The Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball team secured a 66-57 victory over the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks on Saturday, splitting their two games at the Sprite Tundra Tip-Off in Anchorage. The win brings the Nanooks’ record to 3-3 for the season.
The game began with early scoring from Mike Miller and Luke Fotheringham, giving Alaska a 4-0 lead. A run led by Tyriq Luke extended the advantage to 15-6. The Lumberjacks answered with a run of their own, tying the score at 22 before Luke put Alaska back ahead. At halftime, the Nanooks held a narrow 33-30 lead.
In the second half, Davis Crilly hit a three-pointer on the opening possession, followed by consecutive layups from Miller to push Alaska’s lead back to double digits. Additional threes from Tariq Weiser and Crilly kept the Nanooks in front. After Cal Poly Humboldt closed within seven points, Jalai O’Keith started a decisive 10-0 run that included a steal and dunk by Joel Amaro, prompting a timeout from Cal Poly Humboldt with just over six minutes remaining.
A late three-pointer by the Lumberjacks cut Alaska’s lead to seven points with less than 20 seconds left, but O’Keith sealed the outcome with two free throws.
Mike Miller led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds, shooting 10-for-20 from the field. He also contributed three steals, two assists and one block. Tyriq Luke added 14 points on efficient shooting along with five rebounds and an assist. Weiser and Fotheringham each recorded four assists; Weiser had seven points and four steals while Fotheringham scored six.
Alaska shot just over 44 percent from the field and collected more rebounds than Cal Poly Humboldt (37 to 32). The Nanooks outperformed their opponent in several statistical categories including points off turnovers (20-15), second chance points (8-3), fastbreak points (15-4) and points in the paint (38-22). They trailed only in bench scoring.
The Nanooks did not fall behind at any point during the contest.
Looking ahead, Alaska opens its GNAC schedule next week against Western Oregon on Thursday, December 4.
