LAIE, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team notched their first win of the season on Monday night, defeating the BYU-Hawaii Seasiders 73-64 in their final nonconference game in the Aloha State. The Nanooks improve to a 1-2 overall record (0-0 GNAC), while the Seasiders begin the 2016-17 season 0-1 overall (0-0 PacWest).
"It definitely feels good to get a win in the third game of the tip," head coach Mick Durham said on Monday night. "We had a nice lead at half but give BYU-Hawaii credit for not backing down the second half. Some timely free-throws down the stretch was critical, but we learned a lot about ourselves on this trip and we'll keep moving forward in Anchorage next weekend."
The Nanooks broke open the game by recording back-to-back jumpers to give Alaska a four-point lead before hitting a rhythm and taking a 12-5 lead over the Seasiders. Turnovers and fouls plagued BYU-Hawaii in the first half, as Alaska took a 20 point lead at the 2:53 mark. In the first half alone, the Nooks capitalized 16 turnovers by BYU-Hawaii and claimed seven steal. The Nooks shot 44.4% (16-of-36) from the field, 35.7% (5-of-14) in three-point attempts and shot 66.7% (2-of-3) from the free-throw line.
Alaska was led by junior Trent Molesworth going into intermission, as the forward recorded eight points after shooting 3-of-4 in field goals and 2-of-3 in three-point attempts. Senior Brandon Davis also chipped in on the Alaska offense, tallying seven points in the first half after shooting 3-of-6 from the field and 1-3 in three-point attempts. Davis and sophomore LaDonavan Wilder dished a team-high three assists each, while Wilder picked up three steals.
Alaska held a 20-point lead over the Seasiders early in the second half, but a handful of three-pointers from BYU-Hawaii pulled the Seasiders to within six points at the 11:29 mark (47-41). The Nanooks kicked their play into high gear, pressuring the BYU-Hawaii defense to take untimely fouls. Alaska shot 68.4% from the free-throw line in the second half (13-of-19) to hang on to their lead and capture the victory, despite the Seasiders out-shooting the Nanooks 43-34 in the second half alone.
As a team, the Nanooks shot 40% (26-of-65) from the field, 24% (6-of-25) from behind the arc and 68.2% (15-of-22) from the free-throw line. The Nooks picked up 39 rebounds on the night, along with 18 assists and nine blocks. Alaska picked up 19 points off of turnovers, received 22 points off the bench and collected 30 points in the paint.
Wilder led the Nanooks offense with a team-high 15 points on the night, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and collected six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Davis was close behind Wilder, recording 14 points, three assists and four steals for the Nanooks. Additionally, senior Zach Pederson tallied a team-high eight rebounds.
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team heads to Anchorage this weekend for the AT&T Jamboree at the Alaska Airlines Center, facing the Cal State LA Golden Eagles on Friday, Nov .18 before facing the BYU-Hawaii Seasiders once again on Saturday, Nov. 19.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
