PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team hits the road for the first time in four games, as they travel to Great Northwest Athletic Conference debutant, Concordia, and No. 8 Western Oregon. The Nooks take on the Cavaliers on Thursday, followed by a matchup with the No. 8-ranked team in the nation on Saturday. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 6 p.m. AKT.
The Nanooks are coming off a season-long four-game home stand, where they went 2-2. Alaska fell victim to a pair of overtime losses against Western Washington and Alaska Anchorage, but picked up a pair of wins over Simon Fraser and Montana State Billings to improve their GNAC record to 6-2, which is good enough for third place in the conference standings.
For Concordia, who is in its first season as an NCAA Division II team, are tied for seventh in the conference with MSU Billings. CU is 3-5 through their first eight GNAC contests, and are 5-10 overall. For Western Oregon, the No. 8-ranked team in the country opens the week in second place in the GNAC, as they are 7-1 overall. The Wolves are 14-2 on the year, with one of their two losses coming against NCAA Division I Oregon.
| Dates & Time | Jan. 21 & 23, 2016 | 6 p.m. AKT |
| Opponent | Thursday: at Concordia
Saturday: No. 8 Western Oregon |
| Location | Thursday: Cavalier Court | Portland, Oregon
Saturday: New PE Building | Monmouth, Oregon |
| Live Stream and Stats | Click Here |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook |
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team fell victim to an overtime loss for the second time on its four-game home stand, this time suffering a 100-91 defeat to archrival Alaska Anchorage in front of a season-best crowd of 919 fans at the Alaska Airlines Court.
The Nooks got an outstanding performance from junior Brandon Davis, who scored a team-best 21 points. It is the second 20-point outing in Davis' Alaska career, as he previously scored a career-high 22 points at Saint Martin's.
Success on the Road
This week marks only the third and fourth game the Nanooks have played a true road contest this season. Currently, Alaska is 2-0 in true road games, as they swept Saint Martin's and then No. 8-ranked Seattle Pacific back on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2.
Regionally Ranked
Alaska moved up one spot in the D2SIDA West Regional Poll to No. 9. This marks the sixth time this season the Nooks have been featured inside the Top 10 of the D2SIDA West Regional Poll.
High Octane Offense
Things have been heating up at the Alaska Airlines Court during a mild winter in Fairbanks. The Nooks offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, as they are averaging 86.6 points per game. That per game average is the third-highest in the GNAC, while it is also the 34th highest average in all of NCAA Division II.
Alaska has all five starters averaging double digits in points, led by senior Travante Williams, who is fourth in the conference in scoring with his 17.5 points per game average.
Mr. Double-Double
Senior Travante Williams has collected a double-double in three of his last four contests. Overall, the Anchorage, Alaska native has posted five double-doubles on the year, which is tied for the second-most in the GNAC. Williams' most recent double-double games against archrival Alaska Anchorage, as he turned in an 18-point, 10-rebound performance.
Williams is the one of two players in the GNAC to rank inside the top five of the conference's scoring and rebounding leaders. Through 16 games, the swing player is averaging 17.5 points (4th) and 7.4 rebounds (3rd).
Making the Most of His Opportunity
Junior Brandon Davis has provided a spark in whatever role he has played for the Nooks this season. He opened the year on the bench for Alaska, but of late, he has been a fixture in the Nanooks starting five.
Davis got his first career start on Dec. 11 against Northwest Indian, and he has since started every game since then. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Davis is averaging 14.0 points per game, and has scored double-figures in five of his six starts.
Scouting the Opposition – Concordia
The Cavaliers enter this week at 3-5 in the GNAC after splitting their last two weeks of league play. CU defeated Saint Martin's at home, and won their last game at Simon Fraser, 76-72. Concordia is 5-10 overall, but has played better of late, as four of their wins have come in their last seven games.
Offensively, the Cavaliers are led by Drew Martin, who is averaging 15.5 points per game. Martin is one of four double-digit scorers for Concordia, as he is joined by Latrell Wilson (14.4), Tyler Gutierrez (11.4) and Riley Hawken. As a team, CU is averaging 71.9 points per contest, while shooting 43.2 percent as a team.
Defensively, Concordia is giving up 85.7 points per game, and a 46.2 shooting percentage.
Scouting the Opposition – No. 8 Western Oregon
The Wolves come into this weekend on a five-game winning streak, all of which have come in GNAC games. WOU currently stands in second place in the conference standings with a 7-1 mark. On the year, Western Oregon boast a 14-2 mark, with their only losses coming in back-to-back games against NCAA Division I Oregon and Central Washington.
Preseason GNAC Player of the Year, Andy Avgi, once again leads Western Oregon, as he is averaging 21.0 points per game. Avgi leads a team that is averaging 80.9 points per game, and features four double-digit scorers. As a team, WOU is shooting 47.6 percent from the field.
Western Oregon has been tough on its opposition, as they are allowing teams to score just 68.7 points per game. However, teams have been shooting a healthy 44.7 percent from the field against the Wolves.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
