Nov. 12, 2006
Box Score
Orlando, FL - The Alaska Nanooks had their four-game winning streak snapped 94-73 by No. 6 Southern Indiana in the championship game at Disney's Division II Tip-Off Classic Sunday. The Nanooks (4-1) hung tough for the first 10 minutes of play before the Screaming Eagles (3-0) rattled off a five-minute 27-5 run.
"We played well the first ten," Alaska head coach Frank Ostanik said. "Then we took some bad shots and made some bad decisions. It just snowballed from there."
Melvin Hall led four double figure scorers with 19 points including five three-pointers for the Screaming Eagles. The win gave DII powerhouse USI its second straight Tip-Off Classic title.
"That's one of the best teams at our level," Ostanik said. "They are essentially a Division I team. They've got all the pieces and they are well-coached."
Senior forward Jushay Rockett (Long Beach, CA) topped Alaska with 21 points and eight rebounds. With three 20+ scoring efforts, Rockett shared Co-Most Outstanding Player honors with Southern Indiana center Rashard Sullivan. Junior guard Barry Barnes, Jr. (Long Beach, CA) joined Rockett on the All-Tournament team.
Junior guard Kenny Barker (San Diego, CA) notched a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore Colin Matteson added a career-high 10 points.
Ostanik pointed out that the Nanooks showed some fight in the second half and outscored USI by two points. After shooting an abysmal 33 percent in the first half, Alaska hit half of their shots in the second frame.
"We learned some things about ourselves," Ostanik said. "Our guys kept coming in the second half."
The Nanooks return to Fairbanks Monday to begin preparation for the 2006 BP Top of the World Classic. Alaska opens up the Classic against Weber State Nov. 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the Carlson Center.
