NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball will play their final three games of the regular season this week, all at home, as they fight for GNAC postseason seeding.
Game Information
NNU (9-8, 7-5 GNAC) vs Simon Fraser (11-11, 6-8 GNAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 22 | 7:00 PM | Nampa, Idaho | Johnson Sports Center
Live Video | Live Stats
NNU (9-8, 7-5 GNAC) vs Seattle Pacific (14-10, 7-6 GNAC)
Thursday, Feb. 24 | 7:30 PM | Nampa, Idaho | Johnson Sports Center
Live Video | Live Stats
NNU (9-8, 7-5 GNAC) vs Montana State Billings (12-13, 8-7 GNAC)
Saturday, Feb. 26 | 7:30 PM | Nampa, Idaho | Johnson Sports Center
Live Video | Live Stats
Nighthawks Notes
- NNU went 1-1 on the road last week, dropping a heartbreaker to Saint Martin's before taking care of business against Saint Martin's. Against the Saints, the Nighthawks trailed by 13 with four minutes left but rallied to tie the game on a triple with less than 30 seconds remaining, but SMU came back and made a buzzer-beating three to escape with the win.
- With the victories, the Nighthawks are now 7-5 in GNAC play, ranking third in the conference standings and the GNAC PRS. All 10 teams will be invited to the conference tournament, with seeds 7-10 having to play a play-in first round to fill the eight-team bracket, so finishing sixth or better would earn a first-round bye.
- Six of NNU's eight losses this year have been by single digits.
- Gabriel Murphy is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds a game, recording at least 10 of each eight times. His rebounding mark leads the GNAC, while he is also fifth with a 56.9 field goal percentage. He also ranks in the top 50 nationally in two categories, topped by his 3.4 offensive rebounds per game that is 18th in the country.
- Kobe Terashima is tied for fourth in the conference with 4.4 assists per game, dishing out four or more in seven of his 14 games, including a season-high 10 in a double-double effort against Bushnell. He is also third on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game.
- He has only played nine games, but James Nelson is leading the team with 17.1 points per game and 7.6 boards per game, shooting 47.6% from the field and 43.2% from deep.
- Reidy is second on the team with 13.5 points per game while recording 4.5 rebounds per game. Tru Allen is also in double figures with 11.5 points per game and tied for third in the GNAC with 1.6 steals per game.
- As a team, the Nighthawks are third in the GNAC with a 42.4 field goal percentage defense, first in rebounding at 38.0 boards per game, third with 3.4 blocks per game, first with 8.0 steals per game, and first with 12.4 offensive rebounds per game.
Series History
- Against Simon Fraser, NNU is 17-4 since joining Division II in 2001. The Nighthawks are 8-2 in the games played in Nampa. NNU has won the last three meetings and 10 of the last 11. In the most recent meeting two seasons ago on Feb. 1, 2020, NNU trailed by eight at halftime but rallied to take a late lead and win 81-77.
- Against Seattle Pacific, NNU is 8-35 since joining Division II in 2001. The Nighthawks are 6-13 in the games played in Nampa. NNU has especially struggled as of late in the series, dropping the last seven matchups. In the most recent meeting earlier this season on Dec. 4, the Nighthawks and Falcons went to overtime, but SPU took a quick five-point lead in the extra period and hung on for a 68-67 win.
- Against Montana State Billings, NNU is 21-11 since joining Division II in 2001. The Nighthawks are 11-4 in the games played in Nampa. NNU has done well recently with six-straight wins in the series. In the most recent meeting earlier this season on Dec. 2, the teams also went to overtime and finished with the same score as the NNU-SPU game, but with the Nighthawks coming out on top this time 68-67.
