After the Nanooks big win Thursday night, they faced a dangerous Western Oregon Wolves team Saturday who were fresh from a loss to Alaska Anchorage.  The Wolves, with a 12-9 record are one of those middle of the pack teams that are difficult to prepare for and capable of surprisingly good play.

The 'Nooks began the game with a full court press defense in an effort to tire out the Wolves.  UAF's sloppy start consisting of unforced turnovers and missed shots early in the game made the strategy only marginally effective. Although the Wolves scored first, Nanook untouchables Brad Oleson and Andrew Smith made sure it was the only lead the Wolves would see all night.  The 'Nooks led at the half 39-31, but the closeness of the score only reveals their own below-average play.

In the second half UAF extended their lead to 50-34, and it began to look like a blowout.  Senior guard Jocquis Sconiers had a particularly good night with two steals, two assists, five points and four rebounds.  Norris Crawford also made the most of his brief playing time.   In only 10 minutes the junior guard scored four points while dishing out five assists, but most impressive were his four smooth steals that all came at just the right time.  The Nanooks gave up 16 turnovers which allowed the Wolves to stay in the game, but in the end Big Blue prevailed 77—66. 

After the game Coach Al Sokaitis commented on Crawford's play, but was most impressed by the way that strong defense allowed the team to win despite a rather poor offensive performance.  When asked to comment on his defensive tactics he became noticeably cryptic.  He called the "switching match-up zone" that "takes teams out of their comfort zones" only effective because of the unusually smart Nanook players.  Somehow he reminded me of Aristotle who tells us to never reveal everything we know.

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