FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Senior Travante Williams was just two assists short of becoming just the fourth player in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to record a triple-double, but his 21-point, 15-rebound performance was more than enough to help the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team pick up a, 73-56, victory over Simon Fraser on Saturday night.
The Nooks (RV) improve to 11-3 on the year and 5-1 in GNAC, as they end the third week of conference play in a tie for second with No. 13 Western Oregon. For Simon Fraser, they fall to 1-11 overall and remain the lone team in the conference not to have a win in league play, as they are now 0-6.
"It wasn't an easy win," said head coach Mick Durham after the game. "We defended and rebounded better and got the ball inside, but I don't think we played particularly well offensively. I was a bit nervous about this one tonight after the way Thursday went, but I thought we stayed in the game mentally on the defensive end and that made the difference. We didn't give them any rallies in the second half to let them get back into the game and that really helped."
Williams, who was coming off a career-high 35-point performance against Western Washington, recorded his fourth-straight double-digit scoring performance by registering 21 points in the win. The Anchorage, Alaska native went 7-of-12 from the field and hit a game-best four 3-point field goals. The guard was able to pick up his second-consecutive double-double on the night by tying his career-high in rebounds with 15, a mark he set against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Nov. 20. The guard now as a team-best four double-doubles this season. Williams just missed out on becoming the first Nanook to collect a triple-double since joining the GNAC, as he set a new career-high in the assist category with eight.
"We needed his big game tonight," said Durham of Williams' performance. "He is definitely playing good basketball. He is playing with great confidence, and he is doing a lot more for us than just scoring. He got 15 rebounds tonight and almost got a triple-double. The kid was pretty special tonight."
Williams was one of four players to score double-figures on Saturday, as senior Almir Hadzisechovic collected 15 points, junior Bangaly Kaba posted 12 points and junior Neal Chavez came off the bench to score 10 points. The Nanooks offense was able to spread the ball around all night, as they collected 21 assists, led by Williams eight.
Alaska's defensive pressure limited Simon Fraser to score just 56 points on the night. The point total is the lowest scored against the Nooks this season, as the Clan hit only 35.5 percent (20-of-56) of their shot attempts. The Nanooks were able to outrebound SFU, 44-32, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds which led to a 22-8 advantage in second chance points. Hadzisehovic grabbed four of the offensive boards, as the collected a total of eight on the night. Alaska was also able to protect the rim throughout the game, as they tied their season-high in blocks with nine. Williams led the way with three rejections, while Hadzisehovic and senior Isaac Ladines each picked up two.
The Nanooks shot just 43.9 percent from the field on the night, but they were able to dominate the paint, as they outscored the Clan, 44-24, down low.
Alaska led for nearly the entire game, as the score was in their favor for 37:46 of the contest. The Nooks maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the game, as its lead was as high as 24 points on the night.
The Nooks continue their four-game GNAC home stand next week, as they entertain Montana State Billings on Thursday and instate rival Alaska Anchorage (RV) on Saturday night. Tip-off for both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Court.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
