“We’ll have our work cut out replacing those guys, they will be missed,” said UAF Head Coach Frank Ostanik.

Seniors Chris Smith, Travis Knutson, Tristan Below, and UAF legend and all time point leader Brad Oleson recorded their final home game with an 82-74 over the Western Washington Vikings. The win puts UAF in first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference by a half game.

“I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be around them,” said Ostanik.

Oleson said his last home game was “awesome, especially the crowd, it was just awesome. It couldn’t get any better than that.” He said that playing his last home game “hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will.”

Oleson is UAF’s all-time leading scorer, with 1,748 points during his two-year UAF career. Last week, Oleson shared his eighth GNAC’s Player of the Week award with Seattle’s Bim Makinde, whom UAF sent packing Thursday 72-64.

Oleson is currently ranked fifth on the all-time GNAC point list. The four players ahead of him all played four years. Nationally, he is ranked fifth in scoring, with almost 25 points per game.

“I know we had to get this win,” said Below. “They beat us the last time we went down there. We’ve been waiting for this game. The crowd got really into it, and we were feeding off that energy.”

Below has become a force to be reckoned with under the nets and is one of UAF’s leaders both in rebounds and in field goal percentages. For his final home game he pulled in 6 boards and had an assist and a bucket.

“It’s starting to be crunch time,” said guard Chris Smith, who scored 12 points in the win and leads the Nanooks in assists this season. “It’s getting on down to the playoffs.”

Smith has scored 727 total points, 310 assists and made game-winning buckets in games against Humbolt State and Western Oregon in his career at UAF.

Guard Travis Knuston said he enjoyed the chance to play one last time at home. “I had fun, I had a good time, even though I’m not playing as much. I enjoyed the crowd, it made it really special for me.” Knuston scored on two free throws in the win.

Knutson averaged 10.9 points per game in 2001, and led the Nooks the same year with 70 three-pointers. Coach Ostanik called him “one of the hardest working players to ever don the Blue and Gold”.

It was an emotional and bittersweet win for the Nanooks, who confidently disposed of the formerly first place Vikings in front of a hostile Fairbanks crowd of 1,533. UAF showed a well-rounded offense that included good inside penetration, and a new founded defensive tenacity that kept WWU at just 40 percent shooting from the field. Both teams had 38 rebounds.

The win propels UAF to 17-7 and 11-4 in GNAC play. Western Washington University falls to 18-5 and 10-4 in GNAC.

All but two Nanook players scored Saturday. Forward Ivan Miskovic scored nine and Freshman Chris Jordan scored eight. Andrew Smith had eleven. Oleson added three rebounds, four assists, and two steals to his 27 points.

“It was a big win for us,” said forward Justin Bourne, who had eight points, nine boards, two steals, two blocks, and two assists. “It was great to give those guys a going away present, and it was really special to have that crowd support behind us.”

UAF resumes play next weekend when they travel to Anchorage to play the Seawolves.

Photo by Chris Cruthers/ Sun Star
Freshman guard, Kenny Barker moves the ball away from Western Washingtong University defense Saturday at the Patty Center. The Nanooks won 82-74.

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