FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Following a thrilling overtime victory against defending conference champion Central Washington, the Alaska men's basketball team hits the road for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups.
The Nanooks (4-9, 1-2 GNAC) first take on Seattle Pacific (10-3, 2-2 GNAC) inside Brougham Pavilion in Seattle at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by Montana State-Billings (7-5, 2-2 GNAC) at Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Mont., at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Alaska will be looking for its first true road victory of the season, having dropped the first five.
Last week, the Nanooks split at home with a 93-83 loss to Northwest Nazarene (Dec. 29), followed by a 91-80 overtime rally against Central Washington (Dec. 31) in the final game of 2011.
In Thursday's defeat, NNU shot better than 49-percent and drained 11 three-pointers to pick up the road win at the Patty Center despite seven Nanooks scoring in double figures.
Jonathan Hawkins scored a game-high 19 points to lead five Crusaders in double figures. Freshman guard
Jesse Ward (North Pole, Alaska) and senior guard
Nico Matthews (Twenty Nine Palms, Calif./College of the Desert) each posted double-doubles as Ward had 12 points to Matthew's 11 and both tallied a career-best 11 rebounds each.
On Saturday, junior guard
Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/College of the Redwoods) drained a leaning three from the corner with 1.1 seconds left to force overtime and after scoring the first eight points of the extra period and limiting Central to just one field goal, Alaska was able to run away with its first home win of the season. Brinson scored a career-high 20 points to lead four Nanooks in double figures.
Kevin Davis led the Wildcats after posting a double-double with 24 points and 13 boards.
Alaska (Game Notes) at Seattle Pacific (Game Notes)
When: Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m.
Where: Seattle, Wash. (Brougham Pavilion)
Live Stats
Audio: KCBF 820 AM
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Seattle Pacific: Located in Seattle, Wash., Seattle Pacific University was founded in 1891 and has an enrollment of 4,000 students. The Falcons enter Thursday with a 10-3 overall record and 2-2 mark in conference play.
SPU plays a defensive style of basketball, averaging 66.4 points per game while allowing only 56.2 points per game (6th in NCAA) through 13 games. As a team, it shoots 45.6-percent from the floor, while its opponents are limited to 38.6-percent shooting. The Falcons outrebound opponents by a 34.8-30.2 margin and dish out just over 15 assists per game.
Three players score in double figures, led by
Andy Poling who scores 16.8 points per game, while tallying a team-best 8.4 rebounds per outing.
David Downs (15.2 ppg) and
Jobi Wall (11.5 ppg) also average double-figure scoring.
Coach: Ryan Looney (Eastern Oregon '98) is in his third season as head coach of the SPU men's basketball program and has tallied a record of 52-19 entering this week's games. He led the Falcons to NCAA Tournament berths in each of his first two seasons to extend the school's streak to seven straight. In his first season, he led the team to a 22-6 record and was named GNAC Coach of the Year. Looney's career coaching record is 189-90 after spending six years at his alma mater, Eastern Oregon (2004-10).
Alaska (Game Notes) at Montana State-Billings
When: Saturday, January 7 at 5 p.m.
Where: Billings, Mont. (Alterowitz Gymnasium)
Live Stats
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Montana State-Billings: Located in Billings, Mont., Montana State University Billings was founded in 1927 and has an enrollment of 5,274 students. The Yellowjackets enter this week with a 7-5 overall record and 2-2 mark in the GNAC.
MSUB averages 79.9 points per game while allowing 73.7 points through 12 games this season. As a team, it shoots 42.3-percent from the floor, while its opponents are a little better at 43.4-percent. The Yellowjackets hold a slim lead in the rebounding department with 39.3 rebounds as opposed to 38.8 for the opposition.
Four players score in double figures, led by
Antoine Proctor, who averages 18.1 points per game. Other double-figure scorers include
Jaxon Myaer (13.6 ppg),
Taylor Stevens (11.0 ppg) and
Robert Mayes (10.7 ppg). Mayes is also the leading rebounder with 7.2 boards per outing.
Coach: Jamie Stevens (Montana State-Billings '99) is in his inaugural year at the helm of his alma mater and is the first basketball alumnus to be named head coach of the program. He came back to Billings after spending three seasons at Central Wyoming College where he guided it to a 53-39 record.
