ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A late turnover doomed the Boxers' upset bid of Division II Alaska on Friday as Olivia Cook led Pacific with 15 points in a 67-60 loss to Alaska in the opening game of the Seawolf Hoops Classic inside of the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
The Nanooks opened the scoring quickly with a layup in the opening four seconds, before Pacific went on an 8-3 run over a four-minute period. The Boxers' run opened on a free throw from Kaila Johnson (Sr., McKinleyville, Calif.) and was followed by a 3-pointer from Sarah Curl (So., Portland, Ore.) and layups by Cook (Sr., Beaverton, Ore.) and Lauren Lykins (Fr., Hillsboro, Ore.).
 
After seeing their three-point advantage slip into a three-point Alaska lead Abby Jones (Sr., Haines, Alaska) pulled the Boxers within one, before a 3-pointer from Johnson put Pacific up 13-11 with 13:48 left in the opening period.
 
The seesaw first half saw the Nanooks push back to a four-point advantage, until Nani Ostrom (Sr., Juneau, Alaska) started a run for Pacific with a jumper off an assist from Lykins. Curl followed Ostrom's jumper with a layup to tie the game at 21-21. A Nanook turnover on the following possession, led to a jumper on the offensive end from Curl to put Pacific ahead by two.
 
Looking to stop Pacific's run, Alaska instead allowed the Boxers to extend their lead when Curl stole the ball from Stephanie Toumson. Curl's steal returned the ball to the Boxers who saw Ostrom put Pacific up by four with 8:34 on the clock.
 
Alaska managed to climb within one-point at the 6:05 mark on a fast break layup, but after the two sides exchanged turnovers before Cook hit a jumper and Kyla Siri (Jr., Spring Creek, Nev.) scored on a layup off a Cook assist to give Pacific a 33-28 advantage.
 
The Nanooks scored their final two points of the first half at the 2:46 mark when Jordan Wilson laid-up a fast break chance to pull Alaska within three.
 
The three-point advantage for Pacific soon grew to five when Jones hit a pair-from the free throw line. Jones' pair of makes from the line were the final points of the first period as Pacific headed to the locker room with a 35-30 advantage.
 
Lykins and Curl brought the Boxers out of the break with a layup and jumper to give Pacific a nine-point lead with 18:14 remaining in regulation.
 
Alaska slowly cut Pacific's lead down to two points with 13:12 on the clock, before a 3-point make from Autumn Childers gave the Nanooks a 46-45 advantage.
 
The 10:03 mark saw Curl hit a free throw to knot the game at 48-48, before Cook and Siri combine for a five-point run to put the Boxers up 53-48.
 
The advantage stood for Pacific until the 3:43 mark when Alaska tied the game at 57-57. Benissa Bulaya gave Alaska a two-point advantage, which soon grew to four until Ostrom hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining to pull Pacific within one of the Nanooks.
 
Bulaya put Alaska ahead by three, before a turnover on the Boxers' offensive end allowed the Nanooks to escape with a seven-point victory.
 
The Boxers shot 41.7-percent from the field and outscored Alaska 15-9 on second-chance opportunities.
 
Cook finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Curl posted a 14-point performance and snagged six boards.
 
Siri finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench. The seven-rebound performance was Siri's top rebounding performance as a Boxer.
 
Pacific returns to the Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday evening for an 8 p.m. scheduled tip-off against the No. 3/6 (NCAA Division II Coaches Poll/D2SIDA Media Poll) Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves and Boxers' Saturday meeting is the final game of the Seawolf Hoops Classic.