SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team lost to the Westminster Griffins 77-89 in game one of the Westminster Invite, Friday, Nov. 22. The loss drops the team to 1-4 on the season. 
 
The Nanooks had a rough first half, shooting 32% from the field and 27% from the three-point line which led to a 24-39 Griffins lead at the half. 
 
After the break, Alaska came out shooting 54% percent from the field and 45% from behind the line. The 'Nooks outscored the Griffins 53-50 in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit they built in the first. Brandon Warr led the Griffins in scoring with 26 points and propelled Westminster to their 89-77 win. Shadeed Shabazz led the Nanooks in scoring with 19 points going 7-12 from the field. Shabazz also was a factor on the defensive end with four steals. Markel Banks led in rebounds with seven and Jalon McCullough led in assists with four.
 
Head Coach Greg Sparling had this to say about his team's performance, "We dug our self too big of a hole in the first half. Really enjoyed the energy in the second half, we sped them up and got some good luck to the basket. We need to be able to defend better in the second half, people shoot too high percentages on us. Doesn't get any easier against Dixie State's team."
 
The Nanooks shot 43.9% from the field, 36.4% from behind the arc, and 73.3% at the free-throw line. The team looks to put this loss behind them and prepare for their game tomorrow against Dixie State. 
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Men's Basketball team page on Facebook.