FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Alaska hits the road for the final time this season as it travels down to Simon Fraser and 15th-ranked Western Washington for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests.
The Nanooks (4-19, 1-12 GNAC) first take on the Clan (7-13, 2-10 GNAC) Thursday in Burnaby, British Columbia, before heading to Bellingham, Wash., to face the league-leading Vikings (20-3, 11-1 GNAC) Saturday.
Durham Video Preview
Alaska is currently on a 10-game losing skid following a 75-64 loss to Montana State-Billings (Feb. 2) and a 79-53 defeat against Seattle Pacific (Feb. 4).
Sergej Pucar led the team with 15.0 points per game, including 21 points Thursday vs. MSUB. He also connected on nine of 10 free throw attempts.
Dominique Brinson averaged 10.5 points after scoring a team-high 17 Saturday vs. SPU. Brinson also contributed 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per outing.
Nico Matthews was the other double-figure scorer with 10.0 points a game, after turning in a 14-point performance Thursday. He also was perfect from the charity stripe (8-8) and tallied 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
Stefan Tica, the team's leading scorer, (14.3 ppg) missed Saturday's game vs. SPU after suffering an ankle injury on Thursday. He is expected to be back in action against SFU this week.
In the GNAC rankings, Tica is the 16th-leading scorer (14.3 ppg) and is fourth in three-pointers made (2.5 per game). Matthews all season has been the theft master with a GNAC-best 2.8 steals per game. He is also third in assists (4.8 apg), fifth in assist-turnover ratio (2.1), eighth in defensive rebounds (4.5/gm) and 15th in total rebounds (5.6 rpg) and free throw percentage (.791). Brinson sits eighth in steals (1.6 spg) and 10th in free throw percentage (.803) while Pucar is 13th in offensive rebounds (1.7/gm). As a team, Alaska is the fourth-best free throw shooting (.750) team in the league.
Game 24: Alaska (Game Notes) at Simon Fraser
When: Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. Pacific
Where: Burnaby, British Columbia (SFU West Gym)
Live Stats
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Simon Fraser: Located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Simon Fraser University was founded in 1965 and has an enrollment of 30,000 students. Known as the lone NCAA-affiliated school in Canada, the Clan enters this week with a 7-13 record and a 2-10 mark in the GNAC.
SFU averages 77.2 points a game, while opponents score a tad more at 79.5 points through 20 games this season. As a team, it shoots 42.9-percent from the floor, while the opposition shoots 48.3-percent. SFU allows its foes to hold a slim rebounding advantage at 36.6 to 34.8 on average.
Two active players average double figures, led by
Justin Brown (16.4 ppg).
Jordan Sergent also scores in double figures (14.6 ppg), while
Connor Lewis contributes just under 10 points a game (9.3 ppg). Sergent leads the squad with 7.6 rebounds per outing.
Coach: James Blake (Victoria '00) is in his second season at the helm after leading the Clan to a 3-21 record in the program's first year at the NCAA level. Prior to joining the staff at SFU, he spent time as associate head coach at Columbia College following a stint as an assistant at Division I's Cal State-Northridge.
Game 25: Alaska (Game Notes) at #15 Western Washington (Weekly Release)
When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Pacific
Where: Bellingham, Wash. (Sam Carver Gym)
Live Stats
Live Audio (KBAI 930 AM – Bellingham)
Video: NMTVSports (Free Streaming)
About Western Washington: Located in Bellingham, Wash., Western Washington University was founded in 1893 and has an enrollment of 14,979 students. The #15 Vikings enter Thursday with a 20-3 overall record and an 11-1 mark in conference play.
WWU, which moved up one spot to No. 15 in this week's NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Feb. 7), averages 83.4 points per game while allowing 72.5 points through 23 games this season. As a team, it shoots 49.8-percent from the floor, while holding its opponents to 43.7-percent shooting. The Vikings control the boards by a margin of 37.3 to 32.0
Four players score in double figures, led by
Rory Blanche, who averages 16.6 points per game, to go with his team-best 7.3 rebounds. Other double-figure scorers include
John Allen (15.0 ppg),
Zach Henifin (10.8) and
Richard Woodworth (10.7).
Coach: Brad Jackson (Washington State '75) is in his 27th season at the helm and is the winningest coach in program history as he reached the 500-win mark (507-277) back on Jan. 5 vs. Saint Martin's. He has directed the Vikings to 18 post-season appearances during his tenure, including a run to the national semifinal in 2011. He has guided his teams to 11 20-win seasons.
