Senior Day in Fairbanks
The Nanooks conclude the home portion of their regular season schedule Saturday as they host Simon Fraser at the Patty Center. Seniors
Dominique Brinson and
Zach Ngawaka will be honored prior to tipoff. Live stats and video are available for the contest and it can also be heard on KCBF 820 AM.
Nanooks at a Glance
Alaska currently sits 14-9 on the season with a 9-6 mark in GNAC play following a stunning 77-73 upset victory Thursday over second-ranked Western Washington. With the win, the Nanooks clinched their first postseason berth since 2004-05 and their first ever appearance in the GNAC Championship.
Dominique Brinson leads the team with 12.7 points per game while
Pat Voeut averages 11.4 points and 5.3 assists.
Sergej Pucar is tied with Voeut at 11.4 points and is second with 7.2 rebounds.
Andrew Kelly has one more rebound than Pucar to lead the team with 7.2 boards per game. Alaska averages 73.3 points per game while holding opponents to 68.8 points per game. The Nanooks rank third in the GNAC in free throw percentage (.723), field goal percentage defense (.423), rebounding margin (+4.1) and assists (16.7).
Alaska Stuns Western, Ends Nation's Longest Win Streak
Alaska did the unthinkable as it upset No. 2 Western Washington 77-73 Thursday night, ending the defending national champions' 30-game win streak that stretched nearly a calendar year.
Sergej Pucar scored a career-high 26 points while
Ronnie Baker had 18 points. WWU was led by
John Allen, who poured in 33 points, 26 coming in the second half.
That victory, which ended an 11-game losing streak to Western, clinched the program's first ever bid to the GNAC Championship and will be the first time in eight seasons the Nanooks will be participating in post-season play.
'Nooks in the GNAC Top-10 and National Rankings
Dominique Brinson ranks 14th on the GNAC's scoring list (12.7) while
Pat Voeut and
Sergej Pucar are tied for 20th in the same category (11.4). Voeut's career-high nine dimes moved him into a tie for first in assists (5.3) and he also ranks third in steals (1.6), eighth in free throw percentage (.831) and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
Andrew Kelly is fourth in rebounding (7.2) while Pucar is sixth on the glass (7.2) and third in three-point shooting (.475). Brinson is also tied for fifth in threes made (2.2) and sixth in free throw percentage (.847) and
Ronnie Baker is ninth in steals (1.4).
Nationally, Alaska is 18th in assists (16.7), 48th in assist/turnover ratio (1.13) and 49th in rebounding margin (+4.1). Voeut is 22nd in assists, 78th in assist/turnover ratio and 91st in free throw percentage.
Scouting the Clan
Simon Fraser dropped a 78-68 decision Thursday at Alaska Anchorage to fall to 6-18 on the year and 1-15 in GNAC play. The Clan average 73.5 points per game while allowing foes to score 77.5 per outing. SFU is led by
Anto Olah, who scores 13.2 points per game while two others average at least 12.1 points per contest. Olah is also second in the GNAC with 7.3 rebounds per game.
John Bantock ranks ninth in three-point shooting (.439) while
Elijah Matthews is 10th in the same category (.429). Matthews also hits 2.4 treys per game, which is third in the league.
