ANCHORAGE (Feb. 25) - Kemmy Burgess scored 28 points and fellow senior Brian Hills delivered an inspired performance to help the UAA men's basketball team to an 84-73 victory over arch-rival Alaska Fairbanks in a key Great Northwest Athletic Conference game Saturday.

A sold-out and raucous Wells Fargo Sports Complex crowd watched the Seawolves (18-10, 9-7 GNAC) claw back from a 10-point deficit and close with a 15-3 run to clinch win. UAF (15-10, 8-8) was led by 19 points from hot-shooting guard Kenny Barker.

The Seawolves, ranked seventh in the latest NCAA Div. II West Region poll, salvaged a season split with the Nanooks and moved into a three-way tie with Central Washington and Humboldt State for third place in the GNAC.

UAF, ranked No. 9 in the region, fell into a sixth-place tie with Seattle University, despite leading the Seawolves 38-30 at halftime and 42-32 with 19 left in the game.

Burgess (8-20 FG, 4-9 3FG, 8-10 FT) started the Seawolf comeback with a pull-up three-pointer at the 18:15 mark as UAA refused to let the Nanooks back to a double-digit lead.

Led by Barker (7-13 FG, 3-5 3FG) and forward Ivan Miskovic (16 pts, 9 rebounds), the Nanooks went up 56-47 at the 13:16 mark before UA A made its move. Luke Cooper (13 points, 3-5 FG, 6-6 FT, 9 assists) took a Fairbanks miss the length of the court and slashed in for a fast-break layup to spark a 9-0 UAA run. Cooper completed the surge with an alley-oop pass to James Hartman that brought the Seawolves even for the first time at 56-56.

Chris Jordan (14 pts, 6-16 FG, 2-9 3FG) nailed a three-pointer for the visitors on the ensuing possession, but that was answered by Cooper's trey a minute later. UAA took its first lead, 64-63, on a Brian Hills free throw with 5:02 remaining, and UAF would take its final advantage on a layup by Justin Bourne (13 pts, 5-6 FG, 6 assists) with 3:24 left, making it 70-69.

The Nanooks managed just one field goal the rest of the way, however, as Burgess gave UAA the lead for good with a short jumper in the lane just 11 seconds later. A steal by Hartman then led to a fast-break layup for Joe Davis (12 pts, 5-6 FG) that made it 73-70.

After a Barker miss and another free throw from Hills (16 pts, 10-13 FT, 8 reb, 4 blk), Barker couldn't convert the front end of a one-and-one, and the Seawolves pulled away from the free throw line. UAA went 10 of 10 from the charity stripe in the final 80 seconds as UAF managed only a three-pointer by Bourne the rest of the way.

UAA now leads the all-time series with their arch rival 58-27, including a 34-5 mark in Anchorage. The win made it three straight seasons the teams have split, with each team holding home court.

It was also the 12th straight win at the WFSC for the Seawolves, who close out the regular season next week with two more critical home games, Mar. 2 vs. Central Washington and Mar. 4 against nationally ranked Western Washington. Both CWU and WWU are regionally ranked as well.

NOTES: With his nine assists, Cooper moved into third place on UAA's career list with 331. The sophomore also ran his season total up to 190, just 10 shy of Bryan Anderson's UAA season record of 200 assists in 1993-94 Burgess now has 577 points this year, ninth on the Seawolf single-season list senior swingman Adam Fitt-Chappell scored nine points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3FG) in his 112th appearance in Green & Gold, moving past former teammate Peter Bullock (2000-04) for the third-most games played at UAA. Only Vern Robateau (124 games, 1985-90) and Seawolf Hall-of-Famer Hansi Gnad (118, 1983-87) have suited up more times for UAA.