FAIRBANKS – The Nanooks men's basketball team is on the road this week for games at Simon Fraser on Thursday, Jan. 29, and Western Washington on Saturday, Jan. 31. Thursday's game against SFU is set for a 6 p.m. AKST start, while tip-off vs. the Vikings is at 4 p.m. AKST.

Thursday, Jan. 29
at Simon Fraser | 6 p.m. AKST | Watch Here | Live Stats
West Gymnasium | Burnaby, B.C.

Saturday, Jan. 31
at Western Washington | 4 p.m. AKST | Watch Here | Live Stats
Carver Gymnasium | Bellingham, Wash.

Last Time Out
The Nanooks welcomed the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets and Seattle Pacific Falcons to Fairbanks last week. They dropped both games, falling 90-72 to MSUB on Thursday, Jan. 22, and 82-75 vs. SPU on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The 'Nooks held a 40-38 halftime lead over the Yellowjackets on Thursday after being down by as many as 11 points in the first half, but a 14-0 MSUB run in the second saw the visitors pull ahead 54-42. They followed that up with a 10-1 run, and the Nanooks could not get themselves back into the game. Cortarius Mingo posted a team-high 19 points vs. the Yellowjackets, going 7-9 from the field, 3-5 from beyond the arc and 2-3 from the charity stripe.

The Nanooks and Falcons were locked in a tightly-contested matchup for most of the first half of their game on Saturday, with neither team building a lead greater than six until the 6:40 mark when SPU established a 30-23 advantage. They increased their lead to 18 at halftime, but the 'Nooks came back to make it a two-point game late in the second half after a pair of Tyriq Luke free throws with 1:44 to go. However, the Nanooks could not complete the comeback and fell by seven. Mike Miller led the way with 21 points, going 5-15 from the field, 3-4 from three and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. He finished one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing a team-high nine boards, and posted two steals.

#NookNotes

• Mike Miller leads the team with 15.6 points per game, which ranks eighth in the GNAC. His 2.1 steals per game puts him second in the GNAC and 51st in Division II.
• Tyriq Luke (15.2 ppg), Davis Crilly (12.8 ppg) and Jalai O'Keith (11.4 ppg) are the three other Nanooks to average double-digit points this season.
• Crilly (6.5 rpg) and O'Keith (6.4 rpg) are Alaska's top rebounders this season, ranking fourth and sixth in the GNAC in boards per game.
• Tyriq Luke is knocking down his shots from the free throw line at a 81.2% clip, putting him eighth in the conference.
• Tariq Weiser is dishing out 3.9 assists per game, ranking fifth in the GNAC, and his 1.74 assist/turnover ratio is the eighth-best in the conference.
• Alaska's 1.39 assist/turnover ratio puts it second in the conference and 25th in the nation.
• The 'Nooks sit second in the GNAC and 10th in DII in free-throw percentage, as they are shooting 79% from the charity stripe.
• The Nanooks are knocking down 10.2 three-pointers per game, putting them second in the GNAC and 19th in the country.

Meet the Opponents
Simon Fraser Red Leafs (5-14, 2-7 GNAC)
Head Coach: Barnaby Craddock (1st Season)

• The Red Leafs have dropped four in a row entering their contest vs. the Nanooks, falling to Seattle Pacific (72-69, 1OT), Western Oregon (76-59), Saint Martin's (84-61) and Western Washington (80-68).
• Junior guard Mikyle Malabuyoc is averaging 13.3 points per game this season to lead the team. He is dishing an average of 5.2 assists, which is good for second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II.
• The Red Leafs are shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc, ranking second in the GNAC and 10th in DII. Their 9.8 three-pointers per game put them third in the conference and 30th in DII.

Western Washington Vikings (9-11, 3-6 GNAC)
Head Coach: Tony Dominguez (14th Season)

• The Vikings grabbed an 80-68 win vs. Simon Fraser in their only game last week, snapping a three-game losing streak.
• Sophomore guard Aidan Rice is posting 18.9 points per game, which leads the Vikings and ranks fifth in the GNAC. Junior guard Nehemiah Pollard also ranks amongst the top scorers in the GNAC, averaging 16.4 points per game to put him seventh. The two guards also rank in the top-10 in field goal percentage, with Pollard knocking down his shots at a 49.3% clip (fourth in GNAC) and Rice connecting on 47.6% of his shots (fifth in GNAC).
• The Vikings are averaging four blocks per game, ranking first in the GNAC and 55th in Division II.

GNAC Standings

1. Saint Martin's (17-2, 9-0 GNAC)
2. Alaska Anchorage (14-6, 6-3 GNAC)
3. Northwest Nazarene (12-6, 6-3 GNAC)
4. Montana State Billings (16-6, 5-4 GNAC)
5. Seattle Pacific (9-7, 4-5 GNAC)
6. Central Washington (10-10, 4-5 GNAC)
7. Alaska (9-9, 4-5 GNAC)
8. Western Washington (9-11, 3-6 GNAC)
9. Western Oregon (7-11, 2-7 GNAC)
10. Simon Fraser (5-14, 2-7 GNAC)

What's Next
The Nanooks are back in Fairbanks next week for two games vs. Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. They face NNU on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., and take on CWU on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3:15 p.m.

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