Hoops Report: Pili pours in 26 points in one half; Sellers makes UW debut; Miller dazzles for Utah State; plus UAF & UAA

Alissa Pili

The Pili Party started early for the University of Utah in Monday’s season opener.

Anchorage’s Alissa Pili pumped in 11 of her team’s first 14 points on her way to scoring 26 in one half as the fifth-ranked Utes mauled Mississippi Valley 104-45 in Salt Lake City.

The 6-foot-2 preseason All-American had 12 points in the first quarter and 14 in the second quarter before shutting it down.

The former four-time Cook Inlet Conference Player of the Year went 7-for-7 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the line in an utterly unstoppable effort.

Pili (Dimond High) converted buckets from the post to the perimeter, cashing in on 20 points in the paint, including eight on second-chance opportunities. She also knocked down her only two 3-point attempts.

At the half:

Mississippi Valley State: 30
Alissa Pili 26

pic.twitter.com/5BOOSA6NOr

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) November 7, 2023

At the University of Washington, Sayvia Sellers of Anchorage made her college debut after coming off the bench to log 18 minutes.

The Huskies beat Sacramento State 76-28 with the two-time Alaska Player of the Year chipping in six points and three assists. She ran the point and had just one turnover.

Eleven players logged between 11 and 22 minutes. Sellers (ACS) was second in assists.

At Utah State University, Anchorage’s Skye Miller started in the backcourt and blew up the stat sheet in her first game at the NCAA Division I level.

The Aggies lost 79-64 to Cal State Northridge in a Mountain West/Big West matchup in Los Angeles.

Skye Miller

Miller (East High) racked up 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in a team-high 32 minutes.

The 5-foot-11 transfer comes from Eastern Arizona College where she was a NJCAA All-American and Region Championship MVP.

At UAF, junior starter Ellen Silva of Fairbanks crashed the boards and pulled down a combined 27 rebounds in three games over the weekend, including 10 against Colorado Mesa.

She finished fifth in the GNAC last season at 7.7 rebounds per game. She has now collected 316 carroms for her career.

The 6-foot-1 Silva (West Valley High) has a career scoring average of 7.3 points in 48 games.

Nanooks’ teammate Destiny Reimers of Anchorage scored 15 points against Colorado Mesa and ranks second on the team in scoring at 9.7 points in three games.

Destiny Reimers

The 5-foot-9 junior starter has reached double figures in 25 of 50 career games.

Reimers (ACS) has canned a 3-pointer in each of her first three games, matching her longest streak.

At UAA, the Seawolves lost 76-75 to Pacific in Forrest Grove, Oregon, after the Boxers converted two free throws inside the final second.

Pacific features senior starting forward Danica Schmidt, who was on the floor at the end of the game and furnished seven points and three blocked shots in 14 minutes.

Schmidt (Soldotna High) is the active rebounds leader among Alaska women at the college level, just ahead of Eagle River native Jordan Todd (ACS).

Alaska’s Active Rebounds Leaders
588 – Danica Schmidt, Pacific
584 – Jordan Todd, Northwestern State
559 – Alissa Pili, Utah
506 – Ituau Tuisaula, Stephen F. Austin

For the Seawolves, Jazzpher Evans led the way in scoring with 20 points and Senya Rabouin added 12, including a halfcourt shot to beat the halftime buzzer.

Senya Rabouin beats the buzzer from halfcourt to give ⁦@UAASeawolves⁩ a 35-31 lead at the break in the opener at Pacific. pic.twitter.com/51YJVxszkF

— UAA WBB (@UAAWBB) November 5, 2023