LACEY, Wash. (Feb. 10) -
Marcus Robinson scored 20 points to lead six Seawolves in double figures Thursday as the UAA men's basketball team pulled out a 96-83 victory over Saint Martin's at the SMC Pavilion.
The Seawolves (10-11, 4-8 GNAC) earned their second road victory by shooting a blazing 57.8 percent from the field and dishing a season-high 28 assists. James Hartman scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Seawolves, while freshman Luke Cooper had 13 assists.
Forward Niko Nunogawa led Saint Martin's (8-13, 5-7) with 25 points and nine rebounds, while teammate Solomon Wyatt scored 19 points, but made shot only 3-of-13 from the free throw line.
After being tied 4-4 in the early-going, the Seawolves got a jumper from Adam Fitt-Chappell (14 points, 5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 5 rebounds) and a layup from Cooper to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Robinson (7-14 FG, 2-5 3FG, 4-6 FT) sparked a 14-2 Seawolf run midway through the half that pushed the lead as high as 41-23. The Saints cut it to 49-39 at the break, however the Seawolves responded by re-establishing their 18-point advantage just a few minutes into the second stanza.
Saint Martin's, which beat UAA 79-76 in Anchorage last month, cut its deficit to seven points three times, but each time the Seawolves responded with a big shot from a different player.
Mark Drake scored 16 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-2 FT) and dished four assists, Bryan Freshwater had 14 points (7-9 FG) and a team-high seven rebounds, and Carl Arts came off the bench with 12 points (5-6 FG) and four rebounds.
UAA needed the complete team effort as seven of the nine Seawolves who played wound up with four fouls.
The Seawolves shot just 30 percent from long range, but were incredibly efficient inside the arc, making 31 of their 44 two-point attempts (70.4 percent).
Drake's performance left him just seven points shy of cracking UAA's career top 10 in scoring. The senior has 1,078 points heading into Saturday's showdown against Central Washington in Ellensburg.
That game, which tips at 6 p.m. AST, can be heard live in Anchorage on AM-550 KTZN "The Zone," or over the internet on this website.
