Men's basketball opens 2013 at Central, NNU

January 3, 2013

University Relations

Jamie Foland
474-6807

The Alaska men's basketball team begins the 2013 calendar year on the road as Great Northwest Athletic Conference play resumes for the Nanooks at Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.

The Nanooks (6-4, 1-1 GNAC) first take on the Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 GNAC) in Ellensburg, Wash., on Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. (AKST) followed by a 5:30 p.m. (AKST) meeting on Jan. 5 in Nampa, Idaho, against the Crusaders (7-3, 1-1 GNAC).

Alaska will be in action for the first time in 16 days after celebrating the holiday season. The last time out for the 'Nooks, they rolled to a 124-59 victory against Multnomah on Dec. 17 and a 97-62 exhibition win over the Lions the ensuing evening.

In the 65-point rout of MU, seven different Nanooks tallied double-figure scoring, led by senior guard Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/Accounting), who poured in a game-best 22 points after netting five three-pointers. Junior forward Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Business and Finance) came off the bench for 20 points as he hit four treys and garnered five rebounds. Junior center Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Business administration) dominated the glass as he collected his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 16 boards.

The 124 points was one off the program record, set back on Nov. 3, 2006 at home against Lancaster Bible College. It was also 12 points from the GNAC record of 136 set by Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 11, 2008, against ironically enough, Multnomah. The win wrapped up a 5-3 non-conference record for Alaska, the best since it went 9-5 to open the year in the 2006-07 season.

Brinson ranks 15th in the league with 13.3 points per game while junior guard Pat Voeut (Bellingham, Wash./Communication) is tied for 16th with 13.0 points per game. Pucar and Tica also average double-figure scoring with 10.6 and 10.3 points, respectively. Junior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice Studies, Law & Society) leads the GNAC with a 65-percent shooting percentage while Voeut is also first with 5.5 assists per game. Brinson is second as he converts 93-percent of his free throws, Pucar is third with 8.2 rebounds per game and Kelly is tied for seventh with 1.7 thefts per outing while junior guard Ronnie Baker (Vallejo, Calif./Communication) is tied for ninth with 1.5 steals per game.

The Nanooks average 77.2 points per game while allowing the opposition to score 70.7 per contest. Alaska is third with 18.8 assists per game while ranking fifth with a +6.2 rebounding margin and 8.6 steals per outing.

Game 11: Alaska at Central Washington – Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. (AKST)
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The Wildcats enter Thursday's contest with a 7-3 overall record and are 1-1 in GNAC play. Central, like Alaska is back after two weeks off for the holidays. Last time out, CWU went 1-1 at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas. The Wildcats fell 86-84 to Central Oklahoma before downing West Florida 87-80 the following night.

Mark McLaughlin leads the GNAC with 23.2 points per game while also ranking fifth with 1.9 steals and 15th with 6.2 rebounds per outing. Brandon Magee is 19th in the league 12.3 points and 11th with 6.9 rebounds while Nate Walker is tied for eighth with 7.0 boards per contest. Central is the league's top-scoring team with 93.6 points per game but is also last defensively as it allows 84.5 points per game. It also averages GNAC-bests of 9.8 steals and a +4.40 turnover margin and is second with a 74-percent success rate at the free throw line.

Last season, Central and Alaska split the season series with both teams picking up home wins. The Nanooks rallied for a 91-80 overtime win on New Year's Eve a year ago in Fairbanks while the Wildcats outscored the 'Nooks 14-9 over the final five minutes in Ellensburg for a 74-69 victory.

Game 12: Alaska at Northwest Nazarene – Jan. 5 at 5:30 p.m. (AKST)
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The Crusaders enter the week with a 7-3 record on the year and a 1-1 mark in conference play. Last Saturday, NNU wrapped up the non-conference slate with a 78-62 home win against Montana Tech to notch its fourth straight victory. This weekend will wrap up a five-game home stand for Northwest Nazarene.

Kenny Jones is the fifth-leading scorer in the GNAC with 17.0 points per game and also ranks tied for second with 2.0 steals and eighth with 3.8 assists per outing. Jonathan Hawkins is 14th with 13.4 points per contest and also leads the conference with a 97-percent free throw percentage while being tied for ninth with 3.7 dimes per game. Michal Kurimsky is third with 1.3 blocks and 16th with 6.1 rebounds per game. NNU is ninth in scoring offense with 73.6 points per game while allowing 68.5 points to opponents, which is fourth in the GNAC. It leads the league with a 75-percent success rate from the charity stripe, tied for second with 4.4 blocks and fourth with a +6.5 rebounding margin.

Last season, NNU swept Alaska with a 93-83 win in Fairbanks and a 62-53 victory in Nampa later in the year. The Crusaders have won 10 of the last 14 meetings and has victories in the last six home games against the Nanooks. The last time Alaska won in Nampa was back on Jan. 12, 2006, when it cruised 98-66.