ANCHORAGE ? Seniors McCade Olsen and Luke Cooper posted huge offensive numbers and the Seawolf defense did the rest as 19th-ranked Alaska Anchorage pulled away for a 77-57 men's basketball victory over arch-rival Alaska Fairbanks at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex on Saturday night.
UAA (12-3, 3-0 GNAC) earned its 10th straight win thanks to 26 points and 10 rebounds from Olsen, plus a 16 assists from Cooper, who tied his own school and Great Northwest Athletic Conference records with 16 assists.
The Nanooks (4-8, 1-2) were led by 19 points and six rebounds from junior forward Colin Matteson.
Despite the final margin, the Nanooks hung tough early, connecting on four straight three-pointers to build a 22-14 lead after 11 minutes. The Seawolves, who rate seventh nationally in points allowed (58.8), put the clamps on that that point, however, allowing just 35 points over the final 29 minutes.
The Seawolves grabbed the lead for good when senior Chris Bryant (16 pts, 6-8 FG, 3-3 3FG) nailed a trey to make it 31-28, and Olsen (10-15 FG, 6-6 FT) converted a fast-break dunk with 19 seconds left to give UAA a 33-30 halftime edge.
A three-pointer by UAF's Mike Titus cut the Seawolf lead to 45-44 with 14:36 to play, and the Nanooks stayed within striking distance at 52-48 with 12:28 remaining.
Olsen then scored four straight points, followed by layups from Carl Arts (7 pts, 3-8 FG, 4 rebounds) and Bryant for an 8-0 run and a permanent double-digit lead.
On UAA's final offensive possession, junior center Jeremiah Trueman (10 points, 5-6 FG) converted a short jumper in the lane on a pass from Cooper, giving the Seawolf point guard his record-tying assist.
The senior from Melbourne, Australia, had his previous 16-assist outing against Division I Missouri-Kansas City in a 2006 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout win. He shares the UAA and GNAC record with former Seawolf Bryson Vaughan (Jan. 10, 2002 at Western Oregon).
Junior swingman Cameron Burney was the fourth Seawolf in double figures with 11 points (3-4 3FG) and seven rebounds. The Seawolves shot a season-high 58.8 percent from the field, including 65.4 percent (17-26) in the second half.
Bryant equaled UAA's season-best steals mark with five, while Cooper committed only one turnover in 40 minutes.
UAA has now won four straight against UAF overall and five in a row at home. The Seawolves lead the all-time series in Anchorage 36-5.
The Seawolves return to action next Thursday and Saturday with key GNAC home games against Central Washington (Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m.) and Western Washington (Jan. 19, 7 p.m.).
