FAIRBANKS – Elliot Dimaculangan scored 21 points but it wasn't enough as SFU men's basketball, playing its third game in five nights, lost 64-59 to Alaska Nanooks in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday at the Patty Center.

SFU dropped both games in Alaska but will return home to play three straight home games Feb. 10 (Saint Martin's), Feb. 12 (Western Oregon) and Feb. 14 (Alaska Anchorage). SFU is 5-1 in the West Gym.
 
The loss left SFU 4-5 in the GNAC, 9-8 overall. The Nanooks are 6-10 overall, 3-7 GNAC. In an effort to lessen the effects of postponements and cancellations of games this season due to COVID-19, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference will expand this year's conference tournament to all 10 men's and women's programs. The GNAC Championships will run from March 2 to 5.
 
In Saturday's game, Simon Fraser held a 59-56 lead with 2:52 remaining in the game after a Julian Roche bucket but went scoreless the rest of the way as Alaska ended the game on an 8-0 run to escape with the win.
 
SFU held a one-point lead heading into the second half, and quickly pushed it to six-points on a pair of Wilfried Balata free throws, making it 46-40 SFU. Alaska tied the game at 50-50 after a 10-4 run but SFU took the lead back with 6:25 remaining and held it for the next three-plus minutes, fending off the Nanooks on multiple occasions.
 
The Nanooks finally broke through with just over two minutes remaining with a pair of free throws making it 60-59 'Nooks. Alaska hit a jumper with 21 seconds left following misses on both ends of the court, extending the lead to three. With eight and six seconds remaining, Simon Fraser missed a pair of three-point opportunities by Elliot Dimaculangan and Drew Bryson. Alaska made two free throws to end the game.
 
Alaska played with just six players for the second-consecutive game.
 
Dimaculangan led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, connecting on 5-of-10 threes. He added four rebounds and two steals. Balata also hit in double figures with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Roche had 12 rebounds and eight points.
 
SFU made just six trips to the free throw line, going 3-of-6 while Alaska was 15-of-18 on free throws.
 
SFU outshot the Nanooks in the first, 48.3% to 40.6% and 40% to 36.6% from deep. In the second half, Alaska shot 52.9% from the floor, going 9-of-17 and 11-for-11 from the charity stripe, making the most of their late-game opportunities. SFU shot 10-of-31 from the field (32.2%) in the second half.
 
SFU out-rebounded the Nanooks 35 to 25 forced 14 turnovers and had seven steals. SFU went 6-of-22 on threes.
 
SFU got 29 points off the bench from Dimaculangan (21 points) and Jordan Lyons (8 points)
 
Quin Barnard led the way for Alaska by posting 18 points on 3-of-7 on threes and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. Coleman Sparling had a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high 10 boards.
 
-- With files from Alaska communications