BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Nanooks men's basketball team led by as many as 15 points during their game vs. the Western Washington Vikings, but could not hold on to the advantage and fell 96-89. The loss drops them to 10-10, 5-6 GNAC on the season.

How it Happened
Mike Miller got the scoring started just over a minute into the contest, knocking down a three to give Alaska the early lead. Davis Crilly hit a three of his own less than a minute later, putting the 'Nooks in front 6-2. Crilly added a layup, but WWU responded with a 6-0 run to take a two-point lead at 10-8. The Nanooks eventually retook the lead after back-to-back threes from Jalai O'Keith, but it would not last long as Western Washington's Dennis Johnson III answered by connecting on a shot from deep on the following possession. The Nanooks tied the game twice in the next minute, but would not regain the lead until Miller went coast to coast for a driving layup, putting Alaska up 22-20. O'Keith added another three on the next possession to put the 'Nooks ahead by five, and they would not relinquish their lead for the remainder of the half, using a 61.5% (8-13) three-point percentage to build a 47-37 advantage heading into the locker room.

Tariq Weiser got the scoring going right out of the gate for the Blue and Gold, knocking down a pair of free throws to start the second half. An O'Keith three gave the 'Nooks their largest lead of the game at 15 points at the 13:17 mark, and the Nanooks maintained their double-digit lead until the 11:48 mark when WWU knocked down a fastbreak layup to make it 66-58. That basket was part of a 9-0 run for the hosts that would cut Alaska's lead to six. The Nanooks were able to stay ahead until a Trevor White layup brought the Vikings level at 73 with 7:38 to go. They would take the lead with a three on the following possession and would not trail for the remainder of the contest, eventually winning by seven.

Inside the Numbers

• Mike Miller led the Nanooks with 21 points and nine rebounds. He went 8-16 from the field and 2-5 from three.
• Jalai O'Keith followed with 20 points, going 6-8 from downtown. He added seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
• Tyriq Luke and Davis Crilly were the final two Nanooks to finish in double figures, posting 16 and 11 points, respectively. Luke led the team with five assists, while Crilly shot 4-5 from the field and 2-2 from three.
• The 'Nooks shot 30-58 (51.7%) from the field, 12-24 (50%) from three and 17-23 (73.9%) from the free throw line.
• The Nanooks turned the ball over 14 times while forcing five turnovers for WWU. They turned those turnovers into three points, while the Vikings got 11 points off their takeaways.
• Alaska held the advantage in the rebounding department, grabbing 37 boards to Western Washington's 34.
• The 'Nooks were outscored in the paint 48-34 and trailed in fastbreak points 25-10.

What's to Come
The Nanooks are back in Fairbanks next week for games against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks and Central Washington Wildcats. They take on NNU on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., and CWU on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3:15 p.m.

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