FAIRBANKS – The Nanooks men's basketball team is back in action this week for a pair of home contests against Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific. The 'Nooks take on MSUB on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m., before ending the week vs. SPU on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2:15 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 22 - Canned Food Drive
vs. Montana State Billings | 7:30 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium | Fairbanks

Saturday, Jan. 24 - Indigenous Appreciation
vs. Seattle Pacific | 2:15 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium | Fairbanks

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Last Time Out
The Nanooks grabbed a huge win over Alaska Anchorage in front of a packed Patty Center last Saturday, defeating the Seawolves 91-76 in front of over 1,000 fans. The 'Nooks had five players reach double figures, with Mike Miller and Tyriq Luke finishing with 25 points apiece, Jalai O'Keith and Davis Crilly putting up 11 points and Cortarius Mingo adding 10 points. The 'Nooks did not trail during the contest, establishing an early 12-2 lead in the opening minutes and never looking back. Miller would knock down three of his five threes during that opening run, as he ended the game shooting 5-10 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Nanooks went 14-25 (56%) from deep, while holding the Seawolves to 5-24 (20.8%) from three-point range.

#NookNotes

• Mike Miller is the Nanooks' top scorer this season, posting 16.1 points per game, which is good for eighth in the GNAC. He ranks second in the conference in steals per game with 2.2.
• Tyriq Luke (15.1 ppg), Davis Crilly (13.1 ppg) and Jalai O'Keith (12.1 ppg) are the other three Nanooks to average double-digit points.
• Davis Crilly has been a big presence down low this season, averaging 6.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game, which rank second and seventh in the GNAC, respectively. Additionally, his 4.9 defensive boards per game lead the conference.
• Tyriq Luke is knocking down his free throws at an 82.8% clip, which puts him sixth in the GNAC.
• Tariq Weiser leads the 'Nooks in assists this season, dishing a total of 62 for an average of 4.1 per game. Those marks rank sixth and fifth in the GNAC, respectively. He also has the eighth-best assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 1.88.
• The Nanooks are connecting on 10.5 three-pointers per game, which is second in the GNAC and 13th in Division II.
• Alaska is shooting 78.8% from the free-throw line, putting them second in the conference and 11th in the nation.
• The 'Nooks have the second-best assist/turnover ratio in the GNAC at 1.43, and the third-most assists per game at 16.9. Those rank 20th and 30th in the country, respectively.

Meet the Opponents
Montana State Billings Yellowjackets (15-5, 4-3 GNAC)
Head Coach: Luke Fennelly (3rd Season)

• The Yellowjackets went 1-1 in their two games last week, picking up an 87-82 win over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Jan. 15, and dropping an 85-72 decision vs. Central Washington on Saturday, Jan. 17.
• Senior guard Mason Landdeck is posting a team high 20.1 points per game, which is third in the GNAC and 32nd in Division II. He is also third in the conference in assists per game with 4.8.
• The Yellowjackets have the top scoring offense in the GNAC, putting up an average of 86.7 points per game. That gives them the 28th-best scoring offense in the nation. They also lead the conference in steals per game (9.6, 35th in DII), turnovers forced per game (16.2, 39th in DII) and turnover margin (+4.2, 21st in DII).

Seattle Pacific Falcons (8-6, 3-4 GNAC)
Head Coach: Keffrey Fazio (3rd Season)

• The Falcons split their two games last week, defeating Central Washington 66-63 on Thursday, Jan. 15, before falling to Northwest Nazarene 72-71 on Saturday, Jan. 17, on a buzzer-beater from the Nighthawks.
• Junior guard Julian Mora leads SPU with 13.9 points per game, ranking just ahead of senior forward Trace Evans, who is posting 13.1 points per game. Evans is third in the GNAC in field goal percentage (51%), while Mora ranks second in three-point percentage (41.3%). Senior forward Grant Coleman leads the conference in three-point percentage at 47.6%, and ranks sixth in Division II.
• As a team, the Falcons are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, knocking down their attempts from beyond the arc at a 40.2% clip, putting them first in the GNAC and sixth in the country in three-point percentage. Their 49.4% field goal percentage also leads the GNAC and ranks 16th in DII. 

GNAC Standings

1. Saint Martin's (15-2, 7-0 GNAC)
2. Northwest Nazarene (11-5, 5-2 GNAC)
3. Montana State Billings (15-5, 4-3 GNAC)
4. Alaska Anchorage (12-6, 4-3 GNAC)
5. Alaska (9-7, 4-3 GNAC)
6. Seattle Pacific (8-6, 3-4 GNAC)
7. Central Washington (9-9, 3-4 GNAC)
8. Western Oregon (7-9, 2-5 GNAC)
9. Western Washington (8-11, 2-6 GNAC)
10. Simon Fraser (5-13, 2-6 GNAC)

Canned Food Drive
Thursday's game against MSUB is Alaska's canned food drive. Fans who bring four canned food items for donation at the ticket office will get in FREE to both the men's and women's games! All food will go to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank.

Indigenous Appreciation
Saturday's game vs. SPU is Alaska's Indigenous Appreciation game, where the Nanooks will debut their new Indigenous Appreciation jerseys and have a special halftime performance from the Troth Yeddha' Indigenous Dance Group.

What's Next
The Nanooks hit the road next week, traveling to Simon Fraser and Western Washington. They take on the Red Leafs on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. AKST, and the Vikings on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 4 p.m. AKST.

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