FAIRBANKS, Alaska - A fast start lifted the Anderson women's basketball team to a convincing 81-48 win past host Alaska-Fairbanks, as the Trojans continued play in the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational Friday night at the Patty Center.

Anderson snapped a brief two-game winless streak en route to improving to 3-3 overall, as the Trojans evened their record at 1-1 at the Invitational. Alaska fell to 0-5 on the season.

The Trojans scored the first 11 points of the game as part of a 20-4 run to open the contest and never trailed, as seniors Amanda Parris and Tilde Ahlin led the way in the opening five minutes with six and five points, respectively.

A driving layup by sophomore guard Sierra Simpson gave Anderson a 27-7 cushion with 11:38 left in the first half, as the Trojans were shooting 56 percent (10-of-18), including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, at the second media timeout.

The Nanooks pulled within 29-14 on back-to-back baskets with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, but would get no closer as the Trojans responded with a 10-4 run to gain a 21-point lead with just more than five minutes remaining in the first half. AU doubled up the Nanooks, 48-24, at the break with Parris scoring the final five points of the half.

The 48-point effort represented the most points scored in a half by the Trojans since posting 51 points in the second half in last season's 88-56 road win past Erskine.

Anderson opened cold in the second half, missing its first six attempts from the field and did not score until senior Alissa Diaz sank one of two technical free throws with 16:12 left in the game. But the Nanooks were nearly as cold, tallying just six points in the first six minutes of the frame and Ahlin gave Anderson a 55-30 cushion with her second 3-pointer of the game from the top of the circle at the 13:23 mark.

Parris finished with a team-high 13 points, while sophomore Kimberly Major added nine points in just 11 minutes of action. Ahlin, Diaz, Sierra Simpson, Madison Floyd, Breonda Shannon and Jasmine Franklin each chipped in eight points apiece, with Floyd, Shannon and Franklin each sharing team rebounding honors, as each pulled down five boards.

Anderson wraps up action at the tournament by squaring off against the Peacocks of Upper Iowa, who slipped to 1-1 at the tournament after falling to Winona State in Friday night's early game. The Peacocks defeated Alaska, 85-79, on Thursday.