FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Despite holding the advantage as they headed into the halftime break, Multnomah would go on to drop a tightly-contested 83-79 decision to NCAA DII side University of Alaska Fairbanks in their first of two back-to-back exhibition games against the Nanooks. Multnomah was lead by junior Braedon Edison, who ended the night with a team-high 22 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals.

"Congratulations to University of Alaska [Fairbanks] on the win, but we just simply beat ourselves tonight," shared head coach Tayo Gem following the loss. "For the first 14 minutes of the game, we showed ourselves that we have the ability to be completely dominant on both sides of the ball. However, we made some mistakes that they capitalized on." Gem went on to say, "I continue to be so proud of this group, and we continue to get better at being us. It was all positive energy in the locker room tonight, and the best part is that we get to do it all over again against the same team tomorrow night."

Multnomah, a program known for their offensive prowess, dominated the early stages of tonight's contest. The Lions maintained the lead for all but three possessions, fighting their way to a commanding 18-point advantage with six and half minutes left in the half. However, missed scoring opportunities paired with unfortunate turnovers opened the door for the Nanooks to chip away at Multnomah's lead, as the Lions held just a four-point lead by halftime.

It took 12 minutes in the second half for UA Fairbanks to take command of the game. On the back of a 23-point night from junior guard Chris Lee, the hosts maintained the lead for much of the latter stages of tonight's contest. A three-point play from junior guard Alileyon Ford gave the Lions a brief moment of hope, with Multnomah holding a one-point advantage with 28 seconds left to play. However, it would not be enough, as the Nanooks would go on to close out the game in the dying seconds.

Sophomore Keilan Torkornoo, who has been averaging 17.4 points per game for the Lions, had a quiet night tonight with just four points after going 2-of-9 from the field. The Saratoga Springs native came up big defensively, as he pulled in six rebounds and added one block on the night.

Ford continued to show how invaluable he can be, as he contributed for 18 of Multnomah's 21 bench points after going 4-of-6 from three point range. Junior forward Noah McCord ended the night with his third double-double of the season, as he tallied 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Lions will be back in action at Alaska Airlines Gymnasium in a second exhibition game against the UA Fairbanks Nanooks tomorrow night at 8:00 pm PST.