FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team picked up their fifth GNAC win in Anchorage tonight on Jan. 18, 2025. With the two-point win, Alaska moves to 9-7, 5-2 GNAC.

How it Happened
Jalai O'Keith opened the scoring with a three, making it 3-0 Nanooks. UAA quickly responded, taking an 8-5 lead on an 8-3 run. The two sides quickly traded buckets to a 21-21 score before UAA pulled away late in the first. Bishop Tosi gave UAA a 23-21 lead before they grew their lead to 10 at 34-24 with 5:59 remaining in the first. Their lead reached a dozen with 4:35 remaining but Griffin Effenberger and Isaiah Saams-Hoy pulled Alaska to within nine at the break. 

Out of the halftime break, UAA grew their lead to 13 in the opening minutes. Saams-Hoy kept Alaska within 11 but back-to-back buckets pushed Alaska Anchorage's lead to 16 with 16:33 left in the second. UAA held the momentum for the opening 10 minutes of the half, eventually stretching their lead to 19 with 11:42 left. Elyon Zevenbergen got the Nanooks major run started with a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 16 with 8:52 left. Isaiah Saams-Hoy made a pair of free throws before Chris Lee connected from deep and Ketan Sidhu made a put back tip. This forced UAA to call a timeout. UAA answered back out of the timeout, but Alaska's momentum was strong as Jalai O'Keith hit back-to-back three's, making it a five-point game. Saams-Hoy pulled the Nanooks to within two with 3:47 remaining and Paul Johnson eventually tied the game at 73 with a layup at the 1:49 mark. UAA grabbed the lead back with a free throw before Johnson hit the game-winner with 1:11 left in the second. The three-pointer gave Alaska a 76-74 lead and eventual win as they held off UAA's final attempt at the buzzer.

Inside the Numbers

• Isaiah Saams-Hoy and Jalai O'Keith led the Nanooks with 16 points each. They both grabbed seven rebounds. Saams-Hoy dished five assists while O'Keith had one and one steal. 
• Paul Johnson added 15 points in the win, going 6-10 from the floor with three three-pointers. He added five assists and two rebounds.
• Elyon Zevenbergen posted 11 points and eight rebounds. 
• The Nanooks shot 54.2% from three, going 13-24 from deep. They shot 58.6% from the floor in the second-half.
• Alaska out-rebounded UAA 37-26 in the win. 
• Alaska outscored UAA 27-6 in the final 11:42 to earn the win. 

What's to Come
The Nanooks remain on the road next week as they head to Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific on Jan. 23-25. The Nanooks return home on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 for Simon Fraser and Western Washington. 

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