Fourth-seeded Alaska ready for GNAC Men's Basketball Championship
March 5, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
It's Tourney Time in Lacey
The Nanooks begin their quest for a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title this week as they open play in the 2013 GNAC Men's Basketball Championship this Thursday at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University.
How to Keep up with the Championship
The GNAC will provide live stats and live video streaming of the entire championship and the game can be heard Thursday on KCBF 820 AM. Should Alaska advance, and subsequent games can be heard live on KFAR 660 AM. The championship game, set for 6:30 p.m. (AKST) on Saturday will be shown live on ROOT Sports (Ch. 36 – GCI Cable Fairbanks) and the web streaming feed will be blacked out in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho due to television rights. If you plan to be at the games, tickets are available online through Eventbrite and will also be available at Marcus Pavilion on game days.
The No. 4 seed Alaska Nanooks
Alaska enters the tournament with a 15-11 overall record and finished fourth in the league standings with a 10-8 mark in GNAC play. This is the first winning season in five years for the program and the best conference finish in six years. Thursday will also mark the first time since 2005 the Nanooks will partake in post-season play. That season, Alaska advanced to the NCAA West Regional title game.
· Dominique Brinson is 16th in the GNAC with 12.5 points per game while also ranking eighth in threes made (2.0) and ninth in free throw percentage (.831).
· Pat Voeut is 18th in scoring (11.8) while leading the league in assists (5.3). He is also third in steals (1.7), ninth in assist turnover/ratio (1.8) and 10th in free throw
percentage (.828).
· Sergej Pucar is second in defensive rebounding (5.4), fourth in three-point shooting (.458), tied for seventh in total rebounding (6.9) and 14th in blocks (0.8).
· Andrew Kelly is fourth on the defensive glass (4.7), sixth in total rebounding (7.0), 10th in offensive rebounding (2.3) and 11th in blocks (0.8).
· Ronnie Baker places seventh in steals (1.3).
Post-Season Awards
On Monday, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced is yearly awards and four Nanooks were honored by the conference office. Headlining the list was second-year head coach Mick Durham, who was named GNAC Coach of the Year after leading the Nanooks to its first winning season in six years at 15-11 and a fourth-place finish in the league standings at 10-8. He shared the top coaching accolade with Western Washington skipper Tony Dominguez, who led WWU to a 26-1 record and a regular-season title in his first season at the helm. Senior guard Dominique Brinson and junior center Sergej Pucar were both named to the All-GNAC Second Team for the first time of their careers while junior guard Pat Voeut was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-GNAC selection.
For more information, view the attached Game Notes for Thursday's game. Should Alaska advance each day, updated game notes will be posted the following morning.
Alaska Nanooks Men's Basketball
No. 4 seed (15-11, 10-8 GNAC)
Game 27 vs. Montana State Billings (16-13, 9-9)
Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. | Marcus Pavilion
Live Stats Live Audio Live Video Game Notes
If win Thursday: Game 28 vs. Western Washington (26-1, 17-1)
Friday, March 8, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. | Marcus Pavilion
Live Stats Live Audio Live Video
If win Friday: Game 28 vs. TBA (Championship Game)
Saturday, March 9, 2013 | 6:30 p.m. | Marcus Pavilion | ROOT Sports
Live Stats Live Audio Live Video