Dec. 29, 2006
Anchorage, AK - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team gave head coach Frank Ostanik a late Christmas present with a 76-71 upset win over nationally ranked BYU Hawaii Friday afternoon. The Nanooks (9-5) used a second-half surge and a season-high scoring effort from senior Jushay Rockett (Long Beach, CA) to topple the No. 19 ranked Seasiders (8-4). The win also sealed a sweep for Alaska in the AT&T Alascom Jamboree in the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
Alaska shot a season-high 55 percent from the floor in the win. Rockett, the leading scorer and rebounder in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, torched BYUH with a career-high 33 points and nine rebounds.
The 6-5 forward hit 12 of 18 shots from the floor and 9 of 12 free throws against a Seasider frontline the features two players standing 6-9 and 230-plus pounds. Playing out of position at center for most of the game, Rockett also turned back five shots and nabbed three steals to earn AT&T Alascom Player of the Game honors.
Rockett wasn't the only Nanook to shine against BYU Hawaii. Junior guard Kenny Barker (San Diego, CA) added 19 points and junior guard Mike Titus (Fairbanks, AK) chipped in 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers for Alaska.
Alaska kept close in a first half that saw four ties and five lead changes with the Seasiders on top 38-35 at the break. Rockett's 19 first-half points were a big reason the Nanooks stayed within striking distance and allowed the team to come alive in the second frame.
Trailing 53-47 with 11:22 left, the Nanooks mounted a game-changing 16-4 run over the next seven minutes. Rockett had seven points in the outburst including an alley-oop jam off pass from junior point Barry Barnes, Jr. (Long Beach, CA).
But it was Barker's two triples that seemed to deflate BYU Hawaii. The first three gave Alaska it's first lead since five minutes left in the first half at 56-53. The second sealed the run at 63-57 after a careless Seasider turnover. The lead bulged to as many 11 points before BYU Hawaii made two late three pointers.
