FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Court this week for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups. The Nooks will host the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7pm AKST before taking on the Central Washington Wildcats on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2pm AKST.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this week's games in Fairbanks, Thursday and Saturday's games, along with every home and conference contest for the remainder of the season, will be broadcasted live through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal in the link posted above. Please be advised that when on the road, the broadcast is produced by the home school and not the Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics.
Last Time Out
The Nooks were on the road last week, dropping two conference matches in Washington. The Alaska Nanooks fell 79-62 to Seattle Pacific on Thursday in Seattle before falling to Saint Martin's 87-80 on Saturday in Lacey.
GNAC Standings
The Nanooks sit tied for ninth place in the GNAC standings with Concordia, each with a 1-5 mark in league contests. Alaska's Thursday opponent, Northwest Nazarene, currently sits tied for first in the conference rankings with three other teams, each with a 5-1 mark. Saturday's opponent, Central Washington, currently sits tied for seventh place with Alaska Anchorage, posting a 2-4 record in GNAC play.
Ranked Nooks
Three Nanooks are ranked within the top-10 individually in five different statistical categories:
- Assist to Turnover Ratio
- Defensive Rebounds
- Free Throw Percentage
- Offensive Rebounds
- Rebounding
All-Time Series
All-time against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks, Alaska leads the series 21-15. The Nanooks won the first-ever meeting 81-77 throughout the 1960-61 season. The Nooks are currently on a six-game winning streak, with the Nanooks claiming a 67-53 victory in their last meeting on Feb. 10.
The Central Washington Wildcats lead the all-time series between the Nanooks, 42-19. The first meeting between the two teams resulted in a 98-66 loss for the Nanooks on Dec. 17, 1955. In their last meeting on Feb. 8, 2018, Alaska fell 79-76 at home.
Scouting the Opponent – Northwest Nazarene
Northwest Nazarene made it four wins in a row to close out a four-game homestand, beating Western Washington on Thursday, 82-74, and Simon Fraser on Saturday, 88-72. Junior guard Adonis Arms leads the GNAC and is 28th in Division II with 21.6 points per game. He is also fourth in the GNAC with a .617 field goal percentage and 15th in DII with 2.50 steals per game.
Scouting the Opponent – Central Washington
Central Washington split last weekend, scoring an 85-84 come-from-behind win over Simon Fraser on Thursday before falling 73-65 to Western Washington on Saturday. Central Washington leads the GNAC and is 19th in DII in scoring at 89.7 points per game. The Wildcats also lead the GNAC and rank 24th in DII with a .399 three-point percentage and are 27th nationally with a .492 field goal percentage.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
