LACEY, Wash. - March Madness is here! The Nanooks take on Seattle Pacific in the No. 6/3 matchup in the GNAC Men's Basketball quarterfinals. Tip-off is scheduled for noon PST, 11 a.m. AKST in Lacey, Wash. at Saint Martin's University.

Thursday, March 6
vs. No. 3 Seattle Pacific | 11 a.m. AKST
Lacey, Wash. | Marcus Pavilion

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Last Time Out - Western Oregon

• Jalai O'Keith (7-11 FG) and Paul Johnson (6-12 FG) both scored 19 points in the win. Chris Lee added 17 (8-13 FG) in the win. Alaska shot 54.7% (35-64) from the floor and 36.4% (8-22) from three.
• Alaska outscored Western Oregon 15-6 off of turnovers, 50-22 in the paint, and 11-4 on the fastbreak.
• Jahville Collins led WOU with 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-2 FT). The Wolves shot 44.1% (26-59) from the floor, 40.7% (11-27) from three, and 72.7% (8-11) from the free-throw line.

Offense on the Climb
The Nanooks made significant strides offensively this season, jumping up nearly 12 points per game after last season's 66.9 ppg. Last season's scoring margin was -8.8, this season Alaska is +1.0.

Alaska Offensive Comparison

• The Nanooks are currently riding a five-game winning streak. They are averaging 84.2 ppg in that span.
• Alaska is also distributing the ball a lot more than last year, upping their total assists numbers by 134. They have 445 (16.5/game) assists this season compared to 311 (12.0/game) a season ago.

Score Here, Score There

• The Nanooks have posted 25-made field goals in six-straight games, including back-to-back games with 30+ makes from the field. 
• They have six GNAC games with 30+ made field goals, their last coming at WOU on Mar. 1 (35-64). The 54.7% clip from the floor was also the Nanooks' highest shooting night of the season. 
• Their 16 made threes at SMU on Feb. 27 tied their season-high (11/30/24 vs. NWIC, 16-42). Alaska has made 35 more three-pointers than their opponents this season. Their 270 made threes is the most in the GNAC, and their 10.0 made 3PT/game also leads the conference. 
• Finally, the Nanooks 37.2% 3PT clip is second in the GNAC, trailing only Central Washington (40.9%).

Fast Break Facts

• IMPRESSIVE FINISH: The Nanooks have won five-straight games after dropping six-straight. Entering their Feb. 15 game at home against Alaska Anchorage, the Nanooks were in seventh place in the GNAC standings, chasing 8-6 MSUB and WWU teams tied for fifth.
• ALASKA RUNS THROUGH FAIRBANKS: The Nanooks swept Alaska Anchorage this season. This was the first time Alaska swept the Seawolves since the 2002-03 season and only the fourth time in program history since 1975-76.
• NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT: Alaska enters the GNAC Tournament as the current GNAC Team of the Week. Their five-game winning streak to end the regular-season was capped off with two road wins at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon.
• BIG TEN'S BEST: Isaiah Saams-Hoy grabbed the Nanooks lone GNAC Player of the Week honor on Monday, Feb. 24. 
• In 34.5 minutes per game, he finished the weekend averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 52.2% from the floor and 90% from the free-throw line. 
• Head coach Frank Ostanik said this on the GNAC weekly honor for Isaiah, "Isaiah has been a rock for us all season, and this past week is one more example of what he means to our team and why he is such a special player. Isaiah's impact was felt in all aspects of both games. He was great each night at the defensive end while scoring and rebounding at a high level. More importantly, Isaiah did all this while taking great care of the ball, handing out eight assists to just one TO. Isaiah's contributions on and off the court were a big part of our success."
• OFFENSE TAKING STEPS: After scoring 1739 total points a year ago, Alaska has jumped by nearly 400 points, scoring 2128 total points this season. 
• Opponent FG% has dropped from 46% last season to 42.5% this year. 
• Alaska is 8-3 when scoring over 80 points this season.
• PJ2K: Senior Paul Johnson has been as consistent as can be for the Nanooks. He is not only the third-leading scorer for Alaska, but is shooting 48.8% from the floor and a team-high 46.5% from three. His 59 made three-pointers leads Alaska. Half of his made field goals this season (118-242) have come from beyond the arc.
• ZEVENBERGEN-LAND: Senior Elyon Zevenbergen leads the Nanooks in rebounding. The big grabs 8.4 (168 total) per game and has a team-high 57 offensive boards.
• This season he has six games with 10+ rebounds, including a season-high 16 on Jan. 2 at WWU.
• He also has four double-doubles on the season.

