BILLINGS, Mont. – Junior guard Aushanti Potts-Woods' layup with only one second left in regulation sent the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team over the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros 76-75 at the MSUB Thanksgiving Tournament at the Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings on Saturday afternoon. The Nanooks improve to 3-4 on the season, winning their third-straight game, while CSU Dominguez Hills drops to 2-3 overall.

Coach's Comments
"We did not play very well in the first half at all. We're extremely lucky to have only been down by seven by a very good Dominguez Hills team at halftime. Thankfully, I thought our guys responded well in the second half, setting solid screens, moving the basketball and hitting big shots. I liked our tenacity around the net, earning 14 points off of 13 offensive rebounds. Quinn (Daugharty) gave us a spark off the bench and I thought Isiah (Easaw) had a really strong game, probably his best in a Nanook uniform this season.

Overall, this was a good weekend for Nanooks men's basketball but now we've got to turn our attention to MSUB on Tuesday. We've got a good couple of days of practice to see what we can do to prepare for a tough conference start." – Head Coach Greg Sparling

Turning Point
Trailing by 10 points at the 11:30 mark of the second half, a three-point shot from junior forward Spencer Sweet gave Alaska the momentum to start closing the gap. The Nooks finally tied the game at 56-56 at the 6:44 with a layup from Sweet.

Tied 69-69 at the 1:05 mark, the Nooks went up 71-69 with a pair of free throws from Potts-Woods. The Toros responded with a good three-point shot from Mikey Hatfield to take a 72-71 lead at the 00:32 mark, before Sweet answered with a three-point bucket at the 00:17 mark to take back the lead at 74-72.

Things were looking bleak for the Nanooks at the 00:07 mark, as CSUDH's Isiah Morris scored a good layup and a free throw to take a 75-74 lead with a foul on Alaska's junior forward Michael Kluting.

Alaska earned the ball back, sending Potts-Woods storming down the court for a drive to the net before scoring a good basket on the layup with only one second left to seal Alaska's 76-75 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Alaska shot 41.8 percent from the field (28-for-67), 37.5 percent from beyond the arc (9-for-24) and 78.6 percent from the free throw line (11-for-14).
• The Nanooks shot 10 percent from three-point range in the first half (1-for-10) but completely turned it around in the second, shooting 8-for-14 from beyond the arc for 57.1 percent.
• Alaska pulled down 13 offensive and 20 defensive boards for 33 rebounds total to CSUDH's 32.
• Alaska also tallied eight assists, five steals and three blocks.

Alaska Leaders

• Sweet led all Alaska players in scoring with 20 points on Saturday, shooting 8-for-14 from the floor, including 4-for-8 from three-point range.
• Potts-Woods was close behind with 14 points, shooting 4-for-10 from the field, 2-for-3 from three-point range and connecting on 4-for-4 free throws.
• Junior guards Tymoryae Glover and Alex Martin were the only other Alaska players to tally double-digit figures on Saturday, registering 13 and 10, respectively.
• Junior forward Michael Kluting led all players in boards, pulling down one offensive and 11 defensive rebounds for 12 total.
• Easaw led all players with a career-high six assists, only one point shy of a 10-point night, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc.

Next Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will remain in Billings, Montana for the rest of the weekend, as they are set to open Great Northwest Athletic Conference play against the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets and former Alaska men's basketball head coach Mick Durham on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Tip-off at the Alterowitz Gymnasium is scheduled for 5pm AKST.

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