tamar Gruwell, 5-8, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.6 spg, .390 FG, .333 3FG)
F—Nikki Aden, 5-8, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 turnover/gm, .378 FG, 5-6 FT)
F—Nicci Miller, 5-9, Sr. (20.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.0 spg, .558 FG, .444 3FG, 13-20 FT)
C—Hanna Johansson, 6-2, So. (7.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 spg, .533 FG, 12-19 FT)

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: BYU-Hawaii has gotten off to its best start in its fourth year as a program, beating Hawaii Hilo (68-59) in its season opener and then posting its first-ever win over a Div. I program with a 69-61 upset of San Francisco on Dec. 5 … the Seasiders, who will play UAF in a neutral-court game at the WFSC on Thursday, are led by 5-6 Jr. G Richelle Fenenbock (12.3 ppg, .400 3FG, .786 FT) and 5-9 Sr. G Mahina Gago (10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.5 spg) … BYUH plays in the Pacific West Conference and is located in Laie on the island of Oahu … three-time defending Pac West champ Grand Canyon, from Phoenix, has proven one of the most dangerous teams in the West Region this year, taking CCAA favorite UC San Diego to the wire in a 71-70 loss and defeating then-No. 14 Seattle Pacific last week, 69-55, on a neutral court … the Antelopes are led by 5-8 Jr. G Samantha Murphy (23.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 3.2 spg, .461 FG, .467 3FG, .850 FT) and 5-4 Sr. G Shareka Purnell (9.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.7 spg, .440 FG).

THE SERIES vs BYU-HAWAII: UAA leads 2-0 (1-0 in Anchorage)
  Last Meeting: UAA 80, BYUH 60 (12/4/06)
  Notes: UAA won 85-54 in the first meeting, Dec. 2, 2006 at the Glacier Classic in Fairbanks … the first two meetings came in BYUH's inaugural season as a women's basketball program.

THE SERIES vs GRAND CANYON: UAA leads 10-3 (7-0 in Anch.)
  Last Meeting: GCU 84, UAA 69 (12/7/04 in Fairbanks)
  Notes: UAA won the first 7 meetings, starting with 4 games during the 1990-91 season … the teams competed 10 times as members of the PWC from 1990-94.

SEAWOLVES CRACK NYACK: UAA earned two out-of-region Division II victories with 75-42 and 70-62 decisions over Nyack (N.Y.) at the Patty Center in Fairbanks, Dec. 3 & 5 … in the first game, UAA equaled its most-ever rebounds against a Div. II opponent and matched the 5th-largest differential in program history with a 64-32 edge … Sr. F Nicci Miller led UAA with 22 points (10-17 FG), 8 rebounds and 3 steals, while Jr. F Kelsie Gourdin came off the bench for a season-best 17 points (5-7 FG, 7-7 FT) … Sr. PG Kiki Taylor had 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 0 turnovers, and Jr. G/F Nikki Aden tallied 9 points (4-8 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals as UAA won by at least 33 points for the fourth time this year … the second game was a much closer call as UAA was forced to make free throws in the final 30 seconds to remain perfect … after leading 32-22 at halftime, Miller scored 17 of her game-high 18 points after the break to help UAA fend off the Warriors … So. F/C Hanna Johansson neared triple-double territory with 10 points (3-5 FG, 4-7 FT), a career-high-tying 8 rebounds, and a career-high 7 steals … Taylor also reached double figures with 11 points, while snatching 5 steals … Sr. G and Fairbanks native Leah Stepovich came off the bench with 9 points (2-5 3FG, 3-3 FT) as she helped UAA overcome the temporary loss of Sr. G Tamar Gruwell, who was suffering from the flu.

