University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Box Score Photo Gallery

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Patty Center has proven to be one of the toughest places to play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this season.
 
It flexed its muscles as such again on Saturday, as the Alaska men's basketball team pushed its best home start in 11 years to 8-0 with its 10th straight home win dating back to last season, thanks to a 79-69 win over Northwest Nazarene.
 
Alaska (10-5, 5-2 GNAC) has been hot lately, winning three in a row and six of its last seven. Saturday was the Nanooks' 10th victory of the season, giving them back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.
 
The Crusaders (5-10, 3-4 GNAC) rained 3-pointers from the outside Saturday, making 14 treys, but the Nanooks dominated down low, outscoring NNU 34-16 in the paint. Alaska also outrebounded its opponent for only the third time this season, topping Northwest Nazarene on the glass 34-30.
 
Senior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice) logged his third double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Senior forward Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration) scored a season-high 20 points, including hitting five 3-pointers and going 7 for 10 from the floor.
 
Northwest Nazarene's Derek Isaak led all players with 24 points, all from hitting eight 3-pointers (8 for 14). The Crusaders' 14 total 3s were well over their 10.4 treys per contest coming into the game. Michael Loomis hit four 3-pointers and was a perfect 5 for 5 from the free-throw line to finish the game with 19 points. NNU's Kevin Rima notched 10 points and pulled down a team-high eight boards.
 
Alaska shot over 50 percent for the second time in three games, outshooting Northwest Nazarene 52.7 to 41.1 percent. The Nanooks also relied heavily on ball control, dishing 20 assists and only turning it over 11 times. It was the seventh time in their last eight games they finished with a positive assist/turnover ratio. Alaska had 11 steals, with Kelly, senior guard Ronnie Baker (Vallejo, Calif./Communication) and junior guard Joe Slocum (San Francisco/Communication) all grabbing three each.
 
Northwest Nazarene hit a 3-pointer to open the game, but it would be the only lead it would hold for the rest of the night. Back-to-back buckets by senior center Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration), who finished with 11 points and five rebounds, put the Nanooks up 4-3 to take the lead for good.
 
Alaska pushed its lead to as many as 10 in the first half on two occasions, but the long ball kept the Crusaders in the game. Four treys during a 16-7 lead cut a 10-point Nanooks lead to one, and back-to-back 3-pointers from Loomis and Isaak to start the second half made it a one-point game again.
 
The Nanooks answered with their own long-range attack, growing their lead to double digits again just 3 minutes, 57 seconds into the first half thanks to three-straight 3-pointers from Slocum and Tica. But just as before, the Crusaders came back within one point on a 14-5 run that was powered by four 3-pointers – three from Isaak and the last from Pol Olivier. Olivier was fouled on his trey, giving him a chance for a four-point play that would have tied the game, but he missed his free throw, leaving the Nanooks with a 55-54 lead with 12:44 to play.
 
Alaska stretched its lead back to 10 points with 4:08 to play, and Northwest Nazarene's hot hand from beyond the arc cooled off. The Crusaders went 2 for 7 from downtown in the game's final 3:10, and the Nanooks went 7 for 10 from the free throw line in the last 1:28 as NNU began trying to stop the clock, allowing Alaska to hold on for the win.
 
Senior forward Dallen Bills (Inkom, Idaho/Psychology) scored a season-high nine points for Alaska and grabbed three rebounds. Redshirt sophomore forward John Renfro (Fairbanks, Alaska/Biological Sciences) also contributed for the Nanooks off the bench, scoring four points and pulling down a rebound in just seven minutes of floor time.
 
Alaska closes out the first half of this season's GNAC schedule next week with road games at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. The Nanooks face the Saints live on TV at 8 p.m. AKST Thursday on ROOT SPORTS. They take on Western Oregon at 1 p.m. AKST Saturday.