ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team fell to the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles 68-74 on Friday evening, in game one of the 2016 Seawolf Jamboree at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. The Nanooks overall record drops to 1-3, while the Golden Eagles improve to 2-1 overall.
"Tonight, I thought we seemed just a step too-slow from the get-go," head coach Mick Durham said after Friday's nonconference loss. "We did a good job battling back again but we need to learn how to finish games in the final eight minutes. I think we're better than we played tonight but I'm hoping we come back tomorrow with a better start and can give Cal State LA a good rematch at home on Monday."
The first half proved to have its highs and lows for the Nanooks, as the Golden Eagles gained double-digit leads over Alaska on six separate occasions. The Nooks pulled to within four points halfway through the first and headed into intermission only trailing by six (36-42).
Alaska stayed within six points of their opponent until the 13-minute mark of the second half, finally pulling to within one point at the13:30 mark with a good three-point shot from senior guard Brandon Davis. Alaska took their first lead of the game a little more than a minute later (12:23), when freshman forward Michael Kluting drained another three-pointer. The following six scoring plays resulted in both teams exchanging one-point leads before the Golden Eagles went on a four-point run to take the lead 65-62. The Nanooks trailed 65-64 at the 7:27 point of the second half, which was followed by a three-minute period where neither team was able to get on the board. Six back-to-back free throws and one dunk by the Golden Eagles late sealed Cal State LA's victory on the night.
As a team, the Nanooks shot 35.9% from the floor (23-of-64), 37.1% from behind the arc (13-of-55) and 81.8% from the free throw line (9-of-11). The Nooks picked up 36 rebounds on the night, 19 assists, four blocks and six steals over the Golden Eagles, while also receiving 20 points off of turnovers, 10 points from second chances and 27 points from their bench, including 17 in the first half.
Davis paced the Nanooks' offense, going 5-of-11 from the field, 4-of-9 in three-point attempts and 2-of-2 from the free throw line to tally a team-high 16 points on the night. Davis also picked up two blocks, a steal and tied for a team-high of five assists.
Kluting was the only other Nook to score double-digit figures in Friday's game, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 in three-point attempts for 10 points. Senior forward Bangaly Kaba collected a team-high 10 rebounds, while senior Nahjee Matlock tied Davis with five assists.
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team continues nonconference play at the Seawolf Jamboree tomorrow, Nov. 19 by taking on the BYU-Hawaii Seasiders at 2pm AKST at the Alaska Airlines Court.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
