FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will play host to a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups at the Alaska Airlines Court this weekend, as the Nooks take on the Central Washington Wildcats on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7pm AKST before facing the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3pm AKST.
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.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks dropped both games on last week's Puget Sound road trip, falling 80-59 to Saint Martin's in Lacey, Washington on Thursday before dropping Saturday's league contest 87-60 to Seattle Pacific.
GNAC Standings
In a tight race for a postseason berth, Alaska standings tied for sixth place in the conference rankings with Northwest Nazarene, both with a 7-7 GNAC record. The Nanooks and the Nighthawks are only one win behind Central Washington and Seattle Pacific, who are tied for fourth with an 8-6 mark in league contests.
All-Time Series
The Alaska Nanooks trail the all-time series record against Central Washington 19-41, with the first meeting between the two teams coming as a 98-66 loss for the Nanooks at home on Dec. 17, 1955. The Nanooks broke a two-game losing streak to the Wildcats in their last meeting, as Alaska defeated CWU 86-83 on the road on Jan. 13.
Against the Nighthawks, Alaska leads the all-time series 20-15, with their first meeting coming as a 81-77 victory for the Nanooks in the 1960-61 season. The Nooks extend their win streak against NNU to five games, as Alaska took down the Nighthawks 80-74 on the road on Jan. 11.
Ranked Nooks
Three Nanooks rank within the top-10 individually in seven different statistical categories:
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Free Throw Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
- Three-Point Field Goals-Made
- Offensive Rebounds
- Defensive Rebounds
Scouting the Opponent – Central Washington Wildcats (13-8, 8-6 GNAC)
Central Washington extended their win-streak to five games with a pair of home victories last weekend, as they defeated Western Washington 35-32 on Thursday before taking down Simon Fraser 81-67 on Saturday. Senior guard Jawan Stepney was named the GNAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season after he averaged 17.5 points and five assists per game in the two contests last week. Central Washington enters the week averaging 81.3 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 38.2 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are second in the league with 11.90 offensive rebounds per contest.
Scouting the Opponent – Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (11-9, 7-7 GNAC)
Northwest Nazarene split last weekend, posting a 82-69 win over Simon Fraser on Thursday before falling 95-84 to Western Washington on Saturday. Senior forward Maurice Jones averaged 21.5 points and eight rebounds per game, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. Northwest Nazarene is fourth in the GNAC in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 81.3 points and 37.5 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks are third in the league with 26.55 defensive 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.
