University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska men's basketball team returns home this week after getting its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference road win of the season Saturday, and will look to extend its best start at home in 11 years when it hosts Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
 
Their 6-0 record this season at the Patty Center is the Nanooks' best home start since 2002-03 when they started 11-0 at home. They have won eight home games in a row dating back to last season. The last team to beat Alaska at home was Central Washington on Feb. 2, 2013, 71-54.
 
Thursday's game against the Wildcats (7-6, 3-2 GNAC) is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Saturday's game against the Crusaders (5-8, 3-2 GNAC) is the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Alaska women's basketball team, which takes on rival Alaska Anchorage at 5:15 p.m. Northwest Nazarene and the Nanooks will tip 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
 
The Nanooks (8-5, 3-2 GNAC) won at Montana State Billings Saturday for their first win in Alterowitz Gymnasium in three years, and its first conference road victory since a 68-67 overtime win at Saint Martin's on Feb. 9, 2013. Alaska was the only GNAC team to pick up a road victory last weekend, as home teams went a combined 8-1 on Thursday and Saturday.
 
Both of the Nanooks' games this weekend will prove pivotal in the GNAC standings, as they enter the week in a three-way tie for third place with both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. The Wildcats have won three GNAC games in a row, while Northwest Nazarene is coming off a GNAC weekend sweep at home with wins over Western Oregon and Saint Martin's.
 
Alaska has been on a roll lately, winning four of its last five games to snap a three-game losing streak that spanned from Nov. 29-Dec. 7. Senior center Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration) has been a big part of that revival. After averaging 11.8 points through the season's first 10 games, he's averaged 18 per game in the last three, including being the Nanooks' leading scorer for two of those contests.
 
Senior guard Ronnie Baker (Vallejo, Calif./Communication) continues to be the team's overall leading scorer this season with 16.4 ppg. He has been the team's leading scorer in nine of 14 games this season. Senior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice) has taken care of the glass for the Nanooks, averaging a team-best 8.2 rebounds a game – third in the GNAC.
 
The Nanooks are back to being the GNAC's best scoring defense, limiting opponents to a conference-low 67.0 points per game, which is ranked 34th in the country. Alaska's turnover margin is tops in the GNAC as well. The Nanooks are forcing 14.7 turnovers a game while only giving up 9.9 for a +4.8 margin. That margin is ranked 14th in the nation, and their 9.9 turnovers per game are tied for ninth-lowest in all of NCAA Division II.
 
Game #14: Central Washington at Alaska – Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
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The Wildcats (7-6, 3-2 GNAC) capped off a weekend home sweep with a 106-103 double overtime win over Western Oregon Saturday. CWU is now 2-0 this season in overtime games after also beating BYU-Hawaii in OT 100-93 on Nov. 23. Before their recent three-game winning streak, the Wildcats were just 2-6 against NCAA Division II teams this season.
 
Central Washington boasts the GNAC's third-best scoring offense (83.7 ppg) but carries the conference's worst scoring defense, allowing 80.3 ppg. CWU also rebounds well but gives up just as many, pulling down 36.3 boards a game (third in GNAC) while allowing opponents to grab 36.9 rebounds a game – worst in the conference. The Wildcats boast the conference's best scorer in Mark McLaughlin, who is averaging 26.3 ppg. He is also among the GNAC's top-15 in rebounding (11th, 5.8 rpg), assists (11th, 3.2 apg), free-throw percentage (11th, 82.2 percent) and 3-pointers made (14th, 1.7 per game). Central Washington has shot 46.5 percent from the field this season while opponents have shot 45.3 percent.
 
Game #15: Northwest Nazarene at Alaska – Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. (AKST)
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The Crusaders (5-8, 3-2 GNAC) endured a five-game losing streak earlier this season, but have won two in a row and three of their last four. NNU is the GNAC's lowest-scoring team, averaging 68.8 ppg – the only team averaging less than 70 points per game. That results in the Crusaders' conference-worst scoring margin of -6.8 – all of which could be a factor of their -4.1 turnover margin and 0.9 assist/turnover ratio, both last in the GNAC.
 
Four players average in double-figure scoring for the Crusaders, led by Mario Donaldson's 14.6 ppg. Kevin Rima is the team's leading rebounder at 8.0 rpg and has dished the most assists with 38 this season. Rima is also the team's third-best scorer with 12.1 ppg. Michael Loomis has missed only one free throw this season (25 for 26) and is shooting a GNAC-best 96.2 percent from the charity stripe.