The UAF men's basketball team took to the court for exhibition games Nov. 7 and 8 versus the Douglas College Royals from New Westminster, British Columbia. The 'Nooks went into triple digits in both games, winning 110-61 and 109-59 in Monday and Tuesday night's games respectively.

On Monday night, senior forward Ivan Miskovic earned himself a double-double with 12 rebounds and 16 points. Senior Andrew Smith scored a game-high 22 points, one of six Nanooks scoring in the double digits.

The Nanooks full-court pressure resulted in 17 turnovers in the first half, and as usual, their quickness in stealing the ball was crucial to scoring baskets. Smith had a few of those steals, and on one occasion he nabbed the ball and took it to the hoop for a solid dunk. Another steal by sophomore guard Mike Titus set him up for an easy 3-pointer.

Though their defense definitely shone through in Monday's game, the Nanooks' signature quick passing was lacking. At the beginning of the second half, they were starting to work the ball more around the perimeter, feeding it inside for the occasional layup. All in all though, the passing was a little off and a little slow compared to years past.

"We have to understand as players and coaches that this is a process. Winning a championship is not an event, it's a process and we're moving in the right direction, albeit, maybe not where we want to be yet, but we're heading there," said head coach Frank Ostanik.

The team started off the second half with a 22-6 scoring run. They continued to extend the lead, with senior Justin Bourne breaking the 100-point mark. A game high of four 3-pointers by Kenny Barker also helped them reach the final score of 110.

"Kenny Barker showed that he's a much better player this year than last year, and he shot the ball really well," Ostanik said.

Tuesday night's game was more of the same, with the Nanooks steamrolling over the Royals for the second night in a row. After a somewhat slow start, the team pulled away during the second half with a 17-2 scoring run.

"We're trying to get better a minute at a time, a half at a time and a day at a time, and as disappointed as I was in the first half, I was as happy in the second half," said Ostanik. "I thought our effort was better defensively and I thought our pressure improved, but we still have a long way to go."

Once again, Andrew Smith led the team in scoring with 21 points. Douglas College's Jon Thomson, who also scored 21 points, matched Smith for game-high honors.