NAMPA – Justin Parnell scored season-high 21 points as the 23rd-ranked Northwest Nazarene University men's basketball team defeated the University of Alaska Fairbanks 76-63 on Thursday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at the Patty Center in Fairbanks.
The Crusaders, who improve to 6-2 in the conference and 14-3 overall, will now travel to Anchorage and put their four-game winning streak on the line when they face the 5th-ranked Seawolves from UAA on Saturday night. UAA defeated #24 Seattle Pacific 83-71 earlier tonight in a battle of top-25 ranked teams in Anchorage.
“Any win in Alaska is a good win,” commented NNU assistant coach Brandon Rinta, reflecting on the Crusaders effort tonight in Fairbanks.
Parnell and fellow sophomore Kendall Gielow led the Crusaders attack, with Gielow adding 16 points and a team-best nine rebounds as NNU out-rebounded the Nanooks 39-28, including 11 offensive rebounds. Parnell finished with five rebounds and five assists in addition to his game-high scoring totals.
Crusader point guard Tyler Roberts had a game-high six assists and also grabbed five rebounds in his 36-minutes at the point for NNU.
Kevin Atkins led the Nanooks (1-7 GNAC, 4-13) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, earning the game's only double-double performance. Mladen Begojevic scored 15 and Colin Matteson added 13 as the Nanooks have now lost five straight and 11 of their last 12.
