Nanook basketball hosts MSUB, SPU for conference matchups
By Teegan Silva
Photo by Conrad Haber
Mike Miller drives to the basket for a UAF layup against Seattle Pacific.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s and men’s basketball teams hosted the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets and the Seattle Pacific University Falcons for a pair of GNAC matchups on January 22 and 24.
The Nanook women started off the busy weekend on Thursday evening, opening the game with the most first-quarter points they’ve scored all season and cutting the Yellowjacket’s lead to only one point after a buzzer beater by senior Tamai Mancuso to end the first quarter. She’s averaging 12.6 points per game this season to lead the Nanooks in scoring. Alaska kept up the momentum at the start of the second quarter, taking the lead 24-23 before the Yellowjackets ultimately pulled ahead for the remainder of the game and defeated the Nanooks 86-45. Redshirt senior Pearle Green finished the game leading all scorers with 17 points, Mancuso added 13 points to the effort, and junior Marney Rees grabbed 13 rebounds.
On Saturday, the Nanooks unveiled their special Nannut jerseys, the Iñupiaq spelling of Nanooks, for their Indigenous Appreciation games against Seattle Pacific. SPU took the lead early, but the Nanooks outscored them 18-9 in the second quarter and matched them 15-15 in the third quarter. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Layne Kearns and the Falcons as they went on a run in the fourth quarter to defeat the Nanooks 69-56. Things are looking up for the Nanooks as this was their smallest deficit of the season. Green led the Nanooks in scoring again with 22 points, also adding two steals, four assists, seven rebounds, and one block. Junior Geneveive Velasquez scored 12 points with two steals and seven rebounds, and senior Jazlynn Novelli led the team in both blocks and steals, with two and three, respectively. Five Nanooks grabbed seven rebounds each, contributing to the team’s highest single-game rebound total of the season with 48.
Photo by Conrad Haber
UAF’s Davis Crilly puts up a shot against two Seattle Pacific defenders.
The UAF men’s team is coming off a big win against in-state rivals UAA last weekend, and they are hoping to carry that momentum into Thursday’s matchup against MSUB. After trailing for most of the first half, a series of three-pointers from junior Tyriq Luke rallied the Nanooks back into the game. They were down seven before going on a 15-6 run to end the half leading the Yellowjackets 40-38. Luke led all scorers at halftime with 15 points and senior Cortarius Mingo contributed 11 points, shooting 80 percent from the field. Alaska’s defense held MSUB’s Mason Landdeck, 2025 GNAC Championships MVP, to only two points in the first half. Coming out of the locker room hot to start the second half, the Yellowjackets regained control of the game to defeat UAF 90-72, snapping the Nanooks’ 7-0 win streak at home this season and moving UAF to 9-8 overall. The duo of Luke and Mingo, both out of Fairbanks, finished with 17 and 19 points. Junior Davis Crilly dropped 14 points with five rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.
The Nanooks got off to another slow start in Saturday’s game against Seattle Pacific, trailing by 18 points at halftime, but mounted a late second-half comeback in front of 967 fans. Luke was clutch once again for the Nanooks, hitting two three pointers to make it a six-point game with 2:51 to play. Subsequent free throws by redshirt junior Mike Miller and Luke cut the Yellowjacket’s lead to two. Despite outscoring SPU 46-35 in the second half, it was too little too late for the Nanooks, falling 75-82 to the Yellowjackets. Three Nanooks scored in double digits: Luke had 16 points, Miller scored 21, and junior Tariq Weiser added 13, shooting 6-of-7 from the field. Miller was 3-of-4 from three and was just short of a double-double with nine rebounds, averaging 15.5 points and 2.1 steals per game to lead the Nanooks in both categories this season.
Both teams will be on the road next weekend, with the women facing Northwest Nazarene University and the men taking on Simon Fraser University on Thursday, January 29. The Nanooks will return home to the Patty Center for games on February 5 and 7.
Photo by Conrad Haber
Jalai O’Keith, Mike Miller, Tyriq Luke, Davis Crilly, and Tariq Weiser (left to right) wait for play to begin while wearing the special Nannut jerseys for Saturday’s Indigenous Appreciation game. The UAF Troth Yeddha’ dance group performed at halftime as part of the celebration.