MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Nanooks men's basketball team secured their spot in the GNAC Championships on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Western Oregon Wolves 85-71 to claim the sixth seed in the tournament. They end the regular season with a record of 14-13, 10-8 GNAC.

How it Happened
Chris Lee started the scoring nearly two minutes into the ballgame, connecting on a layup to put Alaska in front. However, a 6-0 run saw the Wolves establish a four-point lead. Elyon Zevenbergen responded with a pair of layups, and Jalai O'Keith knocked down Alaska's first three of the contest to put Alaska within a point of WOU. Isaiah Saams-Hoy tied the game at 10 with a free throw before Paul Johnson gave the 'Nooks the lead with a triple. Ketan Sidhu, Saams-Hoy and O'Keith notched buckets on three-straight possessions, but a Carson Frincke three put the Wolves back on top 20-19. O'Keith regained the lead for the Nanooks with his own three on the ensuing possession, and Lee added a fastbreak layup after collecting a steal. Saams-Hoy, Griffin Effenberger and Lee posted three straight layups to help keep the Nanooks in front, and Johnson would score the final five points of the half on a three and two free throws, giving Alaska a 35-27 advantage heading into the break.

Johnson got things going in the second, knocking down a layup to put the Blue & Gold ahead by double digits. The Wolves would bring it back to a single-digit contest twice over the next 2:15, but a three-pointer from Lee started a 7-0 run for the Nanooks, giving them a 48-32 advantage and forcing a Western Oregon timeout. Effenberger and Johnson knocked down threes on consecutive possessions later in the quarter to put the 'Nooks up 19, and a Johnson layup gave them a 20-point lead at 66-46 halfway through the second. Lee would answer a 7-0 Wolves run with two straight baskets, and later in the half, O'Keith scored nine points on four consecutive possessions to help keep Alaska ahead by double digits. From there, the Nanooks saw out the win, with Jackson Krug slamming a fastbreak dunk off a Lee steal to cap off the win and send the Nanooks into the postseason.

Inside the Numbers

• Jalai O'Keith and Paul Johnson led the way with 19 points apiece. They went 7-11 and 6-12 from the field, respectively, and both knocked down three of their five attempts from deep. O'Keith added eight rebounds in the win.
• Chris Lee followed with 17 points on 8-13 shooting. He tied for the team lead with three assists, four steals and two blocks.
• Elyon Zevenbergen was the final Nanook in double-figures, posting 10 points. He shot 5-8 from the floor, blocked two shots, dished three assists and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy finished with nine points while picking up three assists and four steals.
• The Nanooks went 35-64 (54.7%) from the floor and 8-22 (36.4%) from beyond the arc, converting seven of their eight free-throw attempts.
• The 'Nooks outscored the Wolves 15-6 off of turnovers, 50-22 in the paint and 11-4 on the fastbreak.
• They grabbed 35 rebounds to Western Oregon's 30.
• Alaska will head to the GNAC Championships for the first time since the 2021-22 season when they won it as the 10 seed.

What's to Come
The quarterfinals of the GNAC Championships are set for Thursday, March 6, in Lacey, Wash. The Nanooks will face the third-seeded Seattle Pacific Falcons at 11 a.m. AKT.

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