Men's basketball ends regular season at MSUB and No. 4 SPU
February 27, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Final Trip to End the Regular Season
The Nanooks conclude the regular season schedule this week with a road trip at Montana State Billings Thursday and at fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific Saturday. Live stats and video are available for the contest and Thursday night's contest at MSUB can be heard live on KCBF 820 AM.
Nanooks at a Glance
Alaska currently sits 15-9 on the season with a 10-6 mark in GNAC play following last week's stunning 77-73 upset over then-No. 2 Western Washington and a come-from-behind 63-61 victory against Simon Fraser on Senior Day. The Nanooks are currently tied for third in the GNAC standings with Alaska Anchorage and can finish anywhere from third to fifth place for the GNAC Championship, which takes place March 7-9 in Lacey, Wash.
Dominique Brinson leads the team with 12.8 points per game while Sergej Pucar averages 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Pat Voeut contributes 11.5 points and 5.3 assists while Andrew Kelly is tied with Pucar with a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Alaska averages 72.9 points per game while holding opponents to 68.5 points per game. The Nanooks rank third in field goal percentage defense (.422), rebounding margin (+4.3) and assists (16.5).
GNAC Team of the Week, Pucar Player of the Week
Alaska was named GNAC Team of the Week and Sergej Pucar was tabbed GNAC Player of the Week after the Nanooks did what no other team could do in nearly a calendar year as it upset Western Washington 77-73 last Thursday, ending the Vikings' program- and GNAC-record 30 game win streak. Pucar scored a career-high 26 points while Ronnie Baker had 18 points. WWU was paced by John Allen, who scored 26 of his game-high 33 in the second half.
Two days later, Alaska held Simon Fraser scoreless for the final three and a half minutes and ended the game with a 7-0 run to rally for a 63-61 Senior Day win. Pucar had a game-best 16 points while Pat Voeut and Dominique Brinson had 14 and 13 points, respectively.
'Nooks in the GNAC and National Rankings
Dominique Brinson ranks 14th on the GNAC's scoring list (12.7) while Sergej Pucar is tied for 20th in scoring (11.6). Pat Voeut leads the league in assists (5.3) while also ranking third in steals (1.7) and ninth in free throw percentage (.827). Pucar is the GNAC's second-leading three-point shooter (.485) while being tied with Andrew Kelly for fifth in rebounding (7.2). Kelly is also 10th in blocks (0.9) while Ronnie Baker is seventh in steals (1.4) and Brinson is sixth from the free throw line (.857) and tied for sixth in treys made (2.2).
Nationally, Alaska is 19th in assists (16.5), 47th in rebounding margin (+4.3), 56th in assist/turnover ratio (1.1) and 78th in free throw percentage (.725).
Scouting the Yellowjackets
Montana State Billings split on the road last week as it stands at 15-12 overall with an even 8-8 mark in GNAC play. MSUB scores 76.0 points per game while allowing opponents to score 74.9 per contest. Jarrell Crayton ranks third on the GNAC's scoring list (16.5) and fourth in rebounding (7.2). Kalob Hatcher is third in assists (4.7) and eighth in free throw percentage (.841). Crayton is also fifth in steals (1.5) and eighth in shooting percentage (.556).
Scouting the Falcons
Seattle Pacific won both games on the road last week to improve to 21-3 on the year and 14-2 in conference play as it moved up one spot to fourth in this week's national poll. SPU averages 77.0 points per game while holding foes to a GNAC-best 62.0 points per game. The Falcons lead the league in shooting defense (.399), three-point shooting (.411) and rebounding (+10.8) while also placing second in shooting (.486), three-point defense (.322) and assists (17.5). David Downs is ninth in scoring (14.3) while two others rank just outside the top 10. Riley Stockton is second in rebounding (7.4) and tied for seventh in assists while Downs is second in assists (5.3) and Cory Hutsen is third in shooting (.577).Patrick Simon is fourth from downtown (.462) while Jobi Wall is fifth from long range (.462). Wall also leads the GNAC in treys made (2.8) and Simon is fourth (2.3).
Alaska Nanooks Men's Basketball
Game 25 at Montana State Billings (15-12, 8-8 GNAC)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2013 | 5:00 p.m. | Alterowitz Gymnasium
Live Stats Live Audio Live Video Game Notes
Game 26 at No. 4 Seattle Pacific (21-3, 14-2 GNAC)
Saturday, Mar. 2, 2013 | 6:00 p.m. | Brougham Pavilion
Live Stats Live Video