SEATTLE, Wash. - The Nanooks men's basketball team dropped a tightly contested game against the Seattle Pacific Falcons on Saturday, falling by a final score of 56-54. With the loss, the Nanooks fall to 9-9, 5-4 GNAC.

How it Happened
Elyon Zevenbergen got things going by converting a three-point play on Alaska's opening possession. SPU scored the following five points, but Paul Johnson answered with a three-ball to put the 'Nooks back in front 6-5. Zevenbergen tacked on two more buckets to give the Nanooks a 7-0 run. A 14-3 run for the Falcons followed, seeing the hosts take a 19-13 lead with 6:41 left in the half. However, the Nanooks responded by posting 10 unanswered points, with Isaiah Saams-Hoy knocking down a pair of triples to help Alaska rebuild its lead to 23-19. The Nanooks would not trail for the rest of the half, with Johnson converting a pair of free throws to send the Blue & Gold into the halftime break up 27-25.

The 'Nooks started the second half strong, scoring five points in the opening minute on a Chris Lee three and Zevenbergen layup. Saams-Hoy added another three to establish a 35-27 lead 4:04 into the period. A 9-2 Falcons run saw Alaska's lead shrink to two, but Lee answered with a triple and layup, while Jalai O'Keith followed with his own three-pointer to put the Nanooks ahead 46-38. Seattle Pacific brought it to within one following eight straight points and eventually took the lead 54-52 with 1:52 remaining in the contest. Saams-Hoy knocked down a game-tying layup with 40 seconds remaining, but SPU's Owen Moriarty followed with a jumper, and after Alaska could not answer, the Falcons held on to the 56-54 win.

Inside the Numbers

• Isaiah Saams-Hoy posted a team-leading 15 points, going 6-13 from the floor and 3-5 from downtown. He also led the team in rebounds (7) and steals (3).
• Paul Johnson added 12 points for the Nanooks, finishing with five rebounds and a block.
• Chris Lee was the final Nanook to post 10+ points, scoring 11. He grabbed five rebounds, collected a steal and notched a team-high four assists.
• The Nanooks posted shooting splits of 36.2% and 30% during the game while knocking down three of their six free throws.
• Alaska was outrebounded 31-36.

What's to Come
The Nanooks are back in the Patty next week as they host Simon Fraser on Thursday evening and Western Washington on Saturday afternoon.

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