A loosened tie, sweat drenched hair and hunched shoulders marked head coach Frank Ostanik's mood after Sunday night's loss, totaling the Nanooks out 0-3 in the Top of the World Classic.

Losing by only five points in the first two games and three in the third, the 'Nooks were plagued by inconsistent playing, near misses and a towering height difference in several games.

Simply put, the 'Nooks were recovering the ball and out-shooting the other teams but just couldn't seem to put it in the net.

Thursday's game set the mood early with the 'Nooks leading at the half 33-30. But the Weber State Wildcats clawed back to a 60-60 tie, forcing the game into overtime. The Wildcats came out victorious, 71-66.

"Games are won and loss over 40 minutes, or in this case 45," Ostanik said.

Nanook senior forward Jushay Rockett shined with 32 points and four saves. Junior guard Mike Titus provided six assists and two saves.

Team play was split mainly between five guys that Ostanik said must have been fatigued toward the end.

"It's been a battle all year long," he said.

Fatigue was no issue for Weber State. Game play was split almost evenly among nine of their 11 players. No Wildcat played more than 27 minutes. The 'Nooks' Barry Barnes, in contrast, had a full 45 minutes of game play.

Wildcat shooting was split among four players, including David Patten, Davlin Davis, Dezmon Harris and Juan Pablo Silveira, each scoring around 13 points.

After a day of rest the 'Nooks tried a different strategy utilizing more players to combat their towering opponent, the Rhode Island Rams. But the Rams' height advantage helped force the 'Nooks into a three-point shooting game. The 'Nooks, while able to make the shots, simply didn't make baskets.

Trailing 27-40 at the half, the 'Nooks rallied back to overtake the Rams 54-53 and kept Rhode Island under control toward the end. But the 'Nooks lost their 73-72 lead in the last minute and a half to end the game 73-77.

Barnes provided 10 assists and three saves. Colin Matteson scored 18 points and about a 60 percent shooting average in compared to the team's 38.5 percent.

On the Rams side, 22 points were won by 6-foot, 8-inch Will Daniels, mainly from his eight two pointers and an additional six points from free throws.

"I think guys stepped it up in the second [half]," Ostanik said.

Freshman Tyrone Flowers was the X-factor, he said.

"Flowers stepped up big time," said Rams head coach Jim Baron. "We knew that these guys are a pretty good basketball team."

But a team they were not in the final game on Sunday versus South Eastern Missouri State.

"One, we missed shots, and two, we took bad shots" Ostanik said.

Citing a communication breakdown in the team including arguing with each other and referees, Ostanik spoke in a downtrodden manner. He said players were playing for themselves, not for the team.

Some problems with communication could be seen on the court in the first half, but overall things were looking good with a 39-30 lead. In the second, however, things were terribly different.

The Redhawks rallied back with a 15-point romp over the 'Nooks in the first five minutes.

The 'Nooks looked like they had a chance to take back the win in the last minute scored up 66-67 but a missed rebound by Rockett led the Redhawks Brandon Foust to a dunk which just added insult to injury ending the match 66-69.

Looking good again Sunday night, Collin Matteson put up consistent game play throughout the entire tournament, something the 'Nooks were lacking else wise.

"We we're pretty self destructive in how we handled it," Ostanik said.

However, even with a hung head and clear defeat on his face, Ostanik managed to look at the minor positive.

"The tournament showed us where we can get better," he said.