TEAM NOTES: After winning the Shootout, the Seawolves' home-court streak stands at 25 overall (21 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex; 4 at Sullivan Arena) ... UAA has gone 55-1 at home (47-1 WFSC, 8-0 Sullivan) over the last three-plus seasons, including a school-record 19-0 mark last year … the Seawolves have a 24-game winning streak against Div. II non-conference opponents at the WFSC, including a 15-0 record under Tim Moser; UAA's last D-II non-league loss came in Dec. 2003 to Western New Mexico; UAA has held 33 of its last 40 opponents under 40 percent shooting, including in five of six games this year … with every GNAC team having now played at least five games, the Seawolves lead the early statistical race in 10 of 19 major categories, including scoring offense (80.8), scoring margin (+32.3), FG% defense (.315), rebounding margin (+16.2), steals (15.8) and turnover margin (+7.5).

PLAYER NOTES: Sr. PG Kiki Taylor has gotten the starting call in all 41 games of her Seawolf career … the Colorado Springs native holds the team lead in assists (3.7 apg) and ranks 3rd in rebounding (4.7 rpg) and 4th in scoring (8.7 ppg) … in the early GNAC rankings, Taylor is 2nd in assists and 4th in steals (2.7 spg) … Sr. SG Tamar Gruwell is UAA's 2nd-leading scorer so far with 9.8 ppg, while also nabbing 2.6 steals per contest — 5th-best in the GNAC ... the Californian has drained 10 3FGs to move up to No. 12 on UAA's career list (61) … both Taylor and Gruwell earned spots on the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team … Sr. F Nicci Miller became the fourth Seawolf to earn Shootout Most Outstanding Player honors and also captured GNAC Player of the Week after leading UAA with 39 points and 15 rebounds in its wins over Coastal Carolina and Cincinnati … Miller, who missed the final 11 games due to injury last season, has nearly doubled her scoring average from last year (10.5) with a GNAC-best 20.2 ppg … the Denver native has led the Seawolves in scoring in all six games, posting no fewer than 18 points … in other GNAC ranks, Miller is 3rd in FG% (.558) and 6th in rebounding (7.3 rpg) … Jr. G/F Nikki Aden — the only player returning from both UAA 'Final 4' squads — has enhanced her reputation for quiet efficiency thus far, pacing the GNAC with a 3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio … ranking 4th overall in the league with 3.5 apg, Aden has committed only 7 turnovers while playing a team-high 168 minutes (28.0 mpg) … in her three seasons, the Seawolves have gone 63-8 with the Portland, Ore., native in the lineup … Aden cracked the double-digit mark for the third time in her career with 10 points against Coastal, while her 7 rebounds against Nyack erased a career-high that had stood since December of her freshman year … So. F/C Hanna Johansson is UAA's 5th-leading scorer (7.3 ppg on .533 FG) and 2nd-leading rebounder (4.8), while playing just 19.8 minutes per game … the Swede grabbed 7 steals in Saturday's win over Nyack to mark the most by a Seawolf in the Tim Moser era … Johansson ranks second in the GNAC with 3.2 spg … Jr. F Kelsie Gourdin has made a major impact after sitting out last as a transfer from fellow Div. II program Mesa (Colo.) State … Gourdin has come off the bench in all 6 games to rank as UAA's 3rd-leading scorer (8.8 ppg), including a season-high 17 points in Thursday's win over Nyack.

MOSER MAKES HIS MARK: Seawolf head coach Tim Moser was honored for the second time in three seasons as the GNAC Coach of the Year in 2008-09, plus his first WBCA West Region Coach-of-the-Year award … since arriving at UAA in 2006, the Colorado native has led the Seawolves to the third-most victories in women's Div. II basketball with an 90-15 record in his three-plus campaigns … under Moser, UAA is 55-1 at home (including Sullivan Arena), 51-4 in non-conference games (including NCAAs), and 8-0 against Div. I teams … in NCAA play, Moser's Seawolf teams have gone 9-3, including consecutive Final 4 runs in 2008 and 2009 … Moser is assisted by Rebecca Alvidrez (4th season) and former Seawolf guard Mari Riser (1st season).

