BILLINGS, Mont. – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team dropped their conference-opener 79-76 to the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets at the Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference loss drops Alaska's overall record to 3-5 and 0-1 in league play, while the Yellowjackets improve to 4-3 overall and 1-0 GNAC.

Coach's Comments
"We dug ourselves in a hole early on and spent the majority of the game trying to get ourselves out. Eventually, we did and took the lead late in the game but couldn't close it out. I think we've played one of the toughest Division II schedules in the nation but I think it will pay dividends for us down the road. MSUB is a tough place to play and Mick does a great job with their team here. We're definitely growing as a team everyday and we've come really far since our opening weekend in Hawaii. Overall, I'm very proud of how our guys competed tonight." – Head coach Greg Sparling on Tuesday.

Turning Point
The Nanooks overcame a 16-point deficit before finally taking the lead at the 8:08 mark of the second half, 66-65. Unfortunately for the Nooks, the Yellowjackets went on a 9-0 run before the 4:00 mark. Alaska responded with a 5-0 run with 00:40 remaining in regulation to trail by two (76-78) but a missed three-point shot by junior guard Alex Martin and a foul by junior guard Spencer Sweet sealed MSUB's victory 79-76.

Inside the Box Score

• The Nanooks shot 43.5 percent from the field (27-for-62), 37.5 percent from three-point range (12-for-32) and 66.7 percent from the free throw line (10-for-15).
• Alaska pulled down eight offensive and 22 defensive boards for 30 rebounds total.
• The Nanooks registered 24 points off of MSUB's 15 turnovers and 16 assists to seven turnovers.

Alaska Leaders

• Junior guard Aushanti Potts-Woods led all players with 21 points on Tuesday, shooting 8-for-16 from the field, including 5-for-10 from three-point range. Potts-Woods also tied for first on the Nanooks with three assists.
• Senior guard Alex Baham followed closely behind, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor, 3-for-6 from three-point range and 2-for-3 from the free throw line for 13 points.
• Junior guard Spencer Sweet and junior forward Michael Kluting were the only other Alaska players to score double-digit figures, collecting 12 and 10, respectively.
• Kluting led his teammates in boards, posting three offensive and four defensive for seven total.

Next Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks will take the rest of the week off from competition before hosting in-state rival Alaska Anchorage at home on Saturday, Dec. 8. Tip-off at the Alaska Airlines Court is scheduled for 2pm AKST.

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