FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball had a grand send off for their six seniors on Saturday afternoon, as the Nooks picked up a 92-69 victory over Concordia University on Senior Day at the Alaska Airlines Court.
The win, accompanied by Alaska Anchorage's loss to No. 1 Western Oregon, pushes the Nanooks into a tie for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with the Seawolves, as both teams are 13-5 with two games left in the regular season. Today's win gives Alaska its 19th victory of the year, as they are now 19-7. The 19 wins are the most by a Nanooks team under head coach Mick Durham, as they surpass the previous best of 18 wins set by the 2013-14 squad.
Alaska was able to cruise to victory with the help of a 45-22 run from the 16:14 mark of the second half to the game's final buzzer. Coach Durham had just called a timeout after Concordia erased a six-point Alaska lead to tie the game up at 47-47. Out of the break, the Nooks would roll off 10-straight points to regain a double-digit lead at 57-47. The Cavaliers never brought the game within single digits from that points, as Alaska's led ballooned to a game-high 27 points with 2:04 left in the game. The Nanooks would settle for the 23-point victory, as they sent the 2015-16 senior class off as winners.
"We finally got it going," said Durham of the second half run. "We had great contributions from Neal Chavez and Alex Duncan during the run. It was huge. We got a little confidence, they lost a little bit of will power and started missing shots. That's what occurs during those runs, and we've had the capability to go on those types of spurts throughout the season, and it came up big today."
10 of the 11 players who played today scored for the Nanooks. The Nooks had a season-best six players record in double digts, led Senior Almir Hadzisehovic's 16 points. Fellow senior Travante Williams recorded his eighth-straight game with at least 13 points and seven rebounds, as he finished with 13 points and eight boards. Williams' 13-point outing also marks the 16-straight game he has scored in double figures.
Junior Bangaly Kaba posted his second career double-double on Saturday, with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Redshirt senior Joe Slocum added 10 points and passed out a team-best six assists. Senior Alex Duncan and junior Neal Chavez helped the Nooks to a 37-8 advantage in points off the bench, as Duncan recorded 11 points and Chavez tallied 10.
Every senior scored at least four points on Saturday, as Isaac Ladines picked up six points and grabbed a career-best eight caroms. Fairbanks native John Renfro tallied four points in his final game on the Alaska Airlines Court.
"It's a group that just keeps competing," Durham said of his seniors. "I've been through a few senior day's and it's an emotional time for everyone. We wanted to make it a special day by getting a win. When you get the win on senior day, you'll remember it a lot fonder than if you lose."
Alaska shot 47.4 percent from the field, while holding the Cavaliers to 40 percent. The Nanooks grabbed 17 offensive rebounds in the win, which led to a 23-8 advantage in second chance points. In total, the Nooks posted a 53-33 advantage in caroms on the afternoon.
The Nanooks conclude the 2015-16 regular season with a two-game GNAC road trip that opens at Central Washington next Thursday, Feb. 25. Tip-off from Ellensburg, Washington is set for 6 p.m. AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
