Box Score LACEY, Wash. — The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team lost an 87-80 overtime decision in a back-and-forth game against St. Martin's University on Saturday as the Saints pulled away in the final seconds. The loss drops Alaska's record to 4-9 overall, 1-5 in the GNAC, while the Saints improve to 12-2 overall, 5-1 in league play.
 
Following the loss, the Nanooks are in a three-way tie with Simon Fraser and Concordia for ninth in conference play. St. Martin's is tied for the top spot in the GNAC with Northwest Nazarene, Western Oregon and Seattle Pacific.
 
Alaska coach Greg Sparling said he was proud of his team, which has been battling through flu and cold symptoms, for a gutsy road performance against a top team.
 
"I couldn't be more happy — we followed the game plan extremely well." He said. "We were a rebound away at the end of regulation from knocking St. Martin's off. We rebounded very well tonight and played well together."
 
The Saints led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but a 15-point first half by junior forward Michael Kluting helped Alaska whittle the lead down to 42-40 by halftime.
 
Neither team led by more than six points in a tight second half, but Alaska was able to take a 72-71 lead with 22 seconds left on a jumper by junior guard Tymoryae Glover. SMU's Chandler Redix went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 5 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.
 
The Nanooks never led in the extra frame, but the contest remained tight until St. Martin's sealed the game with four free throws in the final 14 seconds.
 
Inside the box score

• The Nanooks shot 44.3 percent overall (31-for-70), 37.5 percent on 3-pointers (6-for-16) and 70.6 percent from the foul line (12-for-17) for the game.
• The game featured eight ties and seven lead changes.
• Alaska led 19-14 in points off turnovers and 14-9 in second-chance points. The Saints' bench had a 25-20 advantage.

 
Alaska leaders

• Kluting and Glover led the Nanooks with 21 points each. Glover also led Alaska in 3-pointers, hitting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
• Alex Martin led the Nanooks with four assists, while also contributing 17 points and four rebounds.
• Kluting topped the Nanooks with 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards.

 
Next time out
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will return to Fairbanks this week for a pair of games against GNAC foes. Northwest Nazarene University will travel to Alaska Airlines Court at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, followed by Central Washington University at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19.
 
For more on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Men's Basketball team page on Facebook.