They might have been a little older, might have been a little slower, and some of them were maybe even carrying a little extra weight around the midsection, but for the alumni basketball teams last weekend, toughness and cunning overcame youth and speed.

With a buzzer-beating 3-point shot that put the men's alumni team up 78-77, Patrick Lee, UAF's assistant athletic director, was the ringer who won it for the old guys. As a former Idaho State player, Lee was never actually on the Nanooks roster, but he was allowed to play in the alumni game by the coaches as an honorary alum.

"It felt pretty good," Lee said after being mobbed by his team. "We battled back, the team played hard. It's a good day for the old folks!"

After fighting their way back from a 17-point deficit at halftime, powered by 16 points from Ryan Jones, the old 'Nooks had closed the gap on the new 'Nooks, tying the game at 70 with just under four minutes left the relatively physical game. It stayed close for the rest of the game with the lead changing several times until Lee's shot at the end.

"I was tired at pre-game," joked Lee after hitting his game-winning shot.

The current women's team also fell to their alumni counterparts, who won by a single bucket, posting a score of 67-65. Unlike the men's game though, the alumni women led for most of the game.

Old favorites Denise Perez and Cecilia Chan posted big numbers for the alumni women, with 26 and 15 points respectively. Perez sank a game-high five 3-pointers, but perhaps the most exciting moment of the game was when the alumni put in former Sun Star editor Heather Taggard.

Taggard posted up for several rebounds and dished the ball off left and right for huge assists.

For the new 'Nooks, sophomore guard Kari Reabold led the team with 19 points, a combination of her smooth 3-point shots and quick drives to the hoop. Both Reabold and senior Jen Wasson, who scored 14 points, played tough on defense by stealing the ball and running the fast break game.

The Nanooks travel to California this week for games against UC San Diego and in the Chico Enloe Coslet Classic tournament.