FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team only needed six players to knock off the GNAC's second-place Western Washington Vikings. Following a halftime tie, the Nanooks ran away late in the second to snag an 81-75 win to move to 5-10, 2-7 GNAC.

The Nanooks kicked the scoring off before the tip as Quin Barnard hit a one-shot team technical free throw that was awarded to Western during warmups. From then on, it was game on for Alaska and Western. Tybenn Sturm got the in-game scoring going quickly as in their first possession he connected on a three. Abdullahi Mohamed made it 5-0 next time down the court, kick-starting his strong night offensively. WWU responded behind a three from Fairbanks native, Daniel Hornbuckle and a Luke Lovelady bucket, pulling within one at 8-7. The teams traded buckets until WWU tied it up at 13-13 on another Lovelady bucket. They'd eventually grab a lead with 7:07 remaining, making it 24-23 Western. 

Down the stretch of the first, Mohamed pulled the 'Nooks within one with 4:06 left before tying it at 32-32 with 57 seconds left following Barnard's first three-pointer of the night. The two teams entered the break tied.

After only posting four points in the first half, Barnard was ready to go in the second, giving the Nanooks the lift they needed while only playing with six. In the second half, the fifth-year senior went 7-9 from the field and 7-8 from beyond the arc for 27 second-half points. He alone, scored more than half of the Nanooks points in the second half. 

To open the second, Barnard made a pair of free throws, giving the 'Nooks a two-point lead. He quickly found his stride, connecting on a three-pointer to pull Alaska back within one after falling behind. He'd go on hit two more, single-handedly giving the Nanooks a 43-40 lead in just under two minutes. After Jahvonta Jones made it 45-40, Barnard and Mohamed went back to work as Mohamed made a driving layup at the 15:19 marker and Barnard followed up with another three, capitalizing on a Coleman Sparling offensive rebound. This three made it a 10-point lead for the Nanooks. 

That lead would grow to as much as 13 before hitting the midway point of the second. After WWU made a small run to pull back within nine, the Nanooks used a Koby Huerta jumper and Barnard three to push their lead to 15 with 3:44 remaining. WWU crawled back to within six on a Hornbuckle jumpshot with 31 seconds remaining, but the Nanooks stood strong on their home court and closed out the Vikings. 

Barnard ended the night as the high-scorer, shooting 8-15 from the field and 8-13 from deep while also going 7-8 from the free-throw line. He posted a career-high 31 points and added two rebounds in the effort. Mohamed also posted a career-night, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. Sparling posted a quiet 10 points but also ended the night with a double-double as he grabbed 15 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. He added two assists and a block. 

The Nanooks return to action on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 5:15 p.m. when Simon Fraser comes to town. 

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter, @AlaskaMensBasketball on Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks athletics page on Facebook.