FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team sent shockwaves through NCAA Division II on Thursday night, as they knocked off No. 1-ranked Western Oregon, 87-78, in front of 611 fans on #PackThePatty night at the Alaska Airlines Court.

The Nooks improve to 18-7 and 12-5 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Tonight's win ties for the for the most victories under head coach Mick Durham, as this year's team has now matched the 18-win total of the 2013-14 squad. Thursday's victory also marks the first time in program history that Alaska has knocked off the No. 1-ranked team in the country. For Durham, it is the second win over a top-five team in NCAA Division II with Alaska, as he previously bested No. 2-ranked Western Washington back during the 2012-13 season.

"I kind of felt it slipping late, but we seemed to make big shot after big shot," said an elated Durham after the game. "We hit our free throws, got a couple of stops late with our zone, and we finished it off. We started the game great, we fought them off in the second half, and found a way to hit some big shots late."

Senior Travante Williams exploded for 25 points and 11 rebounds to post his team-leading sixth double-double of the year. Williams was exceptional from the free throw line on Thursday, as he went 10-of-12. The forward's performance from the line helped Alaska go 21-of-24 from the charity stripe. Tonight's 25-point, 11-rebound effort marked the seventh-straight game Williams has collected at least 13 points and seven caroms. He also extends his double-digit scoring streak to 15-straight contests.

Junior Brandon Davis followed Williams' performance with an 18-point night of his own. The guard went 6-of-11 from the field and nailed three big 3-point field goals to answer a pair of mini runs for Western Oregon. Junior Bangaly Kaba followed with 16 points, as he shot a blistering 70 percent (7-of-10) from the field.  Senior Alex Duncan rounded out a quartet of double-digit scorers for Alaska on Thursday by tying his season-best with 11 points.

The Nanooks defense limited one of the top offensive teams in the conference to just 39.3 percent from the field. Alaska also limited Preseason GNAC Player of the Year Andy Avgi to just nine points, as he went 2-of-11 from the field.

The Nooks handed out 18 assists in the victory, led once again by Kaba, who gave out four helpers. Seniors Almir Hadzisehovic, Isaac Ladines and Joe Slocum each handed out three assists each.

Alaska led from beginning to end against the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II, as they jumped out to a 12-2 lead during the first five minutes of play. The Wolves pulled within four just two minutes later, but the Nooks pushed back out to an eight-point advantage after a pair of Davis free throws gave his team the 16-8 edge with 12:13 to play.

The lead hovered around eight points for the home team until four minutes left in the half, as Alaska went on a 9-2 run to go up a game-high 16 points with 34 seconds remaining. Western Oregon got a layup from Tanner Omlid on its final possession of the first to cut the Nooks' lead to 14 at 39-25.

The Wolves tallied the first seven points of the second half to pull within seven, but a personal 5-0 run by Kaba put Alaska back up 12 at 44-32 with 17:09 remaining in the game. Western Oregon made it a one possession game at 48-45 after a pair of Julian Nichols free throws at the 12:55 mark. But as they had done all night, the Nanooks withstood the WOU rally, and got back-to-back 3-point field goals from Davis and Kaba to back up nine with 11:51 left in the game.

Alaska's lead would grow to 14 points with 9:22 remaining, but they would have to weather another rally from the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, as Western Oregon pulled within six, 71-65, with less than six minutes remaining. Davis again answered the call for Alaska, as he drilled his third 3-point field goal of the night to put his team back up nine.

The Wolves had one more push in them and cut Alaska's lead to five with 1:23 left in the game. However, the Nooks were able to go 3-of-4 from the charity stripe and get a skillful wrap around layup from Hadzisehovic to round out the night to give the Nanooks their first win over a No. 1-ranked team in program history.

The Nanooks return to action on Saturday afternoon, as they'll host Concordia for Senior Day at the Alaska Airlines Court. Tip-off for the final home game of the 2015-16 season is set for 2 p.m. AKT.

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