FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team stays on the road this week for a pair of matchups against the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets and the Seattle Pacific Falcons. The 'Nooks face off against the Yellowjackets on Thursday afternoon before taking on the Falcons on Saturday afternoon.

Thursday, Jan. 23
at Montana State Billings | 3:15 p.m. AKT
Alterowitz Gymnasium | Billings, Mont.

Watch | Live Stats

Saturday, Jan. 25
at Seattle Pacific | 3:15 p.m. AKT
Brougham Pavilion | Seattle, Wash.

Watch | Live Stats

Last Time Out
The Nanooks erased a 19-point deficit last weekend against Alaska Anchorage, coming back from being down 70-51 at the 11:42 mark of the second half and eventually tying the game at 73 with a Paul Johnson bucket with 1:49 remaining. A Johnson three on the ensuing possession put the 'Nooks in front 76-74, and the Blue & Gold would hold on to win by that score. 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. 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 and outscored UAA 27-6 in the final 11:42. Alaska out-rebounded UAA 37-26 in the win.

#NookNotes

• Chris Lee leads the Nanooks in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game. That mark ranks fourth in the GNAC.
• His 2.27 threes per game pace the squad and put him sixth in the conference.
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy is also a top-10 scorer in the GNAC, putting up 16.1 points per game, good for seventh in the conference.
• Saams-Hoy is shooting at a 52.6% clip from the floor this season, the second-highest mark in the GNAC.
• He leads the team in steals per game (1.5), blocks per game (1.13) and assists per game (3.8). These rank eighth, sixth, and eighth in the GNAC, respectively.
• Jalai O'Keith has grabbed an average of 7.3 rebounds per game this season, which puts him third in the GNAC.
• The Nanooks have allowed the lowest field goal percentage in the GNAC, with opponents shooting at a 42.3% clip.
• They rank second in the conference in rebounds per game (40.3) and first in defensive rebounds per game (29). These rank 25th and 13th in the nation, respectively.
• Alaska has averaged 10 makes from beyond the arc this season, the most in the GNAC and 24th most in DII.

GNAC Standings

1. Northwest Nazarene (13-2, 6-1 GNAC)
2. Central Washington (12-5, 6-1 GNAC)
3. Saint Martin's (16-4, 5-2 GNAC)
4. Alaska (9-7, 5-2 GNAC)
5. Alaska Anchorage (10-10, 3-4 GNAC)
6. Seattle Pacific (7-11, 3-4 GNAC)
7. Western Washington (11-7, 3-5 GNAC)
8. Montana State Billings (11-9, 2-5 GNAC)
9. Simon Fraser (6-12, 2-6 GNAC)
10. Western Oregon (4-13, 1-6 GNAC)

Meet the Opponents
Montana State Billings (11-9, 2-5 GNAC)
Head Coach: Luke Fennelly (2nd Season)

The Yellowjackets have dropped their previous five contests coming into the game. Last week, they fell on the road to Northwest Nazarene (70-76) and Central Washington (69-82).

Senior guard Jalen Tot has been their leading scorer this season, averaging 16.5 points per game, third-most in the conference. Tot is their leading assister, averaging the 11th-most assists per game in the GNAC at 3.2, and his 1.95 steals per game put him second in the conference. He ranks fourth in both three-pointers per game (2.5) and three-point percentage (32.3%).

MSUB is averaging the fewest turnovers per game in the GNAC, giving the ball away 10.4 times per game this season. Their 79.1% shooting percentage from the free throw line ranks first in the conference and 12th in Division II.

Seattle Pacific (7-11, 3-4 GNAC)
Head Coach: Keffrey Fazio (2nd Season)

The Falcons enter the week having fallen in their previous two matchups, losing 61-82 to Central Washington and 55-67 to Northwest Nazarene.

Junior guard Owen Moriarty is Seattle Pacific's leading scorer this season, putting up 15.4 points per game. That mark ranks eighth in the GNAC. His 48.5% field goal percentage is also eighth-best in the conference. Meanwhile, junior forward Trace Evans leads the GNAC in field goal percentage, converting 66.2% of his shot attempts. That mark ranks 11th in the nation.

The Falcons have the third-best field goal percentage in the GNAC and 57th-best in the nation, shooting 47.7% from the floor. Their 27.6 defensive rebounds per game also rank third in the conference.

What's to Come
The Nanooks are back in Fairbanks for two games next week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Western Washington on Saturday at 2:15 p.m.

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