FAIRBANKS – The Nanooks men's basketball team moved to 2-0 on Saturday evening after defeating the Northwest Indian College Eagles 108-64.
How it Happened
The game began with both teams going back and forth, with three lead changes in the opening 2:20. After a Brandon Coffee jumper made it 6-5 NWIC, Davis Crilly put the 'Nooks back in front by completing a three-point play, which kickstarted a 10-2 run that saw Alaska pull ahead 15-8. Despite the two sides continuing to trade buckets, the Nanooks held onto a five-point lead. A Leyton Nield three gave Alaska a double-digit lead at 25-15, and Jett McCullough followed with his own three on the following possession. The 'Nooks received layups from Crilly, Nield and Kellen Jedlicka over the next two minutes, and they would end the half on a 17-6 run, aided by three field goals from Tyriq Luke to take a 51-27 lead into the halftime break.
The Eagles came out in the second with two early buckets without a Nanooks response. Nick Clark got the 'Nooks on the board with a layup, and Crilly followed with a three, kicking off a 10-0 Nanooks run. Crilly added a layup and a three during the stretch, pushing Alaska's lead to 30. Crilly continued his hot shooting, knocking down another three, and Luke joined in with a triple on Alaska's next possession, helping the Nanooks to score 14 unanswered points to take a 77-35 lead with 13 minutes remaining. McCullough, Nield and Finn Gregg joined in on the threes during the rest of the contest, with the latter two knocking down a pair each. Despite being outscored 11-2 over the final stretch, the Nanooks cruised to victory with their lead secure.
Inside the Numbers
- Davis Crilly led Nanook scorers with 22 points, going 8-12 from the field, 3-5 from deep and converting all three of his free-throw attempts. He also led the team with eight rebounds and four steals,
- Tyriq Luke finished right behind him with 21 points on 9-14 shooting. He also tallied three steals.
- Jett 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.
- Tariq Weiser posted a team-high nine assists on the evening.
- The Nanooks shot 38-65 (58.5%) from the field, 14-29 (48.3%) from three and 18-22 (81.8%) from the free-throw line.
- Alaska outrebounded NWIC 43-21 and grabbed 14 offensive boards to the Eagles' 5. They used those extended possessions to outscore NWIC 20-8 in second-chance points.
- The Nanooks posted 35 points off turnovers to Northwest Indian's 14.
- Alaska led in fastbreak points, 18-0.
What's to Come
The Nanooks are on the road next week, traveling to Hawaii for the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge. They take on Hawaii Pacific on Friday at 8 p.m. AKST, and Chaminade on Saturday at 4 p.m. AKST.
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