FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team officially kicked off its season on Wednesday evening with a resounding 92-59 win over the Pacific Union Pioneers.

How it Happened
Jalai O'Keith began the game by scoring the first five points of the contest, knocking down a layup and three just over two minutes into the game. Following a Pioneers triple, Luke Fotheringham continued the scoring for the 'Nooks, scoring the next five points of the ballgame on a pair of layups, one of which was an and-one that he converted to give the Nanooks a 10-3 lead four minutes in. Tariq Weiser and O'Keith added two more triples, while Tyriq Luke got on the scoresheet with two makes to put the Blue & Gold ahead 20-11 at the 13:25 mark. Luke, Fotheringham and Mike Miller all knocked down layups to extend Alaska's lead to 15, and Miller and Cortarius Mingo drained threes later in the half, making it a 44-21 contest with 3:25 remaining in the first. From there, Jeremiah Hersrud, Luke and Jackson Krug would close out the half by connecting on a pair of layups and a jumper, helping Alaska build a 50-29 lead heading into the break.

Weiser opened the scoring in the second, finishing at the rim on a driving layup within the opening minute of the half. Fotheringham added another layup before Miller and Luke drained a pair from deep to put the 'Nooks in front 60-35. The Pioneers would cut the lead down to 19 with a 14-8 run over the next 6:35, but seven straight points from Miller helped stop the momentum, with the scoring run highlighted by an emphatic fast break dunk off his own steal. Luke and O'Keith would connect on two more threes to close out the contest, helping the 'Nooks claim the 33-point victory.

Inside the Numbers

• Tyriq Luke paced the squad with 20 points on 8-15 shooting (2-4 3pt). He added five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in the game.
• Mike Miller and Luke Fotheringham added 15 points apiece. Miller knocked down 3-6 attempts from outside while collecting seven boards and three steals. Fotheringham went 6-8 from the floor and picked up a block and a steal.
• Jalai O'Keith finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He shot 5-7 from the floor and 3-5 from deep while tying for the team lead in steals with three.
• Tariq Weiser was the final Nanook in double figures, posting 12 points on a perfect 3-3 shooting performance, going 5-9 from the free throw line. He added three assists and two steals.
• Jeremiah Hersrud tied for the team lead with four assists while scoring five points.
• The Nanooks shot 32-59 (54.2%) from the floor and 10-20 from beyond the arc, converting 18-27 (66.7%) of their free throw attempts.
• Alaska scored 29 of its points off turnovers, posted 40 points in the paint and tallied 16 points on the fast break.

What's to Come
The Nanooks play one more against the Pioneers tomorrow evening, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium.

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