University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week, as they host Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. The Nanooks will take on the Crusaders on Thursday at 7 p.m. before challenging the Wildcats at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be played at the Alaska Airlines Court.

The Nanooks (4-2) enter GNAC play looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they fell on back-to-back days against Dixie State and Dominican at the Montana State Billings Holiday Tournament last weekend.

Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team mounted a late second-half rally to erase a double-digit deficit on Saturday afternoon, but he Nanooks could not complete the comeback, as they fell, 74-69, to Dominican University.

Travante Williams led the Nanooks in scoring, as he tallied 18 points. It is the fifth double-digit scoring performance for the Anchorage native this year, as he hit an even 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field. Fellow senior Joe Slocum was also in double-figures, as he scored 10 points, marking his fifth-straight double-digit scoring outing this year. Williams and Slocum each hit three 3-point field goals in the loss.

Junior Brandon Davis came off the bench and scored a career-high 16 points. The guard connected on six of his 10 field goal attempts on the day. Senior Almir Hadzisehovic rounded out the double-digit scoring for Alaska, as he collected 11 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior Bangaly Kaba nearly missed out on a double-double, as the forward turned in a nine-point, nine-rebound performance.

All-Time Series

Northwest Nazarene: The Crusaders lead the all-time series 19-14 and have won the last two games in the series after sweeping the Nanooks last season.

Central Washington: The Wildcats enter Saturday's contest with a 38-15 advantage in the all-time series. CWU has won two-straight in the series after sweeping Alaska last year.

Fast Start
Alaska will be seeking its third 5-2 start under head coach Mick Durham. If the Nanooks defeat the Crusaders on Thursday, it will mark the third time in the past four seasons that Alaska had opened the year at 5-2.

Extended Stay
Thursday's contest will open a four-game home stand for the Nanooks. After the Western Washington contest, Alaska will host Central Washington on Saturday, then Northwest Indian for two games next Friday and Saturday. Alaska is currently 2-0 at home after winning the GCI/PacWest Crossover.

Career-High Performance
Junior Brandon Davis came off the bench and scored a career-high 16 points against Dominican University. The junior hit 6-of-10 from the field, including a 2-of-5 performance from behind the arc.

Double-Digit Scoring Streak
Senior Joe Slocum enters Friday's contest on a five game double-digit scoring streak. Slocum is coming off 10-point performance against Dominican. He has averaged 12.2 points during the streak.

Scouting the Opposition – Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders are 3-0 on the year under first year head coach Scott Flemming. The Crusaders are coming off an 87-71 win over Eastern Oregon University this past Tuesday. NNU has also defeated Bethesda (95-73) and Cal State Los Angeles (80-75).

Bouna N'Diaye leads a quartet of double-digit scorers for Northwest Nazarene with his 19.7 points per game average. N'Diaye is shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and a blistering 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from behind the arc. Mike Wright is second on the team in scoring with his 17 points per game average.

As a team, NNU is scoring 87.3 points per game on a 48.1 shooting percentage. Conversely, teams are shooting 43.1 percent against the Crusaders, as they are allowing 73.0 points per game.

Scouting the Opposition – Central Washington
CWU enters this weekend a perfect 4-0. The Wildcats will take on Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before playing the Nanooks on Saturday. Central Washington is coming off a 119-82 victory over Walla Walla.

The high power Wildcat offense has scored 90-or-more points in every game this season and are coming off a season-best 119-point performance against Walla Walla. CWU has five player averaging double-figures in the scoring column. Gary Jacobs is the team's leading scorer, as he is averaging and even 20 points per game, while shooting an impressive 66.7 percent from the field.

Central Washington is averaging 102 points per game and is shooting 54.2 percent as a team from the field. On the defensive end, CWU is allowing 84.2 points per contest, while teams are connecting on 43.4 percent of their shots.

Coaches Corner
"We're excited to be back at home. We've been gone three of the four past weekends, so it's really nice to be back at home. We are starting the GNAC season now, and this is the week that teams have been waiting for all preseason. I really think the first week is important for us, as we are at home and we can set the tone with how this season can play out. I'm excited to get into league play, I think our preseason schedule has helped up prepare our conference schedule." – Head coach Mick Durham on Returning Home

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.