By Jacob Norling
November 28, 2025
 
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) Westmont Men's Basketball (2-3) got back in the win column on Friday night in The Last Frontier, where the Warriors outlasted the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks 72-66. It was Westmont's defense that gave the club an advantage all night long, with the Nanooks shooting just 32.8% from the field (32.8%). It took the Warriors a bit to find their offensive footing as well, but eventually, a team-wide effort saw Westmont shoot 50% from the field in the second half (14-28) to pull away.
 
It took the Warriors nearly 10 minutes to score their 10th point, but once shots did start the Warriors erased a nine-point deficit entering the final 10 minutes of the first half. It was a 21-6 run in the first half that saw Westmont ride a 17-8 run towards a 29-23 lead.
 
"The most telling thing for me tonight was the way we were able to adjust after that first stretch," said Westmont head coach Justin Leslie. "Early on, they made us pay with the corner-three. We talked in practice about how we were going to defend that, and it was disappointing that we didn't quite get it from the jump.
 
"We called an early timeout, we doubled-down knowing we prepared for this and we were ready for this. The rest of the game, (Fairbanks) really struggled to find baskets. It was just a wonderful defensive performance after those first five minutes."
 
Entering the second half with a 33-31 lead, the two sides continued to trade blows until Westmont once again created a two-possession lead after the first media timeout. A pair of three-pointers from Jarrett Bryant followed by a bucket from Aidan Mandel pushed Westmont's lead back to a game-high six points (49-43) as the game crossed the 14-minute mark in the second half. The lead continued to hold a couple minutes later, when consecutive conversions by Trey Thompson made it a 55-49 game.
 
When Fairbanks got back within one once more, this time it was Logan Huston with a couple baskets to build the lead back to two-possessions. The Nanooks got back within two just before the game's penultimate media timeout, before Bryant slammed home a basket, sending Westmont into a huddle still hanging on to a 61-57 lead (7:19). At the 5:45 mark the Nanooks' ability to stay in the fight finally rewarded them, when a three-ball not only erased the deficit they had faced all half, but put Fairbanks up momentarily at 62-61.
 
A minute later Bryant got one to fall off the glass to put Westmont back up, giving Bryant 22 on the night up to that point (4:32). Then came another momentum-shift when Huston battled through contact, earned the whistle, and got the shot to fall as the game entered its final media timeout with 3:45 remaining (66-62). With 2:06 remaining, however, a trip to the line once again saw the Nanooks draw even, with the two teams entering the final minutes of regulation knotted at 66.
 
Westmont would eventually bring the ball up the floor with under a minute remaining, with Aidan Mandel finding himself on the receiving end of a hard foul. After review, the call was upgraded to a flagrant foul, which meant two free throws and possession awaited the Warriors on the other end of a timeout. Mandel made one of two from the line, giving Westmont a 67-66 lead with 41.6 remaining. On the ensuing possession Braedon Bigott was fouled, with the transfer nailing both from the stripe to make it 69-66 with 35.5 seconds to play. The Nanooks then attempted to play quickly, but a Fairbanks body made a poor choice by electing to drive inside where a trio of Warriors swared the would-be scorer. That stop for the Warriors, followed by a pair of free throws made by Mandel, began to send the game towards its final destination.
 
Moments later, the Warriors officially shook hands following a 72-66 win. Westmont not only shot 50% from the field in the half, but in totality, the Warriors also made 15 of 18 from the stripe to help seal the win.
 
"We needed to go out and prove we were able to win a gritty, tough, ugly game," reflected Leslie. "We like to play free and easy and fast, but you know what, our opponents have a say in this whole thing too. They weren't going to let us do that, and to our credit, we dug our heels in and grinded it out in crunch time."
 
On top of Bryant's 22 points, Huston (16), Thompson (13), and Mandel (12) all finished in double-figures. Mandel picked up another double-double with a game-high 14 boards as well, while Huston led the team with six assists.
 
"Jarrett made big baskets throughout the game" said Leslie, "but you also have to highlight Logan with 16 points on seven shots. Then, Aidan, too, with another double-double, and Trey was there when we needed him, too.
 
"It was a very good team-effort tonight, especially on the defensive side of the ball."
 
Westmont is back at it late on Saturday night, when they take on Alaska Anchorage at 7:30 p.m. AKST/8:30 p.m. PST.