SAINT LEO, Fla. - The Nanooks men's basketball team is set for two games over the winter break, traveling to Saint Leo, Fla. for games against Palm Beach Atlantic and Saint Leo.

Friday, Dec. 20
3:30 p.m. vs. Palm Beach Atlantic | Watch | Live Stats
Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.

Saturday, Dec. 21
9 a.m. vs. Saint Leo | Watch | Live Stats
Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.

Last Time Out
The Nanooks split their first two games to open GNAC play, defeating Western Oregon 87-72 on Dec. 5 and falling to Saint Martin's 63-71 on Dec. 7.

Paul Johnson posted a team-high 25 points in his return to action against Western Oregon, going 10-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-9 from three. Jalai O'Keith followed with 12 points on the afternoon, connecting on four of his 10 field goal attempts. He grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and swiped two steals in the win. Chris Lee notched 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. The guard also led the team in assists with seven. Isaiah Saams-Hoy tallied 11 points for the 'Nooks on 4-of-8 shooting. He also collected three boards, three assists, a block and a steal. Jordan Gill was the final Nanook to finish with double-digit points, scoring 10 while shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. The Nanooks shot 50% from the field and 37.9% from distance during the contest while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. Alaska out-rebounded Western Oregon 40-30 in the win. The 'Nooks led in second-chance points (13-6) and points off turnovers (11-8).

Despite being down 20 points to Saint Martin's 2:45 into the second half, the Nanooks came back to make it a four-point ballgame with 5:30 left to play. However, they could not complete the comeback, falling by eight to the Saints. Isaiah Saams-Hoy led the way with 24 points on 9-17 shooting and 4-9 from deep. He added nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in the effort. Chris Lee was next for the Nanooks with nine points. As a team, the Nanooks shot 31.8% from the floor and 25.9% from deep while SMU shot 38.5% from the floor and 44.4% from three. Alaska outshot SMU from the charity stripe 87.5% to 54.5%, going 14-16 from the line. SMU posted a rebounding advantage of 46-44. They also posted a 9-7 advantage in assists. Alaska blocked six shots to SMU's four, and both sides had six steals.

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks are the second-highest scoring offense in the GNAC and 41st in Division II, averaging 85 points per game. They have made the second-most three-pointers per game among GNAC teams this season with 10.4.
• Alaska leads the nation in defensive rebounds per game with 31.33. That puts them 0.03 defensive rebounds ahead of second-place Alabama Huntsville.
• The Blue & Gold rank first in the GNAC and sixth in the country in total rebounds, grabbing 44 per game. Their 7.3 rebound margin puts them 29th in DII.
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy leads the Nanooks in scoring this season, posting 18.2 points per game. That mark puts him at the top of the GNAC leaderboards.
• Saams-Hoy's 56.3% field goal percentage ranks second-highest in the conference and 65th in the nation.
• Chris Lee ranks second on the team and fourth in the GNAC in points per game with 17.2.
• Saams-Hoy and Lee are tied for the team lead in assists, with the two guards dishing out an average of 3.6 per game. This ties them for eighth in the conference.
• Jalai O'Keith paces the squad with 8.6 rebounds per game, which is good for second in the GNAC and 42nd in DII. He sits 22nd in the nation for defensive rebounds, posting 6.67 per contest.
• On the offensive end, O'Keith is fifth in the GNAC in three-pointers per game, knocking down an average of 2.33 shots from beyond the arc this season.

Meet the Opponents
Palm Beach Atlantic 9-1, 3-1 SSC
Head Coach: Cole Rose (4th season)

The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish enter the contest at 9-1 while going 3-1 in the Sunshine State Conference.

Their lone loss on the season came in a 72-74 defeat to Barry on Dec. 4. The Sailfish are outscoring their opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game, good for 11th in the nation. They hold opponents to a 39% field goal percentage and 26.7% three-point percentage, which rank as the 15th and seventh-best marks in Division II, respectively.

They are led by junior guard Josh Ward, whose 15.7 points per game rank 15th in the SSC. He has the seventh-highest field goal percentage in the conference at 55.1% and ranks seventh in steals (1.90) and defensive rebounds per game (5.5). Ward also paces the squad with 3.4 assists per game, which is good for 13th in the conference.

Saint Leo 4-6, 1-3 SSC
Head Coach: Spencer Henke (1st season)

After starting the season 4-1, the Saint Leo Lions come into the weekend having dropped their last five contests to fall to 4-6. However, none of their losses have been by more than 10 points.

The Lions are one of the top blocking teams in the country, averaging five rejections per game to put them second in the Sunshine State Conference and 14th in Division II. The duo of Eric Jones and Tae Wilson lead the way, posting an average of 1.89 and 1.44 blocks per game, respectively. These marks put them in the top 60 for blocks per game among DII players, with Jones sitting in 24th and Wilson in 57th.

Wilson leads the Lions in scoring, having posted 17.8 points per game over their first 10 matchups. This ranks seventh in the SSC and 97th in the nation. He leads the SSC in field goal percentage, shooting 58% from the field in 2024-25, which puts him 45th in the country. Finally, his 1.67 steals per game puts him 11th in the conference.

What's Next
The Nanooks return to action after the new year with a pair of road GNAC contests, taking on Western Washington on Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. and Simon Fraser on Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.

Follow the 'Nooks
IG - @NanooksMBB
X - @NanooksMBB
FB - Alaska Nanooks