ELLENSBURG, Wash. – In front of a crowd of 991, the Alaska Nanooks fell in the final seconds of the second half to the Central Washington Wildcats 79-76 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup at the Nicholson Pavilion on Saturday night. The Nanooks drop to 5-5 overall on the season and 1-1 in conference play, while the Wildcats improve to 5-2 overall, 1-1 GNAC.
"It was a heck of a game in Ellensburg tonight. We had a layup blocked under 30 seconds left in the game that would've given us the lead," head coach Mick Durham said on Saturday. "We really competed on this road trip, while continuing to learn and grow as a team."
As a team, the Nooks shot 40.6 percent from the floor (28-of-69) and 35 percent from behind the arc (7-of-20). Alaska shot 13-of-18 from the free throw line for 72.2 percent, with their best shooting half coming in the second, as they shot 46.88 percent from the field (15-of-32).
Alaska out-rebounded the Wildcats 44-33 and posted a game-high 16 assists and seven steals. Central Washington outscored Alaska on points off turnovers 13-5, but the Nooks outdid their opponent in second chance points 13-11. Additionally, the Nooks received 10 points from their bench and 17 fast break points on Saturday night.
"Came up short in a tough environment against the best offensive team in the league, averaging 94 points per game," Durham concluded. "I'm proud of our guys and their effort to open league play with a split on the road. We gave it our best effort tonight and it came down to a great defensive block by Central's 6'11" center Fuquan Niles."
Only three Nanooks registered double-digit points on Saturday, led by senior forward Bangaly Kaba, who shot 6-of-8 from the floor, one three-point attempt and 8-of-10 from the free throw line to tally 21 points against the Wildcats. Kaba grabbed eight rebounds and dished three assists, while also chipping in one steal in his 34 minutes on the floor.
Senior guard Brandon Davis was the only other Nook to post 20-or-more points with 20 points himself, shooting 7-of-16 from the floor, 2-of-6 in three-point attempts and 4-of-4 in free throw attempts. Davis tallied three assists, two rebounds and two steals for the Nanooks.
Fellow-senior guard Nahjee Matlock scored 17 points against the Wildcats, while also posting a game-high eight assists. Senior forward Zach Pederson led all players with 11 rebounds and chipped in eight points.
Central Washington was led by Dom Hunter, who recorded an impressive 33 points on the night, shooting 8-of-16 in field goals, 6-of-9 in three-point attempts and 11-of-12 free throws. As a team, CWU shot 45 percent from the floor (27-of-60), 50 percent from behind the arc (11-of-22) and 87.5 percent from the free throw line (14-of-16).
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will take a two-week break before hosting Trinity Western in a single nonconference game at the Alaska Airlines Court on Monday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is slated for 7pm AKST.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
