FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team continues their two-week home-stand with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games this week, as they host the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Jan. 25 before taking on the Concordia Cavaliers on Saturday, Jan. 27. Both games will take place at the Alaska Airlines Court at 7:30pm AKST and will be the second game of a double-header with the Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this weekend's games in Fairbanks, both Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcasted and streamed live through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal in the link posted above.
GNAC Standings
The Alaska Nanooks sit tied for third place in the GNAC standings with a 6-4 conference record. Alaska shares a .600 winning percentage in league games with Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific. Western Oregon holds first place with a 10-0 mark, while weekend opponent Western Oregon sits in second place with a 9-1 record in conference matchups.
All-Time Series
All-time against the Wolves, Alaska trails 18-22, dating back to the 1974 season. In their first meeting, Alaska fell to Western Oregon 72-67 on the road on Feb. 4, 1974. The Nooks are currently on a four-game losing streak to the Wolves, with their last win coming on Feb. 18, 2016 at home (87-78). The Nanooks and the Wolves had already met once this season, with Alaska falling 81-60 on Dec. 19.
Against the Cavaliers, Alaska leads the all-time series 6-3 with their first meeting between the two programs coming as a 74-72 overtime win in the 1980-81 season. Since joining the GNAC in the 2015-16 season, the Nanooks have won four of their last five meetings with the Cavaliers, including their last matchup on Dec. 17, which resulted in an 81-66 victory for the Nooks on the road.
Ranked Nooks
Five Nanooks rank within the top-10 individually in the GNAC in eight different statistical categories:
- Rebounds
- Field Goal Percentage
- Assists
- Free Throw Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goals-Made
- Offensive Rebounds
- Defensive Rebounds
Scouting the Opponent – Western Oregon (17-1, 9-1 GNAC)
Western Oregon is now on a 10-game win streak and closed the first half of the GNAC schedule with an 8970 win over Central Washington before defeating Northwest Nazarene 82-74 last week. The win moved the Wolves to No. 6 in both this week's NABC and D2SIDA Division II polls. Western Oregon is also No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region Rankings for the second-straight week. The Wolves lead the GNAC and are ranked 27th in DII in scoring, averaging 85.8 points per game. WOU also leads the conference in scoring margin (+17.6), field goal percentage (.516), assists (17.72 per game) and steals (10.00).
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia (4-14, 0-10 GNAC)
The Cavaliers are looking to put an end to a 14-game losing streak, as they fell to both Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington at home last week. Junior guard Jarrett Gray keeps leading the Cavaliers offensively, averaging 25.5 points per game in the two games, while going a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line. Concordia enters the week averaging 73.1 points and 34.4 rebounds per game.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
