Nov. 3, 2007
Final Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK - Overall, Alaska's second meeting with Simpson University bore a surprising resemblance to the first: a cagey, tightly-played first half followed by the Nanooks pulling away in an open, fast-paced second. Despite trailing at the break, Alaska quickly asserted themselves in the final 20 minutes, finally pulling away for their second win of the season, 93-81.
Toyota Player of the Game Kevin Atkins recorded his second consecutive double-double, chipping in 24 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Mike Titus also hit for 23 points, as five Nanooks landed in double-figures for scoring.
"I knew Atkins was going to be a scorer, but what he did tonight totally amazed me," said head coach Clemon Johnson "I didn't expect that much out of him."
As they did on Thursday, Simpson University started strong, and actually went into the break with a 50-46 lead, as early foul trouble for Atkins and Thursday night's hero, Colin Matteson, left the Nanooks having to work with a smaller lineup for most of the first half. As it turned out, however, there weren't many rebounds to be had against Simpson anyway, as they shot 64 percent from the floor (18-28) in the first half.
As expected, the Nanooks came out of the dressing room with a renewed intensity. Mike Titus immediately started the comeback process with a three-pointer from the wing. Walk-on and fan favorite Bo Edwards played a key role in getting Alaska back into the game as well, creating and finishing a fast break with a steal before slipping a clever pass to Kevin Atkins underneath the basket that led to two points as well.
But it was on the defensive end that Alaska was really able to turn the game, holding the Redhawks to just 9 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Simpson went five minutes without a bucket as a 16-0 Nanooks run put the game out of reach.
"That's the game of basketball," said Johnson. "I told the guys to understand this: the game's in runs: we are going to make a run, they are going to make a run. What we need to do is make a run and sustain it."
"They shot a lot of shots the first game, but just didn't hit them," he added. "Tonight, in the first half, they hit them. There were some times that we were in their face and they hit some shots. But I love the strength of the players where they said `Ok, we aren't going to lose this game.'"
Colin Matteson and Philippe Jourdain had 14 points apiece for the Nanooks, while Mladen Begojevic finished with 10. Alaska also shot 86 percent (31-36) from the free throw line for the game.
Simpson University's Alex Nixon enjoyed a monster night, recorded a double-double of his own (29 points, 10 boards) in a losing cause. Sophomore Josh Sidener also had 14 points for the Redhawks.
Alaska now heads out to California for a exhibition meeting with Division I powerhouse Golden Bears. Tipoff in that match is expected at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time.
