FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team dropped a nonconference matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling to West Region foe University of California at San Diego Tritons 80-56 in day two of the 2017 Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Western Washington University. The loss drops Alaska's overall record to 2-4 on the season, while UC San Diego improves to 3-3.

"Tough night for us overall against a good team that executes and defends well," head coach Mick Durham said on Saturday. "It was a tough game but a great learning experience for us in how to play. We competed really well but just made too many mistakes and the 19 turnovers show for it. We will learn from tonight and move on, four games in one week is a lot but we saw a lot of positives to build on."

Unlike Friday, only two Alaska Nanooks scored double-digit figures on Saturday, led by sophomore forward Michael Kluting. The Palmer, Alaska native shot 8-for-13 from the field, including one three-point bucket and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to tally a team-best 19 points. Kluting also pulled down two offensive and three defensive boards for five rebounds total. Furthermore, Kluting tallied on assist and one steal for 32 minutes on the court.

Junior forward Joe Lendway registered double-digit points for his second-straight game, shooting 5-for-8 from the floor, 2-for-3 from behind the arc and 1-for-4 from the free throw line to tally 13 points on the night. Lendway led Alaska in rebounds with a team-best six boards while also chipping in two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes on the floor.

As a team, Alaska shot 21-for-45 for 46.7 percent from the floor and went 7-for-22 from three-point range for 31.8 percent. Additionally, the Nooks shot 7-for-12 from the free throw line for a 58.3 shooting percentage.

At the conclusion of the season, Kluting and Lendway were both named to the 2017 Chuck Randall Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team.

The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team kicks-off Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this week, taking on in-state rival Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Alaska Airlines Center. Following Tuesday's tilt, the Nooks will host the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Alaska Airlines Court. Tip-off on Tuesday is scheduled for 7pm AKST, while Saturday's is 7:30pm AKST.

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