FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks men's basketball team picked up a big victory in their charge for a GNAC postseason spot, defeating the Seattle Pacific Falcons 71-60 on Thursday evening. Alaska advances to 11-13, 7-8 GNAC with the win.

How it Happened
The Falcons opened up a 7-3 lead 1:46 into the contest, with Owen Moriarty notching layups on consecutive possessions, but Griffin Effenberger made an immediate impact after coming off the bench. He drained a three before converting a jumper to give Alaska an 8-7 advantage. Seattle Pacific got back in front 10-8, but the 'Nooks countered with 17 unanswered points to give them a commanding 25-10 lead. Chris Lee led the way for the Nanooks, scoring seven points and ending the run by converting a three-point play. Alaska went 7-10 from the floor and 2-3 from deep during the run. Jaxon Nap and Elyon Zevenbergen traded buckets on the following two possessions before six straight Falcons points brought Alaska's advantage to single digits. However, Lee gave the 'Nooks their 10-point cushion back by sinking a three, and Isaiah Saams-Hoy scored the final points of the half on a jumper, giving the Nanooks a 32-20 lead heading into the halftime break.

Ketan Sidhu and Lee got things going to start the second, knocking down layups on consecutive possessions, but an 8-0 Falcons run saw Alaska's lead shrink to single digits once again. Saams-Hoy hit on a pair of buckets, but another 7-0 SPU run cut the Nanooks' lead to three. Zevenbergen notched a couple of layups over the next 2:04, and two Lee free throws put Alaska in front by 11. However, SPU again logged an 8-0 run to make it a one-possession contest with 5:31 remaining. Saams-Hoy hit a pair of free throws, and Jalai O'Keith followed with a three, giving the Blue & Gold a 56-48 advantage. From there, Saams-Hoy took over, connecting from beyond the arc before posting a pair of layups to give Alaska a double-digit lead it would hold on to for the remainder of the game.

Inside the Numbers

• Chris Lee led the charge with 22 points on the evening, going 7-14 from the floor, 3-6 from three and 5-6 from the line. He picked up five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy followed with 17 points on 7-12 shooting. He led the team with two steals while tallying seven rebounds, three assists and a block.
• Jalai O'Keith finished with eight points and six boards.
• Griffin Effenberger contributed eight points off the bench for the Nanooks, shooting 3-6 from the floor and 2-4 from deep.
• The 'Nooks went 25-55 from the floor (45.5%), 8-23 from beyond the arc (34.8%) and 13-16 from the charity stripe (81.3%).
• The Nanooks outscored the Falcons 15-7 in points off turnovers,  9-4 in second-chance points, 14-0 in bench points and 12-0 in fastbreak points.
• Both teams ended the evening with 34 rebounds.
• Alaska held the lead for 31:34 this evening.

What's to Come
The Nanooks wrap up their home schedule this Saturday with a showdown against the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets. The 'Nooks will hold their Senior Day on Saturday - come out and celebrate the Nanooks who are playing in Fairbanks for the final time in their career! Tip-off is set for 3:15 p.m. AKST.

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