FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team bounced back after Thursday's loss with a Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory on Saturday, as the Nooks defeated the Simon Fraser Clan 74-57 at the Alaska Airlines Court. The win improves Alaska's overall record to 8-8 and 6-4 in conference play, while the Clan drops to 8-10 on the season and 2-8 in league contests.

"I knew it wasn't going be an easy game and one things we really talked about after Thursday was coming out with a good start," head coach Mick Durham said on Saturday. "We came out well today and I thought we were just very efficient in the first half, which allowed us to build a lead. Simon Fraser's a gritty group and they are going to come back but I thought we did a nice job of finishing out the game. We had some different guys step up and help us out and I really thought our zone was effective."

The Clan was the first team to get on the board in Saturday's game, taking a 2-0 lead at the 19:13. The Nooks responded by taking a 3-2 lead not even 20 seconds later and never looked back, as Alaska held the lead throughout the remainder of the game.

The Nanooks were led offensively by junior guard Alex Baham, who collected a game-high 16 points against the Clan. Baham  shot 4-for-6 from the field, all of which were three-pointers, and 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while also chipping in two assists and two steals in 29 minutes on the floor.

Sophomore forward Michael Kluting earned his sixth double-double of the season against Simon Fraser, posting 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kluting shot 5-for-7 from the field, 1-for-2 from behind the arc and 3-for-3 at the free throw line, while also picking up two offensive and eight defensive boards to total 10 rebounds. Kluting also chipped in one assist and one steal in 27 minutes on the floor.

Senior forward LaDonavan Wilder was the only other Alaska player to score double-digit figures on Saturday, shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line to tally 12 points.


Sophomore guard Jalon McCullough tied for the game-high in assists, picking up four on the day.

As a team, the Nooks shot 56.3 percent from the floor (25-for-44), 46.7 percent from beyond the arc (7-for-15) and 85 percent from the free throw line (17-for-20). The Nanooks also tallied 29 rebounds, 15 assists and eight steals.

The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will continue their homestand with two GNAC games at the Alaska Airlines Court next week, hosting the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Jan. 25 before taking on the Concordia Cavaliers on Saturday, Jan. 27.

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