HONOLULU - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team kicked off its 2024-25 campaign on Friday evening on the road against Chaminade. Despite a 29-point effort from Paul Johnson, the Nanooks fell in overtime 104-96.

The Silverswords established an early 7-4 lead over the Nanooks with 5:36 gone in the first half, but a 7-1 Nanooks run put Alaska in front 11-8. Elyon Zevenbergen knocked down two layups during the run, while Chris Lee connected on a three to put the Nanooks in front. However, CUH regained the lead, and despite a 10-point performance from Zevenbergen which saw him go 5-for-6 from the floor in the half, the Nanooks entered the break trailing 49-41. Alaska posted a 42.1% field goal percentage but shot 2-of-10 from distance. Meanwhile, the Silverswords knocked down 7-of-20 shots from beyond the arc and posted a 47.6% mark from the field. The Nanooks out-rebounded Chaminade 28-20 and made the most of their trips to the line, shooting 7-of-9 on free throws during the opening 20 minutes.

Johnson got Alaska on the board a little over a minute into the second half, draining a three to make it a 52-44 contest. 1:29 later, Johnson drilled another shot from distance, cutting the deficit to 54-47. However, Chaminade would counter with a three-pointer, bringing its lead to 10. After the Chaminade score, the Nanooks answered with a 7-0 run, with Johnson and Zevenbergen scoring on a pair of layups to make it a three-point game. CUH sank a three to end the run, but the Nanooks weren't done yet, scoring 12 of the following 14 points heading into a timeout. Johnson led Alaska with five points during the run, while Jalai O'Keith, Zevenbergen and Isaiah Saams-Hoy made layups to make it a 66-62 contest. After a pair of CUH free throws, Zevenbergen and Johnson continued to produce for the Nanooks, scoring their next seven points to put them up 73-66. However, the Silverswords responded by scoring five unanswered, and despite baskets from Saams-Hoy, Lee and Jordan Gill, Chaminade tied the game at 79. O'Keith and Johnson helped Alaska retake the lead with two more buckets to make it an 83-79 contest, but CUH stormed ahead with a 6-0 run to grab the lead. Johnson drained a three with 45 seconds left to put the 'Nooks up one, but Chaminade countered with a three of its own on the next possession. With eight seconds remaining, Lee connected on one from deep, giving Alaska the 89-88 advantage, but a Nanooks foul on a Silverswords drive put them at the line with a chance to take the lead. CUH's Roland Banks II converted the first free throw, but missed the second, tying the game at 89 and sending it to overtime. The Nanooks shot 19-of-36 and 6-of-11 from three in the half, their best marks of the contest.

Saams-Hoy started the overtime period with a jump shot in the paint to put Alaska up two, but Chaminade followed with a 9-0 run to take the 98-91 lead with 2:18 to go. A Lee jumper and O'Keith three-pointer helped the Nanooks notch the next five points, but it would not be enough, as Chaminade closed out the period on a 6-0 run, draining two late threes to take the 104-96 victory.

Alaska led Chaminade in both second-chance points (18-8) and points in the paint (46-30), but the Silverswords capitalized on turnovers, scoring 13 points off of takeaways compared to four for the Nanooks. The 'Nooks shot at a 45.8% clip during the game and went 36.0% from deep, compared to 47.6% and 39.0% for CUH.

Alaska continues in Hawaii tomorrow, taking on Hawaii Pacific at McCabe Gymnasium with a start time of 8 p.m. AKST.

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