FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team is back in Fairbanks for two GNAC contests this week. Alaska faces off against Central Washington on Thursday evening before taking on Northwest Nazarene on Saturday afternoon.

Thursday, Jan. 9
vs. Central Washington | 7 p.m. | Unity Game - Diversity
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks

Saturday, Jan. 11
vs. Northwest Nazarene | 3:15 p.m. | Indigenous Appreciation - Sponsored by Kinross Fort Knox
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks

Watch Here | Live Stats | Tickets

Last Time Out
The Nanooks started 2025 with a road sweep of Western Washington and Simon Fraser last week, taking down the Vikings 88-73 before defeating the Red Leafs 76-74.

Four Nanooks scored in double figures in their victory over WWU. Paul Johnson led the way with 23 points, Isaiah Saams-Hoy and Elyon Zevenbergen added 22 and Chris Lee posted 16. Zevenbergen posted a game-high 16 rebounds for a double-double in 29 minutes of play. He also blocked two shots, dished an assist and picked up a steal. Saams-Hoy added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals with his 22 points (8-13 FG). Johnson's game-high scoring performance was backed by a 9-13 shooting performance, going 3-6 from three and 2-2 from the line. He added four assists, three rebounds and a steal. The Nanooks grabbed 42 rebounds, holding Western Washington to 28. The Nanooks went 34-64 (53.1%) from the floor while Western shot 22-60 (36.7%). The 'Nooks also outshot the Vikings from deep 45% to 33.3%.

After trailing by 12 early in the second half against Simon Fraser, the Nanooks were able to complete the comeback, with Lee scoring 16 straight points to single-handedly tie the game at 54. From there, neither team built an advantage greater than five, and with 1:23 left and the score tied at 74, Saams-Hoy drained a jumper with two seconds on the clock, securing the victory for Alaska. Lee led the Nanooks with 21 points in the contest. He shot 8-12 from the field and 5-8 from three. He added four assists, three rebounds, and one block. Johnson added 18 on 7-13 shooting. He went 4-9 from deep while dishing three assists, grabbing one rebound and one steal. Saams-Hoy was the final double-digit scorer for the Nanooks. He had 10 on 4-8 shooting, connecting from deep once. He had a team-high five assists, grabbed four rebounds, blocked one shot and picked up a steal. Jalai O'Keith grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Alaska shot 62.9% from the floor in the second half, going 17-27 from the floor with a 6-11 clip from deep. For the game, Alaska shot 50% from the floor, holding SFU to 39.7% from the floor.

#NookNotes

• Isaiah Saams-Hoy leads the Nanooks in points per game, averaging 16.5 to put him third in the GNAC.
• Saams-Hoy ranks second in the conference and 76th in the nation in field goal percentage, knocking down 54.5% of his shots on the season.
• Chris Lee sits seventh in the GNAC in points per game with 16.2.
• Saams-Hoy and Lee both rank in the top 10 in assists per game among GNAC players, averaging 3.6 and 3.5, putting them ninth and 10th, respectively.
• Ketan Sidhu's 1.08 blocks per game puts him ninth in the GNAC.
• Jalai O'Keith sits third in the conference in rebounds per game, grabbing an average of 7.5. His 5.77 defensive rebounds per game put him second in the GNAC.
• Alaska is shooting 46.3% from the floor and 36% from three, while its opponents have posted shooting totals of 41.7% and 33.4%.
• The Nanooks are averaging the second-most points per game in the GNAC, averaging 81.5 per contest.
• Their 9.9 three-pointers per game put them second in the conference and 28th in DII.
• The 'Nooks have grabbed the second-most rebounds per game among GNAC teams, averaging 41.7 boards as a squad. Alaska's 30 defensive rebounds per game put it first in the conference and seventh in the nation.

GNAC Standings

1. Saint Martin's (15-2, 4-0 GNAC)
2. Northwest Nazarene (10-1, 3-0 GNAC)
3. Alaska Anchorage (10-7, 3-1 GNAC)
4. Alaska (7-6, 3-1 GNAC)
5. Montana State Billings (11-5, 2-1 GNAC)
6. Central Washington (8-5, 2-1 GNAC)
7. Seattle Pacific (5-9, 1-2 GNAC)
8. Western Washington (8-6, 0-4 GNAC)
9. Simon Fraser (4-10, 0-4 GNAC)
10. Western Oregon (3-11, 0-4 GNAC)

Meet the Opponents
Central Washington (8-5, 2-1 GNAC)
Head Coach: Brandon Rinta (7th Season)

The Wildcats are coming off their first GNAC loss of the season after falling to Northwest Nazarene 85-78 in overtime. However, they won their first two conference contests against Simon Fraser (91-65) and Western Washington (79-76).

CWU boasts the number one field goal (48.6%) and three-point percentages (37.2%) in the GNAC, with the two marks ranking 37th and 51st in Division II entering the week.

Garrett Anderson and Cavin Holden are joint top scorers for the Nighthawks, each averaging 14 points per game. Holden is the primary facilitator for CWU, averaging 4.2 assists per game, ranking fifth in the GNAC.

Northwest Nazarene (10-1, 3-0 GNAC)
Head Coach: Jon Hawkins (2nd Season)

The Nighthawks enter the week sitting at 10-1 overall, having won their last seven games. They have won each of their three GNAC contests to start the season, defeating Western Washington 75-74, Simon Fraser 73-68 and Central Washington 85-78 in overtime.

They are led by Kye Dickson, who leads the GNAC in scoring with 17.6 points per game. He has knocked down 50% of his field goals this season, which is good for third in the GNAC. His 7.5 rebounds per game ranks second in the conference.

What's to Come
The Nanooks travel to Anchorage next weekend for a rivalry matchup against the Seawolves. They face UAA on Jan. 18 at 3 p.m.

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