FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks continued their winning streak on Saturday night, concluding their weekend series against Northwest Indian College with a 96-79 victory.

How it Happened
The Nanooks started hot from beyond the arc, knocking down their first three three-pointers. Jalai O'Keith got things started with back-to-back triples, and Chris Lee followed that up by connecting from deep, giving Alaska a 9-6 lead a minute and a half into the game. O'Keith sank his third three of the contest to put the Nanooks ahead 19-6, but an 8-2 NWIC run put the Eagles within one point of tying the game. A JD McGee three put Northwest Indian in front 24-22 just past the halfway point of the opening half, but Isaiah Saams-Hoy would heat up and help Alaska retake the lead. The guard scored Alaska's following 10 points to give it a 32-29 advantage at the 6:53 mark. Lee and Shiloh Zevenbergen would follow with a pair of layups before Griffin Effenberger drilled a three to help Alaska build a 10-point lead with 4:23 remaining. However, a 9-0 NWIC run would put the visitors within one, and despite a Chris Lee layup, the Eagles would close the half with a fastbreak layup with five seconds on the clock. The Blue and Gold would enter the break up by one point at 41-40.

Lee reestablished a three-point lead on the first possession of the second half, driving to the basket and knocking down the layup, while O'Keith kept Alaska in front, scoring its following five points to put the 'Nooks up 48-44. However, the Eagles would take a 55-52 lead at the 14:21 mark after a 9-2 run, and Alaska found itself trailing for the first time since midway through the first. Back-to-back Chris Lee three-pointers helped the Nanooks retake the lead, but a 5-0 Eagles run saw them lose it less than a minute later. Alaska would take the lead for good after a Saams-Hoy three-pointer put it ahead 65-62 just past the halfway point of the second. This would kick off an 11-2 run for the Nanooks over the next 1:26, with Jeremiah Hersrud chipping in with a three-pointer and an and-one conversion to give Alaska a 73-64 advantage. From there, the 'Nooks maintained at least a two-score lead for the remainder of the contest, with O'Keith scoring 11 points in the last five minutes of action to bring his total to 33 on the evening.

Inside the Numbers

• Jalai O'Keith led the Nanooks in scoring with 33 points while going 11-of-16 from the field and 7-of-11 from distance.
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy posted 21 points for Alaska, shooting 9-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three. He grabbed eight rebounds, dished out eight assists and swiped two steals.
• Chris Lee followed with 18 points while tying Saams-Hoy for the team lead in assists with eight.
• Jeremiah Hersrud was the final Nanook to post double-digit points, finishing with 13 on a perfect shooting percentage. The guard went 4-of-4 from the floor, 2-of-2 from three and 3-of-3 from the line.
• Ketan Sidhu led Alaska with 11 boards during the win.
• The Nanooks shot 46.7% from the floor and 38.1% from beyond the arc as a team.

What's to Come
The Nanooks start GNAC play next week with a Thursday showdown against Western Oregon. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. at the Patty Center.

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