University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team concludes its four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference home stand this week with a pair of contests against Montana State Billings and Alaska Anchorage. The Nooks will take on the Yellowjackets on Thursday before challenging their instate rival Seawolves on Saturday. Both games from the Alaska Airlines Court is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The Nanooks enter this week in a tie for second place in the GNAC, as they are 5-1 in the conference. Alaska has already captured their third double-digit win season in four years, as the Nooks are currently 11-3. MSUB stands in seventh place at 3-4 in the conference after suffering an 81-61 defeat to the Seawolves on Tuesday. The Yellowjackets are currently 6-9 overall on the year. For UAA, they stand alone in first place in the GNAC with a perfect 7-0 mark in league games. Alaska Anchorage currently has the most wins of any team in the GNAC, as they are 14-4 overall.

Last Time Out
Senior Travante Williams was just two assists short of becoming just the fourth player in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to record a triple-double, but his 21-point, 15-rebound performance was more than enough to help the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team pick up a, 73-56, victory over Simon Fraser last Saturday night.

Alaska's defensive pressure limited Simon Fraser to score just 56 points on the night. The point total is the lowest scored against the Nooks this season, as the Clan hit only 35.5 percent (20-of-56) of their shot attempts. The Nanooks were able to outrebound SFU, 44-32, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds which led to a 22-8 advantage in second chance points.

High Octane Offense
Things have been heating up at the Alaska Airlines Court during a mild winter in Fairbanks. The Nooks offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, as they are averaging 87.5 points per game. That per game average is the second-highest in the GNAC, while it is also the 29th highest average in all of NCAA Division II.

Alaska has all five starters averaging double digits in points, led by senior Travante Williams, who is fourth in the conference in scoring with his 17.4 points per game average.

He Does It All
Senior Travante Williams has been filling up the stat sheet in his first year with the Nanooks. The Anchorage, Alaska native leads the team with four double-doubles, which is also tied for the second-most in the GNAC. Williams flirted with rarified air last Saturday, as he was just two assists shy of becoming the fourth player in conference history to record a triple-double. Williams had 21 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in the win over Simon Fraser.

Williams is the only player in the GNAC to rank inside the top five of the conference's scoring and rebounding leaders. Through 14 games, the swing player is averaging 17.4 points (4th) and 7.1 rebounds (5th).

Stepping Up Defensively
Alaska enters this week coming off of one of its best defensive performances this season. The Nooks limited Simon Fraser to just 56 points and a 35.7 percent shooting performance from the field. It was the lowest point total the Nanooks have given up this season, while it was the third time in the last four games they've held a team under a 39 percent from the field.

The Assist Man
Redshirt senior Joe Slocum has brought stability to the point guard position this year for the Nanooks, and that solid play put him in a tie for sixth in the conference in assists per game with his 4.4 average. The floor general has handed out four-or-more assists in four of his last six games, which includes an eight-assist performance against Western Washington.

Slocum has helped the Nanooks average 18.1 assists per game, which is the second-highest per game average in the GNAC.

Better Handle With Care
Opposing players have seem to have a hard time of holding onto to the ball around senior Travante Williams, as the guard leads the GNAC in steals with 41.  Williams has helped the Nanooks collect the second-highest steals per game average with their 9.7 swipes per game.

Scouting the Opposition – Montana State Billings
The Yellowjackets come to Fairbanks looking to salvage a spilt in the Last Frontier, as they were handed a 20-point loss at Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday. MSBU has lost three-straight games, as they have fallen to 3-4 in the conference after a strong 3-1 start in GNAC play. On the year, Montana State Billings is 6-9.

Offensively, MSUB is eighth in the conference in points per game, as they are averaging 75.9 points per game. The team is also eighth in the league in field goal percentage with their 43.4 shooting percentage. Marc Matthews is the team's top scorer with his 14.5 points per game average, which is the 14th-highest in the league. Preston Beverly is the only other double-digit scorer for the Yellowjackets, as he is averaging 10.7 points per contest.

On the defensive side of the ball, Montana State Billings is giving up 82.3 points per game, which is the third-highest points against average in the GNAC. Teams are shooting 45.3 percent from the field against the Yellowjackets.

Scouting the Opposition – Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves enter Saturday's game with a perfect 7-0 mark in the GNAC and are 14-4 overall. Alaska Anchorage has received votes in each of the last two NABC Coaches Top 25 Poll. UAA has won a league-high eight-straight games coming into to Fairbanks on Saturday.

Like the Nanooks, the Seawolves boast one of the more prolific offenses in the conference, as they are averaging 85.5 points per game on a 47.4 shooting percentage. Junior transfer Sekou Wiggs has arguably been one of the most effective players in the GNAC this season, as he leads the conference in scoring at 23.7 points per game and is sixth in rebounds with 7.1 caroms per game. Wiggs is one of three players who rank inside the top 25 in scoring, as Corey Hammell is 21st with his 13.2 ppg, and Spencer Svejcar is 22nd at 12.7 points per contest.

Defensively, UAA is allowing 71 points per contest, which is the fourth-fewest points allowed by a team in the GNAC. Alaska Anchorage is also limiting its opposition to just a 40.8 shooting percentage, which is third-best in the conference.

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