BELLINGHAM, Wash. – McCade Olsen led six Alaska Anchorage players in double figures with 18 points as the Seawolf men's basketball team earned a convincing 92-72 victory at Western Washington on Thursday.
UAA (13-4, 4-2 GNAC), ranked fifth in this week's initial West Region poll, also got an 11-point, 12-assist double-double from point guard Luke Cooper and a career-high 15 points from freshman Trenton Millar.
WWU (9-7, 3-3 GNAC), ranked No. 9 in the region, got a game-high 19 points from center Lukas Henne and 16 points from guard Ira Graham.
The Seawolves jumped to a 13-0 lead by scoring on five or their first six possessions, forcing the Vikings to take an early timeout. The home team, which entered the game 7-1 at Carver Gym, then rallied for 11 straight points, but that was as close as they would come.
UAA coach Rusty Osborne called a timeout of his own and his team responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Millar (5-8 FG, 3-5 3FG, 4 assts) that started a 21-4 run and essentially decided the contest.
The Seawolves led 47-24 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 25 three times in the second half. WWU sliced it to a 13-point margin three times in the last 2:27 before UAA sealed it from the free throw line.
It was UAA's second win in six all-time tries in Bellingham and its first double-digit victory.
Senior shooting guard Eric Draper (12 pts, 4-4 3FG, 5 reb) scored all of his points in the first half, while senior guard Buddy Bailey shot perfectly (12 pts, 4-4 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT). Junior forward Carl Arts chipped in 11 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-4 FT).
The Seawolves shot a season-high 66.7 percent from long range (12-18) and 53.7 percent from the field. UAA improved to 11-0 when topping the 50 percent mark.
Junior forward Joe Davis had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds in just 15 minutes, while Olsen pulled down six boards and shot 8 of 14 from the field.
The Seawolves are back in action Saturday as they complete a 4-game road swing at regionally 6th-ranked Seattle University (11-6, 3-3). That game tips at 6 p.m. AST.
