FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team grabbed a key win against the Simon Fraser Clan tonight, Jan. 9, 2020. Behind a combined 53 points from
Shadeed Shabazz and
Spencer Sweet, the 'Nooks improved to 5-8, 4-1 GNAC.
Out of the gates, the Nanooks men's basketball team were ready to go. Simon Fraser's biggest lead, of two points, came only 23 seconds into the game and was never held again. Alaska turned it on and never looked back, running out to a 9-2 lead only three minutes later. For the first half, the Clan remained enough of a presence for the 'Nooks who could not seem to break past a two-possession game. With time winding down and SFU within six at 31-25,
Shadeed Shabazz knocked down one of his two three-pointers, extending the lead out to nine for Alaska and giving him seven of his 14 first-half points. He would add his final two points with only 15 seconds remaining on the clock, pushing the 'Nooks halftime lead to 10 at 38-28. Alongside Shabazz at the half,
Koby Huerta added 12 points on 5-6 shooting.
Head coach
Greg Sparling felt his team's defensive tenacity played a big part in their early lead, "I think the ball pressure has been big, but I think the back-side help has also been big. The tempo is also the tempo we want, we want to get out in transition and score but I think our ball pressure been pretty good tonight." Heading into the locker room, the Nanooks forced 13 turnovers to their three, and led the points-off-turnovers category 16-0. The start of the second half seemed like a run-away scenario for Alaska, however, after jumping out to an 18-point lead, the Clan made their push.
With 6:04 remaining, the Nanooks grab five points with no time coming off the clock.
Spencer Sweet drove the lane hard on a fast break and grabbed the and-one when Steve Hanson, the SFU head coach was given a technical foul. Sweet stepped up and knocked down both technical free throws and his and-one free throw to make it a 68-50 ballgame. That technical put a spark into the Clan, kicking off a 2-16 run.
As the two-minute mark approached in the second half, Simon Fraser had crawled their way back into the game, making it a 70-66 Nanooks lead. For the 'Nooks, four remained the magic number as SFU could not pull within one-possession, despite their best efforts.
The Alaska Nanooks defense held strong, pulling away in the final minutes, grabbing an 80-74 victory.
Shadeed Shabazz had this to say about the team's defensive mentality and taking pride on both sides of the court, "I just take pride in being able to score on my opponent but also knowing that on the other side I'm not going to take no plays off…defense also brings good boosts of energy…it's easier to get other guys involved and bring energy to our team."
Shabazz ended the night with 30 points and six steals, while Sweet followed closely behind with 23 points, eight rebounds and five steals of his own.
Koby Huerta was the only other Nanook to cross into double-digit points, ending the night with 12.
The Nanooks stay in Fairbanks for one more game on Saturday, Jan. 11 when they take on the Western Washington Vikings. The Vikings grabbed a win over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Jan. 9, 74-70, setting up a battle of 4-1 GNAC records.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
