ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's basketball team travels to the Last Frontier for a matchup against the University of Alaska Fairbanks at 8:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, January 15.
QUOTABLE
"Alaska is a solid team," CWU Head Coach
Brandon Rinta said. "It's always a tough trip to make, especially not having played in a week, but it will be a good challenge for us. I'm just happy we are able to play."
SCOUTING THE NANOOKS
Alaska Fairbanks (3-7, 0-4) are still looking for their first GNAC win of the season after falling in their home opener on Thursday to Northwest Nazarene University, 77-69.
Willie Thomas III and Shadeed Shabazz led the Nanooks' offense, scoring 18 and 16 points respectively. Shabazz finished the night just four points shy of 1,000 for his career.
On the season, Shabazz is averaging 19.8 points and shooting 43.2 percent from the floor. He is just one of two Nanooks players with over 100 shots on the season, eclipsing Quin Barnard's 103 by 52. He accounts for 25.2 percent of all made baskets by Fairbanks and 25.6 percent of the Nanooks' 77.2 points per game. Shabazz leads Alaska in assists (26) and steals (28), but also leads in turnovers (31) by 16.
Coleman Sparling leads Alaska's rebounding efforts, hauling in seven rebounds per game. Of his 70 rebounds, 31.5 percent (24) have come on the offensive glass. The Nanooks hold a plus-minus of -3.5 in the rebounding margin.
Alaska has used eight different starters this season with only Sparling and Koby Huerta starting all 10 games. Barnard has started nine, while Shabazz has earned the nod in seven. Thomas III has started half of the Nanooks' games, while Mawich Kachjaani and Tybenn Sturm have both started a single game. Abdullahi Mohamed has started seven games. Sparling (33.4), Huerta (33.0), Barnard (35.0), and Shabazz (32.3) lead the Nanooks in minutes.
Central Washington won the last matchup on Feb. 13, 2020 with a 66-63 final. The Nanooks took the first matchup in the 2019-20 in Ellensburg, Wash. 78-60. Alaska's last win in Fairbanks came on Feb. 25, 2016; they beat Central that day 92-71.
THE WILDCATS
It's been six days since the Wildcats (8-2, 2-1 GNAC) last took the court against an opponent as they've had a pair of postponements since last Saturday's victory over the Nighthawks.
Their last outing was an 89-76 win over Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa.
David Thompson led the Crimson and Black with 21 points, while
Xavier Smith chipped in 19. Thompson and Smith combined to shoot 15-for-28 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Central shot 52.3 percent as a unit and knocked down 14 of their 16 free throws.
For the season, four Wildcats are averaging a double-digit scoring effort. Smith (17.0), Thompson (15.4),
Marqus Gilson (13.2), and
Matt Poquette (10.9) sit atop the 'Cats scoring ledger. Gilson leads the Crimson and Black in shooting, knocking down 59.1 percent of his shots. He also leads in rebounding, hauling in 5.5 boards per game.
The Wildcats are averaging 81.7 points per game, while holding opponents to 74.1. From the field, Central is shooting 46.8 percent. Opponents meanwhile, are converting at a clip of 45.7 percent. The Crimson and Black hold a slim 0.4 edge in rebounding, hauling in 37.0 rebounds per game.
DID YOU KNOW?
In Inuit mythology, Nanook (/ˈnænuːk/; Inuktitut: ᓇᓄᖅ [naˈnuq], lit. "polar bear") was the master of bears. Inuit hunters believed the master of bears decided if they deserved success in their hunts and punished violations of taboos.
