BELLINGHAM, Wash. – University of Alaska Fairbanks junior guard Shadeed Shabazz scored 43 points to tie the single-game Carver Gym scoring record, leading the Nanooks to a 96-85 victory over host Western Washington University Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The Vikings led by as many as 13 points in the first half and held a 42-31 halftime lead, but UAF scored 65 second-half points en route to the 11-point victory. Shabazz scored 33 of his career-high-tying 43 points in the second half on 10-for-16 shooting. 

WWU dropped to 13-8 overall and remains in 2^nd place in the GNAC at 8-5 in conference play, tied with Northwest Nazarene and UAF. After winning eight consecutive games, the Vikings have dropped four of their last five. The loss snapped an eight-game Carver Gym winning streak, going 9-3 in Bellingham this season.

UAF moved into a 2^nd-place tie with its fourth win in the last five games, improving to 9-12 overall and 8-5 in league play. Head coach Greg Sparling recorded his 400^th career victory.

The Vikings held an 11-point lead at 46-35, but Fairbanks rattled off a 30-14 run over an eight-minute stretch to turn the double-digit deficit into a five-point lead at 65-60. WWU regained the lead by way of eight consecutive points from senior center Logan Schilder, at 68-67 with 6:51 remaining, but a 10-0 Nanooks spurt swung the momentum back in their favor to remain in the lead the rest of the contest.

Schilder led the Vikings with a single-game career-high 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting and also had 4 blocked shots. Sophomore guard/forward Jalen Green neared a double-double with 17 points and 8 rebounds and senior guard Siaan Rojas recorded a 13-point, 10-assist double-double. Redshirt freshman guard D'Angelo Minnis rounded out WWU's double-digit scorers with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting.

WWU shot 54.5% for the game (36-for-66), marking the ninth time this season to make more than half its shots in a game, but was just 6-for-23 from 3-point range (26.1%). The Vikings inside presence led to a 52-38 advantage in points in the paint, but WWU was edged 33-32 in rebounding.

Shabazz tied his single-game high with 43 points and has scored 30-or-more points in seven of his last nine games. The Rainier Beach High School product was 14-for-24 from the field and made 7-of-9 3-pointers. He was also 8-for-9 from the free throw line, tallied 7 assists and 4 steals. Markel Banks contributed 13 points off the bench on 4-for-7 shooting and Spencer Sweet had 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting. UAF shot 54.1% from the field (33-for-61), was 9-for-17 from beyond the arc and 21-for-27 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Siaan Rojas recorded 10 assists, the first double-digit assist performance by a Viking since Trey Drechsel also had 10 on Nov. 15, 2017 vs. Douglas. Most in a GNAC game by a Viking since Ricardo Maxwell had 10 vs. Simon Fraser on Dec. 15, 2015.

UAF junior guard Shadeed Shabazz equaled the single-game Carver Gym scoring record with his 43 points. He tied the 43 points by WWU's John Allen on Jan. 2, 2011 (99-62 win over Simon Fraser) and 43 points by Saint Martin's Nick Gibbs on March 8, 2003 (93-82 SMU win).

WWU (13-8, 8-5 GNAC) remains at home hosting Alaska Anchorage on Saturday with a 7 pm tip-off in Carver Gym.

Split the season series with the Nanooks, with each team winning on the road. WWU defeated UAF 71-63 in Fairbanks on Jan. 11 to clinch the Alaskan road sweep. WWU still leads the all-time series 35-15, but had a three-game home winning streak vs. the Nanooks snapped.

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings through the games played on Thursday. The Vikings are in a three-way tie for 2^nd place in the conference with an 8-5 record, tied with Northwest Nazarene and Alaska Fairbanks.

Fans can follow the men's basketball team online at WWUVikings.com/MBB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUHoops) and Facebook (@WWUmensbball). You can also get game updates by following the @WWUAthletics Twitter.

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 11 seasons. WWU is a six-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and has appeared in the NCAA II Elite 8 three times. The Vikings won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Championship and advanced the following season to the NCAA II Final Four. Western has 20-win seasons in two of the last three years, including a 25-6 record in 2016-17 where it won the GNAC regular season and conference championships title. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,507 victories.