FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Alaska returns home for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball matchups as it hosts Western Oregon Thursday and Saint Martin's on Saturday. Both contests are set for 7 p.m.
The Nanooks enter the week 4-21 overall with a 1-14 mark in the GNAC, while the Wolves are 16-7 on the year and 9-5 in league play and the Saints are 8-15 and 4-10.
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Alaska is currently on a 12-game losing skid following a pair of tough losses at Simon Fraser and then-ranked No. 15 Western Washington.
On Thursday, the 'Nooks came back from 21 points down to tie the game, but Simon Fraser hit key free throws down the stretch to escape with a 79-71 win in Burnaby, B.C. On Saturday, Alaska led by as many as nine points in the second half, but the Vikings hit two three-pointers late to take the lead and hold off UAF's upset bid.
“We feel pretty good about the road trip,” head coach
Mick Durham said. “We played three good halves. Our first half against Simon Fraser was really a struggle, but once we got that by us, the second half we came from 21 points down to tie it and then we went in to Saturday night against a Western team that is playing very well and leading the league. We really put a good 40 minutes together, but it came down to finishing at the end.”
Dominique Brinson scored a game- and career-high 30 points Thursday and led the team with 23.5 points per game last week. He made 16 of 29 shots and drained six treys, while sinking nine of 10 from the free throw line.
Nico Matthews posted his second career double-double at SFU Thursday with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, one off his career high in both categories.
In the GNAC rankings, Matthews all season has been the theft master with a GNAC-best 2.9 steals per game, while ranking second in assists with 5.0 dimes per outing. He is also fourth in assist-turnover ratio (2.2), seventh in defensive rebounds (4.7/gm), ninth in field goal percentage (.524), 13th in total rebounds (5.8 rpg) and 14th in free throw percentage (.791).
Stefan Tica is the 16th-leading scorer (13.8 ppg) and is fifth in three-pointers made (2.4 per game). Brinson, who moved into the top 20 in scoring in 19th (12.7 ppg), sits seventh in free throw percentage (.816) and 10th in steals (1.5 spg).
Sergej Pucar is 12th in offensive rebounds (1.7/gm). As a team, Alaska is also the third-best free throw shooting (.752) team in the league.
Game 26: Alaska (Game Notes) vs. Western Oregon
When: Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)
Live Stats
Live Audio (KCBF 820 AM)
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Western Oregon: Located in Monmouth, Ore., Western Oregon University was founded in 1856 and has an enrollment of 6,500 students. The Wolves enter the week with a 16-7 overall record with a 9-5 mark in the GNAC. Back on Jan. 21, WOU took an 80-67 victory over Alaska in Monmouth, Ore.
WOU, winners of two in a row, averages 70.8 points per game while allowing 64.7 points through 23 games this season. As a team, it shoots 46-percent from the floor, while holding its opponents to 41-percent shooting. The Vikings control the boards by a slim margin of 33.7 to 32.7.
Three players average double-figure scoring, led by
Blair Wheadon, who tallies 15.9 points per game. Other top scorers include
Kyle Long (13.6 ppg) and
Kolton Nelson (10.5 ppg).
James Gehring leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per outing.
Coach: Brady Bergeson (Chapman '00) is in first season at the helm of the WOU men's basketball program after spending the previous three years at Division I's Sacramento State, where he served as the team's offensive coordinator and worked with recruiting and academic development. He was an assistant at Metro State the six years before that, making five NCAA appearances and winning the RMAC title four times.
Game 27: Alaska (Game Notes) vs. Saint Martin's
When: Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center
Live Stats
Live Audio (KCBF 820 AM)
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Saint Martin's: Located in Lacey, Wash., Saint Martin's University was founded in 1895 and has an enrollment of 1,781 students. The Saints enter Thursday with an 8-15 overall record with a 4-10 mark in the GNAC.
SMU averages 67.5 points per game while allowing 71.0 points through 23 games this season. As a team, it shoots 43.8-percent from the floor, while its opponents are a tad better at 44.8-percent. The Saints struggle on the boards as opponents win the rebounding war by an average of 38.4 to 32.0.
Three players score in double figures, led by
Jeremy Green, who scores 17.7 points per game. Other double-figure scorers include
Brok Pendleton (14.7 ppg) and
Roger O'Neill (13.3 ppg). Green also leads the team in rebounds (7.5 rpg), while Pendleton is not far off the lead pace (7.3 rpg).
Coach: Keith Cooper (Seattle Pacific) is in his ninth season at the helm of the SMU program and has compiled a career record of 104-140 entering this week. He led his teams to back-to-back winning seasons (2008-10) for the first time in 18 years.
