Durham Previews the Week
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After a strenuous four-game road trip, the Alaska men's basketball team returns home to host Montana State-Billings and Seattle Pacific this week in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games at the Patty Center.
The Nanooks (4-17, 1-10 GNAC) first host the Yellowjackets (12-7, 7-4 GNAC) before taking on the Falcons (16-4, 8-3 GNAC). Earlier this season, Alaska fell 95-70 at MSUB (Jan. 7) and 67-54 at SPU (Jan. 5).
“The road has been tough on us, there's no question about that,” head coach
Mick Durham said. “Anytime you have to go play two GNAC games on the road, let alone four GNAC games on the road, it can be pretty brutal.
He continued, “We're obviously looking forward to being home, not only this weekend but two of the next three weekends. We're looking forward to getting in our gym a little bit and seeing if we can make some improvements this week.”
Alaska is currently on an eight-game losing skid following a 74-69 loss at Central Washington (Jan. 26) and a 62-53 defeat at Northwest Nazarene (Jan. 28).
Sergej Pucar led the offense with 14.5 points, while
Carthal McDonald averaged 14 points, including a career-high 20 Saturday at NNU. McDonald also brought down a career-best 12 rebounds at CWU on Thursday.
Dominique Brinson contributed 13.0 points a game while totaling seven assists and four steals.
Nico Matthews returned to action after missing the previous two games the week prior and tallied 12 points, 13 assists and seven steals in the two games.
In the GNAC rankings,
Stefan Tica is the 13th-leading scorer (14.5 ppg) and is fourth in three-pointers made (2.5 per game). Matthews all season has been the theft master with a GNAC-best 2.7 steals per game. He is also third in assists (4.8 apg), fifth in assist-turnover ratio (2.1), eighth in defensive rebounds (4.8/gm) and 12th in total rebounds (5.8 rpg). Brinson sits 10th in steals (1.5 spg) and 12th in free throw percentage (.797) while Pucar is 14th in offensive rebounds (1.7/gm). As a team, Alaska is the fourth-best free throw shooting (.742) team in the league.
Game 22: Alaska (Game Notes) vs. Montana State-Billings
When: Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)
Live Stats
Audio: KCBF 820 AM
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 12-7 overall record and 7-4 mark in the GNAC following a pair of home wins against Western Oregon and Saint Martin's last week.
MSUB averages 82.8 points per game while allowing 75.4 points in its 19 games this season. As a team, it shoots 44.2-percent from the floor, while its opponents shoot 43.8-percent. The Yellowjackets hold a slim 38.3 to 37.2 rebounding advantage.
Four players score in double figures, led by
Antoine Proctor, who is the second-leading scorer in the GNAC with 18.9 points per game.
Jaxon Myaer (14.1),
Robert Mayes (11.3) and
Taylor Stevens (11.1) also average double-figure scoring. Mayes is also the team's leading rebounder with 6.9 boards per game.
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.
Game 23: Alaska (Game Notes) vs. Seattle Pacific (Game Notes)
When: Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)
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 16-4 overall record and an 8-3 mark in conference play after picking up wins against SMU and WOU last week.
SPU plays a defensive style of basketball, averaging 68.3 points per game while allowing only 57.5 points per game (3rd in NCAA) through 20 games. As a team, it shoots 46-percent from the floor, while its opponents are limited to 38.1-percent shooting. The Falcons outrebound opponents by an average margin of 37.5 to 29.0.
Three players score in double figures, led by
Andy Poling who scores 14.7 points per game, while tallying a team-best 7.9 rebounds per outing.
David Downs (14.4 ppg) and
Jobi Wall (11.2 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 58-20 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).
