ANCHORAGE (Feb. 13) - Mark Drake scored a team-high 25 points and the UAA men's basketball team hung on for nail-biting 79-77 victory over Western Washington at the Sports Center tonight.

UAA (11-10, 8-4 GNAC) won its fourth straight game and swept the season series from the Vikings (11-9, 5-6) despite blowing most of a 21-point lead. The Seawolves also overcame a 35-point, 15-rebound effort from WWU's Mike Palm, who hit 14 of 18 shots.

The Seawolves ran out to a 42-28 halftime lead and fought off an early second-half run by the Vikings. UAA went up 62-41 on Drake's seventh and final three-pointer with 8:22 left.

However, the Seawolves would make only two field goals the rest of the way, the final one coming on Peter Bullock's layin with 5:26 remaining, making it 66-52. UAA committed the majority of its 18 turnovers in the final few minutes and WWU finally cut the lead to 78-77 on two free throws from Jason Burrell with 13 seconds left.

UAA's Scott Stevens hit his first free throw with eight seconds left, but he missed the second. Burrell sped downcourt and tossed up a running, 8-foot jumper that bounced around the rim and off, and the rebound was batted around as time expired.

The Seawolves had all eight of their free throw misses (16 of 24) down the stretch, but it was Drake's hot shooting that provided the necessary cushion. The 6-1 sophomore from Shelbyville, Ind., hit 7 of 9 threes, scoring more than 20 points for the fifth time this season. He has hit 14 threes in the last three games.

Senior point guard Cody Gallatin was the only other Seawolf in double-figures with 11 points, while Bullock finished with nine points and nine rebounds. It was only the second time this year Bullock has failed to reach double-figures in scoring, snapping a streak of 17 games with 10 or more.

UAA finished 11 of 22 from the three-point line, while the Vikings went 3 of 14.

Palm's 35 points equaled his career-high.

The Seawolves will try to avenge an early loss when it takes on Seattle Pacific (12-8, 8-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Center. The game will be a battle for third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.