Alaska Eyes Upset As Crusaders March Into Fairbanks :: Nanooks clash with Northwest Nazarene Thursday at Patty Center

Jan. 30, 2008

• Tonight's meeting between Northwest Nazarene and Alaska will be just the 17th contest between the two squads: the fewest times the Nanooks have seen any of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents. The Blue and Gold hold a 9-7 series record over the Idaho-based Crusaders.

• For the first time in the school history, Northwest Nazarene has cracked the NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, rising the No. 23 in the nation after starting the season with a 13-3 mark. The Crusaders' 5-2 GNAC record currently sees them in a tie for second place in the league. The team arrives in Fairbanks on the heels of a three-game winning streak, having beaten Seattle Pacific, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon since falling to Seattle on Jan. 11.

• Alaska's last win against the Crusaders came on Jan. 11, 2007, when a game-high 15 points from Mike Titus boosted the Nanooks to a 52-point second half and a comfortable 79-60 win at the Patty Center. Northwest Nazarene took the last meeting between the teams, however, as the Blue and Gold came out on the wrong end of a 77-67 outcome in Idaho on Feb. 27, 2007.

• Nanook co-captain Colin Matteson grabbed the first double-double of his Alaska career against MSU Billings on Jan. 24, getting game-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (12).

• Matteson's 12-rebound night against MSU Billings marked a career-high for the junior forward, and the first time he has broken into double-figures for rebounding since joining the Blue and Gold.

• With 12 points against Central Washington on Jan. 19, Mike Titus moved into sole possession of 45th place on the school's all-time scoring charts, having scored 673 points over his four-year career. The senior co-captain needs just two more points to catch Nanook standout Jason Williams, who scored 675 points for the Blue and Gold between 2001-03.

• Alaska's Kevin Atkins finds himself back among the GNAC's top-ten scoring leaders after raising his average up to 14.4 points per game: good for ninth-best in the league. A constant double-double threat, Atkins is currently third among conference rebounders as well, pulling down 7.9 boards per game. The Nanooks are 2-1 in games in which Atkins records a double-double.

• Tonight's contest marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for Alaska, who play seven of their 11 remaining games here in Fairbanks. The Nanooks will return to the Patty Center court on Saturday to meet Seattle Pacific before hosting southern rivals and GNAC leaders Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 9.