Jan. 11, 2007
Fairbanks, AK - The Alaska Nanook men used a huge second half to take down Northwest Nazarene 79-60 at the Patty Center Thursday night. The Nanooks (11-6 overall, 2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) shot 58.6 percent in the second half and outscored the Crusaders (6-8, 1-2) by 13 in the second frame.
Junior guard Mike Titus (Fairbanks, AK) scored 12 of his game-high 15 points in the second half and junior guard Barry Barnes, Jr. (Long Beach, CA) had all 11 of his points after the intermission as UAF outscored NNU 52-39 in the final 20 minutes. Alaska converted 17 of 29 shots, including six of 13 treys in the final half.
Freshman guard Jordan Hayter (Grants Pass, OR) added 14 points, two off of his career high, plus six rebounds. Junior guard Kenny Barker (San Diego, CA) chipped in 11 points and four steals to round out the double figure scorers for Alaska.
Senior forward Jushay Rockett, ranked 17th in the nation in scoring coming into the contest, was held to eight points but had 11 rebounds as Alaska outboarded Northwest Nazarene 35-30.
Guard Tim Ireland led the Crusaders with 15 points and center Jason Simmons contributed 13 points. NNU, however, shot just 36.1 percent (22-61), including 26.9 (7-26) in the opening half. Alaska blocked seven Crusader shots, including four by sophomore forward Colin Matteson (Lynnwood, WA).
By contrast, the Nanooks shot 52.8 from the floor including 9-22 on three-pointers. Titus and Barnes both hit three triples each.
Alaska returns to action Jan. 18 on the road at Western Oregon in Monmouth. The Nanooks complete their GNAC road trip with a Jan. 20 visit to Saint Martin's in Lacey, WA.
