by FAIRBANKS – Ruben Silvas (Pacua-Yaqui Tribe) scored 34 points to lead six Nanooks in double-figures as Alaska rolled to a 121-111 win over Simon Fraser in a high-octane Great Northwest Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at the Patty Center.
Silvas, who was also the game’s top rebounder with 11 points, went 8-11 from the field and hit 17-18 free-throws en route to his tally of 34.
Ashton Edwards followed up his career-day on Thursday with 23 points while Adam Griffin (14), Kyle Tomlinson (13), Almir Hadzisehovic (12) and Isaac Ladines (11) all had big offensive days.
“Scoring 121 points surprised me a little today,” said head coach Mick Durham. “Our guys did a great job attacking when we had the opportunities to. We rebounded very well in the second half and made our free-throws. That was the key.”
The Nanooks matched Simon Fraser’s up tempo game from the begining, shooting exceptionally well in the first half, at over 50% (18-35). Alaska was also efficient from the free-throw line in the opening period, making 13 of its 16 chances. Silvas was the top scorer in the half, with 19 points.
Simon Fraser made nine three-pointers in the first half, including six between the pairing of Sango Niang and Justin Cole, who finished the game with 35 and 16 points, respectively.
Alaska shot even better in the second half, at nearly 60% (17-29) with many opportunites coming once they broke the Clan’s full-court press. Simon Fraser’s pressure also yielded many opportunities from the free-throw line, as the Nanooks shot a staggering 34 free-throws in the half, making 26 of them. Edwards, who was a perfect 6-6 from the line in the half, also went 2-2 from the 3-point line.
Overall, the Nanooks controlled the game in nearly every facet, as they also outrebounded Simon Fraser by a 50-39 tally. 35 of those rebound came in the defensive zone, which was influential in holding Simon Fraser to just 16 second chance points.
Alaska next plays on Saturday, January 10 when it hosts the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage at 7:00 p.m.
