FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team looks to build off of their home-court victory over WWU on Saturday, Jan. 14 as they hit the road for two at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. 

Thursday, Jan. 19
Saint Martin's | Live Video | Live Stats
6:30 p.m. AKT | Marcus Pavilion | Lacey, Wash.

Saturday, Jan. 21
Western Oregon | Live Video | Live Stats
3:15 p.m. AKT | New PE Building | Monmouth, Ore.

Last Time Out
Following a 78-69 loss to Simon Fraser on Thursday, Jan. 12, the Nanooks men's team used a big all-around second half to grab a two-point victory over the Western Washington Vikings on Jan. 14, 2023. The 75-73 win was sparked behind five Nanooks scoring in double-digits. Tyler Mrus led the way with 13 points. He added six rebounds and an assist. Jaycson Bereal, Jr., Jordan Kanoe and Abdullahi Mohamed all added a dozen points and Nick Hopkins posted 10 in the win. The 'Nooks trailed by one at the break but outscored WWU 40-37 in the second half. It was sparked by a 51.7 field goal percentage while holding WWU to 35.1% in the second. 

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks are leading the GNAC in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 40.8% shooting. This is 35th in the nation. They are second in the GNAC in field goal percentage, shooting 49.4% from the floor. This ranks them 23rd in the nation.
• Alaska's defense is 40th in the nation as they allow 65.9 points per game. This is third in the conference. They are averaging 71.4 points per game, good for a scoring margin of 5.5.
• Their 26.4 defensive rebounds per game is fifth in the GNAC and 93rd in the nation. Their 7.7 rebound margin is 18th in the nation and first in the conference. 
• Alaska ranks second in the conference in both three point percentage and three point percentage defense. Their opponents shoot 32.3% from deep while the 'Nooks shoot 37.5% from three.
• Bryan Nguyen is fifth in the GNAC in both assists and assists per game. He is averaging 3.9 per game with 58 total this season. His 3.9/game is 92nd in the NCAA DII.
• He also has 25 steals this season (1.67/game). He ranks seventh in the GNAC in total steals and fifth in steals per game. 
• Jaycson Bereal, Jr. is currently third in the conference with 1.21 blocks per game. He has 17 blocks on the season and ranks fifth in total blocks. He is also fourth in the GNAC in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 5.07 per game. 
• Abdullahi Mohamed is grabbing 2.14 offensive rebounds per game, sixth most in the conference. 

GNAC Standings

1. Montana State Billings (14-4, 8-0 GNAC)
2. Seattle Pacific (12-5, 7-1 GNAC)
3. Saint Martin's (13-4, 5-2 GNAC)
4. Western Washington (10-7, 3-4 GNAC)
5. Alaska Anchorage (9-7, 3-4 GNAC)
6. Northwest Nazarene (6-9, 3-4 GNAC)
7. Alaska (7-8, 2-5 GNAC)
8. Central Washington (6-10, 2-5 GNAC)
9. Western Oregon (5-9, 2-5 GNAC)
10. Simon Fraser (6-11, 1-6 GNAC)

Meet the Opponents 
Saint Martin's Saints (13-4, 5-2 GNAC)
The Saints enter this week's matchup on a two-game slide. They dropped their first two GNAC games of the season last weekend, falling to Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific to fall to third in the GNAC standings. 

Kyle Greeley is leading the Saints through 17 games. He is shooting a team-high 57.5% from the floor for 15.2 points per game. He adds 41.3% from deep and 5.3 rebounds per game. Greeley is also one of six Saints with double-digit steals this season. Tyke Thompson and Branden Bunn follow in double-digits with 11.4 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. Thompson is shooting 50.8% from the floor and is shooting 85.7% from the free-throw line. The Saints are 7-1 on their home court this season. 

Western Oregon Wolves (5-9, 2-5 GNAC)
Western Oregon is currently on a three-game losing streak. Since the new year, they've fallen to Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. Their last win came on New Year's Eve at home against Simon Fraser, a 79-67 victory for the Wolves. They are currently led by Cameron Cranston who is posting 15.4 points per game. He's shooting 43% from the floor, 31.8% from three and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Three other Wolves are in double-digits for scoring so far this season. Cameron Benzel joins Cranston with 12.3 points per game while shooting the second-highest field goal percentage of 59.8%, trailing only John Morrill-Keeler who is shooting 60% from the floor. 

Morrill-Keeler is posting 10.4 points per game and Yosani Clay is scoring 10.9 points per game for WOU rounding out their double-digit scorers. Clay and Qiant Myers both lead the team with 20 steals each while Morrill-Keeler is grabbing a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. Myers is the main distributor for the Wolves with 86 assists on the year. 

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