Showing the kind of poise it will take to win the conference, the Nanooks men's  basketball team earned a well-deserved victory Jan. 24 against conference rival Northwest Nazarene Crusaders. 

A sweet slam dunk by sophomore center Adam Smith shifted the momentum of the game when, after trailing for the entire first half, the Nanooks took the lead with just eleven and a half minutes left in the second half. 

The Crusaders never regained the lead, but they did come to within one point in a nail-biter that ended 80-79 at the final buzzer in favor of Big Blue. 

Crowd favorite Brad Oleson led the way with 29 points and found much needed support in the solid defense of junior guard Norris Crawford and the big man from Belgrade, center Ivan Miskovich.  

In the post-game interview UAF head coach Al Sokaitis expressed his satisfaction in the much improved play of sophomore forward Andrew Smith and his growing confidence in the struggling Zac Forsyth, the sophomore guard who hit a crucial three pointer late in the second half. 

The Nanooks have a brief stretch on the road with games against Central Washington University and St. Martin's College, two teams they should beat, before returning Feb. 7 to play state rival Alaska Anchorage. 

In order to win the conference, the 'Nooks need to go at least 9-3 from here on out. Sokaitis said if the team continues to elevate their level of play this goal is within reach.

Photo by Theresa Roark
Nanook Andrew Smith, #33, gets fouled while dunking during Thursday's game against Seattle University. Smith and the Nanooks went on to win the game 92-59.

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