PORTLAND, Ore. – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team could not hold back an excellent second-half shooting performance by Concordia, losing in heartbreaking fashion, 77-75 on Saturday.
The Nanooks (12-15, 7-11 GNAC) battled Concordia (12-13, 8-10 GNAC) in a crucial matchup to improve the winner's chances of advancing to the GNAC Championships in early March.
Five players for Alaska scored in double figures, with
Zach Pederson tallying a team-high 14 points.
Michael Kluting was the best player off the bench for either team, securing 12 points and 7 rebounds for the Nanooks.
Alaska shot 39% in the first half and improved their marksmanship to 50% (14-28 FG) in the second. Concordia bettered this by shooting 61% (17-28 FG) from the floor after halftime.
Concordia was led by Drew Martin's team-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Christopher Edward nearly recorded a double-double for the Cavaliers with his 9 points and 9 rebounds.
UAF lead 51-38 with just over 14 minutes to go. The lead slowly evaporated as Concordia used a 28-15 surge over a 12-minute span to tie the game at 66-66 with 2:12 to go.
Drew Martin hit a shot 30 seconds later to give Concordia its first lead of the ball game since the opening minute.
Brandon Davis followed with a game-tying basket on the ensuing possession, but the Nanooks could not take the lead afterwards.
With 1:22 left, the Nanooks trailed again 70-68. A
Nahjee Matlock turnover resulted as the Nanooks looked to tie or take the lead.
Concordia's Latrell Wilson provided a dagger when he nailed a huge three-pointer, giving the Cavaliers a 73-68 advantage with under 50 seconds.
Following several successful free throws, Concordia lead 77-70. A
Spencer Clark layup and
Nahjee Matlock three-pointer at the buzzer couldn't overcome the deficit for UAF.
Alaska now sits two games back of Saint Martin's, Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene, who are all tied for fourth in the GNAC standings, with two games to go.
The Nanooks return to the Patty Center to conclude the regular season, Feb. 23 against Central Washington and host Northwest Nazarene, Feb. 25 for Senior Night.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