Zay is Here to Stay

• Isaiah Saams-Hoy was one of the biggest gets for the Nanooks this past offseason.
• Saams-Hoy knows how to fill a statsheet, the junior is averaging 35.1 minutes per game, a team-high 16.2 pointswhile shooting 50.5% from the floor, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
• He is one of the best players in the GNAC, sitting in the top-10 of many major GNAC categories including, seventh in the GNAC for assists (96), fifth in total blocks (29), second in made field goals (166), fifth in points scored (438), and sixth in points per game (16.2).
• Saams-Hoy's ability to disrupt the play is one of his best attributes away from the ball; he has recorded five games with three or more steals, and eight games with 2+ blocked shots, including a season-high six on Jan. 11 against Northwest Nazarene (W, 71-62). That total is the fifth-most in GNAC history. 
• His 16.2 ppg to end the regular-season are the most by a Nanooks player since 2021-22 when Shadeed Shabazz averaged 20.9 ppg for Alaska. 
• His 29 blocks are also the most by a Nanooks player since that same season when Willie Thomas III blocked 34 shots.

Why Not the 'Nooks?

• "Why Not the 'Nooks?", a common phrase heard in Fairbanks, Alaska, was a term coined during their 2021-22 GNAC Championships run and NCAA DII West Region Sweet 16 run after winning the GNAC Tournament as the 10-seed.
• All 10 GNAC teams made it during the 2021-22 season due to COVID-19 causing an uneven number of games played by each team.
• This season the Nanooks were picked 10th out of 10 teams in the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 17, 2024. Alaska received 19 points, trailing Western Oregon (21 points) in ninth. 

Oh Snap, Ostanik's Back

• Frank Ostanik returns to the Nanooks and knows how to win in Fairbanks. 
• After eight seasons as an assistant coach of the Nanooks, Ostanik took over at the helm in 2004-05 and led the 'Nooks to a Co-GNAC Regular-Season Championship (Humboldt State) and a Sweet 16 run before falling to Cal Poly Pomona (L, 65-58 | 3/14/05 in Bellingham)
• Ostanik was named the 2006-07 GNAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Nanooks to a 17-13, 8-8 GNAC record.
• Head coach Frank Ostanik used to suit up for the blue and gold, playing for the Nanooks from 1990-92, averaging 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 41 career games while shooting 54.2% from the floor.
• He graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1993 with a Bachelor of Education before earning a Masters in Leadership and Coaching from the University of Concordia-Irvine in 2017.

JuCo Pickups

• The men's basketball team picked up several athletes through the JuCo route in the offseason.
• Nine members of the Nanooks came from JuCo's this past offseason. Here are the rest alongside Isaiah Saams-Hoy
• Chris Lee joined the Nanooks from Edmonds College in Edmonds, Wash. The Ketchikan native has played and started in 26 games this season for the Nanooks. He is second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game while shooting 42.5% (144-339) from the floor, 34.2% (52-152) from three, and 78.9% (56-71) from the free-throw line. He's added 3.7 rebounds per game, 93 assists, 26 steals, and 11 blocks.
• Jalai O'Keith came to the Nanooks by way of East Los Angeles College after two years with the Central Washington Wildcats. This season he is averaging 11.8 points per game through 26 games and starts. He is shooting 42.4% (103-243) from the floor and 38.1% (51-134) from three while adding 6.9 boards per game.
• Elyon Zevenbergen joined the Nanooks from Edmonds College as well. The Nanooks big has appeared in 20 games, starting 13 of them. He's shooting 54.1% (99-183) from the floor for 11.3 points per game. He's grabbing a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game.
• Griffin Effenberger, like Chris Lee, returned to his home state. The Sitka native has played in all 27 games, making four starts. He's averagin 6.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
• Shiloh Zevenbergen (Elyon's brother) also joined from Edmonds College. He and Chris Lee were teammates last season. 
• Alaskan's Jeremiah Hersrud and Jackson Krug returned to their home-state after playing at Bellevue College (Hersrud) and Lassen Community College (Krug). Hersrud, also known as "Shish" hails from Shishmaref, Alaska. Krug is from Kodiak, Alaksa. 

Rest of the Field

• Central Washington claimed the No. 1 seed in the GNAC tournament. Northwest Nazarene grabbed the No. 2 seed for the remaining GNAC bye. 
• Montana State Billings, Seattle Pacific, and Western Washington all finished the season 11-7 in GNAC play. SPU grabbed the No. 3 seed and will face the Nanooks while MSUB and WWU took the No. 4/5 seeds and will face each other. 
• CWU looks to win their second-straight GNAC Championships after winning it all on their home-court last season. 
• NNU looks for their first win of the GNAC since 2023 when they took their first title. 
• WWU enters the GNAC Championships looking for their first title since 2020. They also ended a two-year drought from the Championships. 
• Ahead of the Nanooks are the No. 5 seeded MSUB Yellow Jackets. Their lone GNAC title came in 2012 when they knocked off the eventual National Champion Western Washington.

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