Men's Basketball | 1/9/2017 4:13:00 PM
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will compete on the road again this week, taking on in-state rival Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings in two Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests. The Nooks will face the UAA Seawolves on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage at 7pm AKST before heading to Billings to take on the MSUB Yellowjackets on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 5:30pm AKST.
Alaska Projected Staters
#3
Nahjee Matlock (10.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, .800 FT%)
#13
Bangaly Kaba (13.2 PPG, 6.1 RBPG, .493 FG%)
#21
Zach Pederson (11.3 PGG, 4.7 RBPG, .507 FG%)
#22
Spencer Clark (3.0 PPG, .410 FG%, 2.6 RBPG)
#31
Brandon Davis (13.9 PPG, 3.1 APG, .814 FT%)
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks split the weekend on the road, falling to Western Washington 69-78 on Thursday, Jan. 5 before overcoming a 20-point deficit in the second half to defeat Simon Fraser 88-83 on Saturday, Jan. 7. Senior forwards
Bangaly Kaba and
Zach Pederson led the Nanooks' offensive efforts throughout the weekend, as Kaba recorded a team-high 20 points against the WWU Vikings while Pederson collected a team-high 22 points against the SFU Clan.
Alaskan Showdown
For the first time this season, the Alaska Nanooks will face their in-state rival Alaska Anchorage in a battle for bragging rights. Tuesday's game will the 100th meeting as NCAA DII opponents between the two rivals, with UAA holding a 24-6 edge over the Nooks in GNAC contests (since 2001-02). The Seawolves have won 20 of the last 21 meetings, with the Nooks' last win against the Seawolves coming as a 70-68 buzzer-beater at home during the 2013-14 season.
Tuesday's game will air live in Alaska on GCI Channel 1 (SD) and 907 (HD) from the Alaska Airlines Center.
Davis Domination
Senior guard
Brandon Davis currently leads the Nanooks in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, ranking him 18th in the conference. Davis also ranks fifth in the conference in steals (1.7 per game), ninth in free throw percentage (.814), 13th in three-point field goals-made (2.1 per game) and 14th in assists (3.1 per game). Throughout the 15-game season thus far, Davis has scored double-digit figures in 13 games, including one 20-point game against Central Washington on Dec. 3.
BK on the Come-Up
Senior forward
Bangaly Kaba continues to be one of the top-offensive producers for the Nanooks, ranking second on the team in scoring with a 13.2 point per game average. Kaba also ranks 11th in the conference in defensive-rebounds (4.6 per game), 13th in rebounding (6.1 per game), 14th in field goal percentage (.493), 16th in free throw percentage (.729) and 19th in offensive rebounds (1.5 per game). Kaba has scored double-digit figures in nine of Alaska's 15 games this season and led the team in scoring on five occasions, all GNAC contests.
Assists on (Mat)lock
Senior guard
Nahjee Matlock currently leads the league and ranks 26th in all of NCAA Division II with a 2.9 assist/turnover ratio average. Matlock ranks second in the conference in assists (5.2 per game), ninth in steals (1.3 per game) and 11th in free throw percentage (36-of45, .800).
Team Misc.
- Senior guard Zach Pederson was named the male selection for the Ravn Alaska Nanook of the Week after posting a combined 38 points against Western Washington and Simon Fraser last week.
- Pederson ranks sixth in the GNAC in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.3 per game and ninth in the league in field goal percentage (72-of-142) with a .507 average.
- Junior forward LaDonavan Wilder ranks 17th in the conference in blocked shots, averaging 0.6 per game after posting nine throughout Alaska's 15 games this season.
- The Nooks rank first in the conference in turnover margin, averaging 10.7 turnovers per game while their opponents average 15.6 per game when playing Alaska, tallying a +4.93 margin.
- Alaska also ranks first in the GNAC in assist/turnover ratio, posting a 1.4 average.
- The Nanooks rank third in the conference in free throw percentage (.735) and fourth in the GNAC in assists (15.3 per game) and steals (7.3 per game).
Scouting the Opponent – Alaska Anchorage (10-4, 4-2 GNAC)
Like the Nooks, the Seawolves also split last weekend on the road, defeating Simon Fraser 77-47 on Thursday, Jan. 5 before falling 91-84 to No. 24th-ranked Western Washington. Senior guard Spencer Svejcar scored a career-high 31 points against the Clan, while GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Suki Wiggs added 18 and a season-high nine rebounds. Wiggs paced the Seawolves in scoring on Saturday, tallying 24 points, while fellow-senior guard Diante Mitchell posted 20 points of his own.
As a team, UAA leads the GNAC in scoring defense, scoring margin, FG% defense, assists per game and six of the seven rebounding categories.
Scouting the Opponent – Montana State Billings (9-5, 4-2 GNAC)
The Montana State Billings Yellowjackets have won five of its last six games, including a 100-road-upset of No. 24 Western Washington on Dec. 31. Last weekend, the Yellowjackets fell to Central Washington 81-77 on Thursday (Jan. 5) before defeating the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders 77-72 on Saturday (Jan. 7). MSUB is led by 6-7 sophomore forward Preston Beverly, who averages 17.6 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game and tallies a .397 three-point field goal percentage. Six-foot-two senior guard Marc Matthews also boasts impressive numbers for the Yellowjackets, averaging 16.2 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game and has a ,418 three-point field goal percentage.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
