By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A spirited finish by the Alaska men’s basketball team on Thursday night at Sam Carver Gym lifted the sixth-seeded Nanooks to an 87-75 win over No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships.
 
Alaska clung to a 58-57 lead with 7:30 left to go but finished the game on fire to out-pace the Nighthawks down the stretch. The win lifted Alaska’s record to 15-13 on the season and set up a semifinal rivalry match against No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage (20-9) set to tip off at 5:15 p.m. (Pacific) on Friday evening.
 
Tyriq Luke made 6 of 10 shots and 7 of 8 free throws on his way to a team-high 21 points, while Davis Crilly made 7 of 10 shots including 4 of 7 from 3-point range to finish with 20 points. The Nanooks avenged a pair of regular-season losses to the Nighthawks with one of their most productive performances, shooting 50.8% (30-for-59) – their third-highest mark of the year. Alaska out-rebounded NNU 35-32 and made 10 of 23 threes (43.5%) in the win as well.
 
The Nighthawks moved to 18-10 on the season with the defeat. First-team all-GNAC selection Easton Reagan led all players with 27 points, making 11 of 20 field goals on the night. Kyelin King had an efficient 6-for-9 shooting evening for 14 points, Jaden Byers added 13 and Briggs Ranstrom grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. The Nighthawks shot well overall at 47.6% (30-for 63) but made just 4 of 18 threes (22.2%).
 
Jalai O’Keith kicked off Alaska’s strong finish with a 3-pointer at the 7:17 mark, and Luke scored nine points from that point onward to help seal the win. Mike Miller converted back-to-back layups with three minutes left to make the score 74-65. One of the most crucial defensive plays of the second half came in between the buckets, with Jeremiah Hersrud generating an extra possession for his team by taking a charge in the paint.
 
Crilly was also a key contributor during the game-deciding scoring spree, highlighted by a four-point play with four minutes to go that kept his team in front by seven points.
 
The game was tight from the opening tip, with neither team leading by more than five points across the first 12 minutes of action. The Nanooks created some separation in the closing minutes of the first half, with a three by Crilly and a pair of layups by Luke Fotheringham building their largest lead at 30-22. The Nighthawks cut into that and kept things close, heading into the break down 37-32.
 
Five Alaska players finished in double digits on the evening, with Miller making 6 of 12 shots on his way to 18 points and adding six rebounds. Fotheringham wound up with 11 points, six boards, a team-leading five assists and two steals. Tariq Weiser delivered 10 points as well.
 
GAME NOTES: It was the second meeting between the teams at the GNAC Championships, with Alaska winning 83-62 at the 2022 quarterfinals…the Nanooks are in the tournament for the eighth time, and upped their all-time record to 9-11 in GNAC Championships games…Alaska is in pursuit of its second conference tournament trophy, hoisting the crown in 2022…Northwest Nazarene made its 10th conference tournament appearance, falling to 6-8 all-time at the event.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Nighthawks checked in at No. 6 in the latest NCAA regional rankings released Wednesday. The Nanooks were unranked, meaning they will need to win the conference tournament in order to claim the GNAC’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships. The top-eight teams in the final rankings, which are announced on Sunday, will earn spots in next week’s NCAA West Region Championships hosted by the No. 1 overall seed.