HONOLULU - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team is in Hawaii this week for its first road trip of the regular season. The Nanooks will play two games in the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge, taking on Hawaii Pacific on Friday and Chaminade on Saturday.
Friday, Nov. 13
at Hawaii Pacific | 8 p.m. AKST | Watch ($$) | Live Stats
The Shark Tank | Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, Nov. 14
at Chaminade | 4 p.m. AKST | Watch ($$) | Live Stats
McCabe Gymnasium | Honolulu, Hawaii
Last Time Out
The Nanooks opened their season with a pair of wins over Northwest Indian College last week, defeating the Eagles 122-65 on Friday and 108-64 on Saturday. Their 122 points from Friday's game are the sixth-most points scored in a single game in program history.
Davis Crilly put up 30 points in game one, shooting an efficient 11-12 from the field. Crilly knocked down all six attempts from beyond the arc and went 2-2 from the line. He also added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Tariq Weiser and Nick Clark both had 14 points, with Weiser leading the team with six assists. Jett McCullough and Joel Amaro each had 12 points, and Deng Deng posted 11 points on 5-5 shooting. Ethen Stoddard finished one rebound shy of a double-double, posting 10 points and nine rebounds, along with three assists and three steals. The 'Nooks shot 47-69 (68.1%) from the field and 12-26 (46.2%) from the perimeter during the contest, while converting 16 of 17 free-throw attempts.
It was more of the same in game two, with the Nanooks once again scoring in triple figures while going 38-65 (58.5%) from the field, 14-29 (48.3%) from three and 18-22 (81.8%) from the free-throw line. Crilly again led the team in scoring, this time posting 22 points on 8-12 shooting. He also led the team with eight rebounds and four steals. Tyriq Luke finished right behind him with 21 points on 9-14 shooting. McCullough and Leyton Nield were the final two Nanooks to finish in double figures, posting 15 and 13 points, respectively. McCullough added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Player of the Week
After posting 52 points over two games for the Nanooks, Davis Crilly was named the GNAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. This is Crilly's first GNAC weekly award. "Davis is a special player," said head men's basketball coach Frank Ostanik. "His ability to be such a kind and compassionate young man and also bring an edge to the court is unique. This past weekend personifies who Davis is. Everyone will talk about how well he shot the ball, but his 16 rebounds, six steals and eight assists are an indication of how well-rounded his game is. For us to become the best version of ourselves, we need Davis to take that next step as a player. I am confident he will do just that."
#NookNotes
- Davis Crilly leads the GNAC in scoring, posting 26 points per game to start the season. His nine total three-pointers and 81.8% three-point percentage also rank first in the conference, while his three steals per game and eight rebounds per game are tied for third.
- Tariq Weiser's 7.5 assists per game rank first in the GNAC.
- The Nanooks are averaging 115 points per game to start the season, the most in the GNAC. They are allowing just 64.5 points per game, which is the fewest in the conference.
- Alaska's 63.4% field goal percentage and 47.3% three-point percentage are the highest in the GNAC.
- The 'Nooks are forcing 20.5 turnovers per game, which ranks second in the conference. Their 2.04 assist/turnover ratio is first in the GNAC.
- The Nanooks average 16 steals, leading the GNAC by nearly six per game.
Meet the Opponents
Hawaii Pacific Sharks (2-2, 0-0 PacWest)
Head Coach: Jesse Nakanishi
The Sharks began the season by defeating St. Edward's University 88-64 on Oct. 30, then fell to Minot State 71-70 and Lake Erie College 90-84 over the next two days. HPU recently got back in the win column thanks to a 112-80 victory over Northwest Indian on Monday, Nov. 9.
Senior guard Evan Kilminster is averaging 16.3 points per game so far this season to lead the team, while Avi Halpert (13.8 ppg) is also averaging 10+ points.
Chaminade Silverswords (1-3, 0-0 PacWest)
Head Coach: Eric Bovaird
The Silverswords dropped their first three games of the season, falling to Tampa 103-101, Winona State 83-74 and Adelphi 79-76 at the Hoops in Hawai'i Classic on Oct. 30 - Nov. 1. They grabbed their first win of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 10, defeating Northwest Indian 127-80. All four of their games so far have been at home.
Senior forward Kanaan Holder leads the team in scoring, averaging 19 points per game. Sam Sivulich (18 ppg), Zion Young (12 ppg) and Casey Steadmon (10.5 ppg) are all averaging double-digit points this season.
What's Next
The Nanooks remain on the road next week for the NNU Tournament. They face off against Adams State on Friday, Nov. 20, and Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho. Both games start at 2:15 p.m. AKST.
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