FAB FOUR: The Seawolves put on another incredible show at the Sullivan Arena, Nov. 24-25, winning their fourth consecutive Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout title with victories over Division I programs Coastal Carolina and Cincinnati … in the first game, UAA demolished the Chanticleers, jumping to a 46-18 halftime lead and winning 89-47 … Sr. F Nicci Miller led the way with a career-high 24 points (10-14 FG, 4-6 3FG), 6 rebounds and 2 assists in just 21 minutes, while Sr. G Tamar Gruwell tallied 14 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3FG, 3-3 FT), 5 rebounds and 4 steals … Jr. G/F Nikki Aden had 10 points (4-4 FT), 4 assists and 0 turnovers, and Sr. PG Kiki Taylor recorded 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as UAA out-shot CCU .541 to .288 and forced 24 turnovers … UAA's halftime lead and its margin of victory were both records against a Division I opponent … in the title game, UAA recovered from a 31-24 halftime deficit to spring another last-second upset, beating the Bearcats 49-48 … Miller posted game-highs of 15 points (5-13 FG, 4-5 FT) and 9 rebounds, and Gruwell tossed in 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals … Taylor added 9 points, including the game-winning free throw with 1:16 left, and Jr. F Kelsie Gourdin chipped in 8 points and 3 rebounds off the bench … Miller was voted the tourney's Most Outstanding Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Gruwell and Taylor.

SHOOTOUT ODDS & ENDS: After this year's wins over Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina, UAA is 31-47 all-time in the Shootout, with all but one of those victories coming over D-I programs … UAA's win over Cincinnati was its fifth against a team from a BCS 'power' conference (Wake Forest, 1990; Georgia Tech, 1994; Clemson, 2003; Syracuse, 2008); the Seawolves beat current Big East member South Florida in 1983, long before the Bulls joined the league … the 42-point margin of victory over Coastal topped UAA's previous best against a D-I school (72-44 vs Cal State Northridge, Nov. 25, 2008) … UAA is the only Div. II women's team to win a tournament against all-Div. I competition, taking the Shootout in 1990, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 … the first title came when it was an 8-team tournament, then known as the Northern Lights Invitational:

GNAC FAVORITES: UAA was picked to win the league in the 9th annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, released Oct. 27, receiving three of nine first-place votes. It is the second consecutive time UAA has been the coaches' pick to win the league. Here is a look at the predictions:

Pl Team (1st-pl. votes)    08-09 Recs. Pts '09 Finish
1. ALASKA ANCHORAGE (3)    31-4, 14-2  72  t-1st
2. Seattle Pacific (2)     23-5, 14-2  69  t-1st
3. Northwest Nazarene (2)  18-10, 11-5 65  t-3rd
4. Western Washington (2)  19-9, 11-5  64  t-3rd
5. Saint Martin's          16-12, 7-9  42  6th
6. Western Oregon          8-19, 3-13  32  8th
7. Montana State Billings  16-11, 8-8  28  5th
8. Central Washington      7-20, 4-12  24  7th
9. Alaska Fairbanks        5-20, 0-16   9  9th

INJURY REPORT: Sr. G Tamar Gruwell missed the last game against Nyack with flu symptoms but is expected to be ready again for this weekend.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: UAA is No. 4 in the latest NCAA Div. II top-25 poll ... for more details, see the pdf version of this release or visit www.wbca.org.
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Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

G/F
5' 8"
Freshman
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

F
5' 10"
Junior
Tamar Gruwell

#14 Tamar Gruwell

G
5' 8"
Junior
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

F
6' 2"
Freshman
Nicci Miller

#0 Nicci Miller

F
5' 10"
Junior
Leah Stepovich

#RS Leah Stepovich

G
5' 7"
Senior
Kiki Taylor

#10 Kiki Taylor

G
5' 5"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

5' 8"
Freshman
G/F
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

5' 10"
Junior
F
Tamar Gruwell

#14 Tamar Gruwell

5' 8"
Junior
G
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

6' 2"
Freshman
F
Nicci Miller

#0 Nicci Miller

5' 10"
Junior
F
Leah Stepovich

#RS Leah Stepovich

5' 7"
Senior
G
Kiki Taylor

#10 Kiki Taylor

5' 5"
Junior
G