FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will continue Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on the road this week, as they travel to Monmouth, Oregon to face the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Jan. 31 before taking on the Concordia Cavaliers in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 2. Tip-off both nights is scheduled for 6pm AKST.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this week's games in Monmouth or Portland, all home and conference contests 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 Nanooks dropped a pair of conference road contests last week, falling 70-62 to the Western Washington Vikings on Thursday before dropping Saturday's matchup to the Simon Fraser Clan, 88-55. The losses extend Alaska's losing streak to eight games.
GNAC Standings
The Nanooks sit in 11th place in the GNAC standings with a 1-9 conference mark. Alaska's upcoming opponents, Western Oregon (7-3 GNAC) and Concordia (2-8 GNAC), sit in third and 10th place, respectively. Saint Martin's remains in first place in the standings with a 9-1 GNAC record.
Ranked Nooks
Three Nooks rank within the top-10 individually in five different statistical categories:
- Assist/Turnover Ratio
- Defensive Rebounds
- Free Throw Percentage
- Offensive Rebounds
- Rebounding
All-Time Series
Against the Western Oregon Wolves, Alaska trails the all-time series 18-24. The first meeting between the two programs favored the Wolves, as Alaska fell 72-67 on the road on Feb. 4, 1974. Alaska is currently riding a six-game losing streak to WOU, with the Nooks' last win being on Feb. 18, 2016 (87-78) at home. The Wolves took an 97-80 win over the Nanooks in their last meeting on Jan. 5 at home.
All-time against the Cavaliers, Alaska leads the series 7-4. The first meeting between the two teams resulted in a 74-72 overtime win for the Nanooks in the 1980-81 season. In their last meeting on Jan. 3, Alaska fell 87-84 to the Cavaliers at home.
Scouting the Opponent – Western Oregon Wolves (14-5, 7-3 GNAC)
Western Oregon split its games for the second-straight week, taking an 89-57 victory over Central Washington on Thursday before falling 78-70 to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Junior forward Riley Hawken leads the Wolves with 12.8 points per game and is eighth in the GNAC with 6.3 rebounds per game. He is also second in the league with 1.89 steals per game.
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia (4-13, 1-9 GNAC)
After taking an 82-73 loss to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Concordia put an end to a six-game losing streak with a 65-63 win at Central Washington on Saturday. Senior guard Jarrett Gray kept his top scoring role for the Cavaliers throughout the weekend, as he ranks seventh in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game and second with 32.22 minutes played per game and a .889 free throw percentage. Senior guard Cody Starr is third in the league with 3.89 assists per game. The Cavaliers enter the week averaging 74.8 points per game and 35.2 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.
