Box Score Game 1 Box Score (OPSU vs. CCU)
Game 2 Box Score (Alaska vs. CSUMB)
Photo Gallery - GCI Day One
Post-Game Interview w/ Coach Durham
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Alaska men's basketball team used an 18-0 run that spanned 3:35 in the second half as it was able to hold off Cal State Monterey Bay 80-73 on day one of the GCI Alaska Invitational Thursday night at the Patty Center.
The Nanooks (2-1) got a game-high 16 points from junior forward
Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Business and Finance) to go with his five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Junior guard
Pat Voeut (Bellingham, Wash./Communications) had 15 points and seven assists while junior center
Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration) added 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Junior forward
Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice Studies, Law & Society) also brought down a team-high 10 boards.
Alaska shot 41-percent for the game while holding Monterey Bay to a 34-percent night from the floor. The Otters (1-1) held the rebounding advantage at 48-40, including 18-11 on the offensive glass, but they committed 21 turnovers, to the 'Nooks' 13. Both teams saw considerable production from the reserves as CSUMB had 34 points off the bench and Alaska had 24. While the Otters shot 82-percent from the free throw line (23-28), the charity stripe wasn't friendly to the Nanooks, as they shot only 56-percent (18-32).
Trailing 52-46, a Tica jumper with 14:14 to go in regulation sparked a huge run by the Nanooks to ignite the crowd. Three Voeut free throws trimmed it to a point and a Tica trey gave Alaska the lead for good at 54-52. The Nanooks weren't done as it scored 10 more points, six coming by way of three-pointers and they led 64-52 with 10:39 to go.
The Otters cut it to five on four separate occasions down the stretch with the last coming at 78-73 with 16 ticks to go but Alaska shut the door by hitting free throws to preserve the win in its home opener.
CSUMB was paced by
Brandon Ward, who led five Otters in double figures with 14 points.
Geoff McIntosh,
Alex Fertig and
Coley Apsay all had 11 while
Kevin Loustale chipped in 10 points.
Derrick Anderson also led all players with a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Nanooks return to the Patty Center court Friday at 5:15 p.m. (AKST) when it faces Oklahoma Panhandle State (1-1), which
fell 70-54 to Colorado Christian (2-1) in game one of the Alaska Invitational on Thursday. Monterey Bay opens session two with a game against CCU at 3 p.m.
