FAIRBANKS, Alaska.—After a cool start in cold Fairbanks, the Hawai`i Hilo women's basketball team warmed up for a season-opening 62-49 win over the University of Alaska on Friday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The victory gives the Vulcans a win in their campaign opener for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Alaska, who finished 13-14 last year, starts the year 0-1. The two squads will square off again tomorrow afternoon in the two-game series.

The Vulcans have one of the better guard tandems in the Pacific West Conference this season in Kim Schmelz (honorable mention) and Safia Sheikh (third team). That duo played fine today, with Schmelz finishing with 10 points and Sheikh had 12.

But it was a pair of newcomers that would lead the way to victory tonight for the Vulcans.

6-0 freshman Allie Navarette had 15 points and eight rebounds in her college debut and junior transfer Danielle Dacosta had 14 points and eight boards as the visitors pulled away late in the contest. Dacosta, a 5-9 guard from Sierra (Calif.) College, made all six of her shots from the field, including two from three-point range.

In the opening period, it looked like it might be a long night for the visitors.

The Vulcans scored just ten points in the quarter. Tied at 6-6, the Nanooks pulled away to a 16-10 lead after the first ten minutes of play.

But in the second quarter, the Vulcans heated up big time. After trailing 20-11, they would go on a 10-0 run and would take the lead on a Schmelz trey, 21-20. The two teams would trade buckets the rest of the quarter, before Sheikh's three-pointer would give UHH a 36-32 lead at halftime. The Vulcans outscored UAF 26-16 in the second ten minutes of play.

Although it couldn't have been predicted then, the Vulcans wouldn't trail again the rest of the night.

The pace slowed again in the third quarter as UH Hilo kept just a few steps ahead of their hosts. After Alaska pulled to within one point (42-41), the Vulcans hit a pair of three's before the end of the quarter—one by Alyssa Movchan and another by Dacosta, to take a 48-41 lead into the final quarter.

In the final period, Sheikh hit two more key long bombs and Dacosta added the back-breaker with just over a minute left as the Vulcans pulled away. The final count of 62-49 was their largest lead of the night.

Alaska scored just seven points in the fourth quarter.

The visitors hit 9 of 23 three-point attempts, which helped them overcome 22 turnovers. The Vulcans also received 34 productive points off their bench. The Nanooks, who shot just 29 percent from the field, were led by Lexi Carpenter's 12 points.

The two teams will tip off tomorrow at 2 pm Alaska time (1 pm Hawaii).