Men's Hoops Takes on Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade in Alaska/Hawaii Challenge

The Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball team hits the road for the first time this regular season, traveling to the islands for the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge in Honolulu.

Head coach Frank Ostanik’s squad opens the weekend facing Hawaii Pacific on Friday at 8 p.m. AKST at The Shark Tank, followed by a Saturday matchup against Chaminade at 4 p.m. AKST at McCabe Gymnasium.

The Nanooks arrive in Hawaii carrying heavy offensive momentum from their opening weekend, where they swept Northwest Indian College with a 122-65 blowout on Friday and a 108-64 victory on Saturday. Friday’s 122-point explosion stands as the sixth-highest single-game scoring performance in program history.

“Davis is a special player,” Ostanik said of Davis Crilly. “His ability to be such a kind and compassionate young man and also bring an edge to the court is unique.”

Crilly earned GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors on Monday after putting up 52 points across the two opening games. He leads the conference with 26 points per game, an 81.8% three-point percentage, and nine total three-pointers.

Alaska leads the GNAC by averaging 115 points per contest while holding opponents to a conference-low 64.5 points. The team also paces the league in field goal percentage at 63.4%, three-point percentage at 47.3%, and steals with 16 per game.

Hawaii Pacific enters the weekend at 2-2 overall under head coach Jesse Nakanishi. The Sharks opened their slate by defeating St. Edward’s University 88-64 on Oct. 30, before dropping consecutive games to Minot State and Lake Erie College. They rebounded on Monday with a 112-80 win over Northwest Indian, led by senior guard Evan Kilminster’s 16.3 points per game.

Chaminade holds a 1-3 record under head coach Eric Bovaird after opening at the Hoops in Hawai’i Classic with losses to Tampa, Winona State, and Adelphi. The Silverswords picked up their first win on Tuesday by defeating Northwest Indian 127-80, paced by senior forward Kanaan Holder’s 19 points per game.

Following this weekend in Honolulu, the Nanooks travel to Nampa, Idaho, for the NNU Tournament at the Johnson Sports Center. They face Adams State on Friday, Nov. 20, and Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday, Nov. 21, with both games tipping off at 2:15 p.m. AKST.