ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Nanooks men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Chaminade 102-86 in game one of the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge, hosted by Alaska Anchorage. The loss moves them to 2-1, 0-0 GNAC on the season.
How it Happened
The 'Nooks fell behind early in the contest, finding themselves in a 9-2 hole after the first four minutes of action. They were able to trim the deficit to two thanks to a pair of Davis Crilly layups and a Mike Miller three. Despite Chaminade reestablishing a seven-point lead at 20-13, the 'Nooks kept themselves in the game, with a Crilly three cutting the deficit to one just past the halfway point of the first. Jalai O'Keith put the Blue & Gold in front 24-22 with his own triple a minute later. A Chaminade three-point play on the ensuing possession gave the Silverswords the lead, and despite two more three-pointers from O'Keith and Crilly, the 'Nooks entered the halftime break trailing 47-37.
Tyriq Luke and O'Keith connected on a pair of jumpshots in the opening 1:10 of the second, but the 'Nooks still trailed by double digits. A Luke three at the 16:49 mark brought it to a nine-point game, and a Tariq Weiser three brought the deficit down to six at 67-61. Chaminade's Kris King and Weiser traded threes on the following two possessions, and a Luke jumpshot cut the Silverswords' lead to four with 11:04 remaining. However, a 13-3 run by Chaminade put them up 14 with 6:39 to play. The 'Nooks were unable to bring the deficit to within single digits for the remainder of the contest and fell to the Silverswords.
Inside the Numbers
- Jalai O'Keith posted his second double-double of the season, leading the team in both points (23) and rebounds (11). He shot 8-18 from the field and 4-11 from three while going 3-4 from the free throw line. He also led the team with two blocks.
- Davis Crilly followed with 17 points in his first official game as a Nanook. He went 7-14 from the field and 3-7 from deep, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing four assists.
- Tyriq Luke and Tariq Weiser were the two final Nanooks to finish in double-digit scoring, posting 16 and 13 points, respectively. Luke knocked down seven of his 11 shots on the afternoon, while Weiser dished four assists.
- Mike Miller led the team with six assists. He posted nine points.
- Luke Fotheringham scored eight points on 3-4 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
- As a team, the Nanooks shot 33-69 (47.8%) from the field, 11-31 (35.5%) from three and 9-14 (64.3%) from the line.
- They grabbed 32 rebounds to Chaminade's 41.
- Alaska held the advantage in bench points (23-13) and fastbreak points (16-15), but trailed in points off turnovers (20-13) and second chance points (15-12). Both teams scored 38 points in the paint.
What's to Come
The Nanooks conclude the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge tomorrow afternoon against Hawaii Pacific at 2 p.m.
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