ANCHORAGE (Feb. 28) - Mark Drake came off the bench to score 17 points and spark a comeback victory for the UAA men's basketball team Saturday, 86-70 over Saint Martin's.
A Wells Fargo Sports Complex sellout crowd of 1,250 watched UAA (19-8, 9-7 GNAC) fight back from an early 27-13 deficit to post a critical win in the quest for postseason play. Peter Bullock and Kemmy Burgess scored 15 points apiece for UAA, while Saint Martin's (8-17, 4-12) got 24 from guard Brandon Hartley, the GNAC's leading scorer.
The Saints came out red-hot, making 11 of their first 15 shots (73 percent), to stake themselves to the 14-point lead at the 12:14 mark of the first half. Drake and reserve point guard Scott Stevens then started a 10-0 UAA spurt with back-to-back three-pointers, and the Seawolves finally drew even at 32-32 with 5:55 showing.
Senior center Bob Austin made one of two free throws with six seconds left to give UAA its first lead, 40-39, before Hartley closed the half by driving the length of the floor and making a baseline runner. UAA's victory was its seventh this season after trailing at halftime.
The Seawolves quickly forged a 4-point lead in the early stages of the second half, and the Saints tied it 51-51 on Soloman Wyatt's layup with 15:06 remaining. UAA's defense clamped down from that point, and the Seawolves went on a 21-6 run, capped by threes from Stevens and Drake. The lead never fell below double digits for the final 10 minutes.
Drake finished 5 of 9 from three-point range to post a team-high 17 points, while Stevens went 2 for 2 and Burgess 3 for 7 from long distance. Stevens' seven points were a season-high.
Bullock pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to record his 14th double-double of the season. The senior forward also established his UAA career record with his 104th starting assignment.
The Seawolves are now 11-3 all-time against the Lacey, Wash., school, including 8-0 at the Sports Complex.
UAA, ranked eighth in the West Region poll that determines which eight team will make the NCAA Tournament, closes the season at 10th-ranked Western Washington and Seattle Pacific next week.
