BILLINGS, Mont. – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team won their second-straight game on Friday evening, defeating Black Hills State 68-64 in the MSUB Thanksgiving Tournament at the Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings. The win improves Alaska's overall record to 2-4, while Black Hills State drops to 1-2 on the season.

"I thought we played pretty well for about 35 minutes tonight," head coach Greg Sparling said on Friday. "When we put the effort into building a lead, we need to hold on to it. We definitely have to work on how we close out games like a lot of teams but individually, I thought Spencer (Sweet) had a nice game tonight. Overall, I thought we moved the ball really well in the first half and shared the ball better than we have in the past, which is huge. We are getting better as the season moves forward, which is exciting with a new team."

As a team, Alaska shot 37.7 percent from the field (23-for-61), 36 percent from three-point range (9-for-25) and 86.7 percent from the free throw line (13-for-15). The Nooks also pulled down 11 offensive and 26 defensive boards for 37 rebounds total, while also adding 14 assists, five steals and three blocks.

Junior guard Spencer Sweet led all Alaska players on Friday evening with 20 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the floor, 1-for-3 from beyond the arc and a game-high 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Sweet also picked up three assists and two rebounds in his 28 minutes on the court.

Junior forward Michael Kluting collected his second double-double of the season on Friday, picking up 13 points and tying the game-high in rebounds with 11. Kluting shot 4-for-8 from the field, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc and 4-for-6 from the free throw line, while also chipping in three offensive rebounds and eight defensive boards.

Junior guard Alex Martin tied Kluting with 13 points on the night, while junior guard Tymoryae Glover was the only other Alaska player to register double-digit figures on Friday, posting 12.

Junior guard Jalon McCullough led all player on the floor in assists against Black Hills State, collecting five.

The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will take on the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros in the final game of the MSUB Thanksgiving Tournament later today (Saturday, Nov. 24) at 3:15pm AKST at the Alterowitz Gymnasium.

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