HONOLULU, Hawaii - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team ended their time in Hawaii without a win. They fell to Hawaii Pacific on Sunday, Nov. 14 as HPU got a put-back bucket with less than a second remaining to take the win, 65-63 over Alaska. This loss drops the 'Nooks to 0-2, 0-0 GNAC in the early season.
Alaska took a three-point lead into the locker room after the opening-half. They shot 40.74% from the field while posting a solid 66.67% three-point percentage. HPU posted a solid half from the field as well, shooting 46.15%, but 3-11 from deep for 27.27% allowed the 'Nooks to maintain the lead. The Nanooks maintained the strong showing from deep, shooting 55.56% from beyond the arc in the second half, but a 37.50% from the field compared to HPU's 50% shooting allowed the Sharks to grab the lead back and ultimately win the game.
Just past the midway point of the first half, the Nanooks found themselves down nine. After HPU extended it to 10, Alaska found a rhythm.
Quin Barnard connected on one of his six threes making it 19-28. After a pair of free throws making it 22-30, Alaska went on an 11-0 run to end the half.
Coleman Sparling made a pair of one-and-one free throws,
Koby Huerta connected from deep, Barnard connected again and just before the half,
Jahvonta Jones had a second-chance layup, giving the Nanooks a 33-30 lead. Jones and Sparling were the halftime leading scorers for the Nanooks as both posted seven.
Out of the locker room, HPU tied it up quickly on a three.
Abdullahi Mohamed and Sparling responded with back-to-back buckets giving Alaska a four-point lead. A small run from the Sharks made it 42-47 and Alaska quickly trailed. Down the stretch, the Nanooks were forced to play from behind. They tied it up at 56-56 and found a few leads, however nothing was substantial. Mohamed tied it at 63-63 after making the front-end of a pair, but after missing the second free throw, Hawaii Pacific had the ball with 33 seconds remaining. Out of the timeout, HPU went for the last shot and Roman Young missed, but with less than a second left, Jackson Young of Hawaii Pacific got the offensive board and put-back for the go-ahead bucket.
The Sharks went on to win by two, 65-63, sending the Nanooks to California next weekend with an 0-2, 0-0 GNAC record.
Quin Barnard led all scorers with 20 points. He ended the night shooting 6-10 FG and 6-8 3PT. Mohamed and Sparling both ended with nine points and five rebounds.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter, @AlaskaMensBasketball on Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks athletic page on Facebook.
