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Walker, Pacitti power UAA past MSUB

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Walker, Pacitti power UAA past MSUB

ANCHORAGE – Brandon Walker scored all 19 of his points in the second half and fellow junior Nick Pacitti delivered an impressive double-double as the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team began league play Saturday with an 80-72 win over Montana State Billings at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The Seawolves (10-2, 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got a combined 30 points and five assists from starting guards Donnie Lao and Kevin White to run their winning streak to seven.

The Yellowjackets (7-4, 1-1 GNAC) were led by a game-high 28 points from guard DaVell Jackson, who also dished six assists without a turnover. MSUB stayed close throughout the game thanks to a mere six turnovers, but UAA pulled out the win thanks to advantages in shooting (54 percent to 42 percent) and rebounding (36-25).

Pacitti, a 6-6 forward, posted his third double-double in five games with 19 points (7-10 FG, 5-6 FT) and 14 rebounds, helping UAA out-board MSUB 19-8 in the final 20 minutes.

The game appeared to turn into a blowout late in the first half when UAA junior guard Kevin White drained a deep three-pointer to make it 29-14 with 3:07 remaining. But the Yellowjackets would use an 11-2 to close the stanza and go in trailing just 31-25 at halftime.

After another White three-pointer made it 39-27, MSUB sliced its deficit back to 40-37 in less than two minutes, and the game would stay close.

Leading 59-56, the Seawolves got two big plays from Pacitti, who banked in a short jump shot at the 7:02 mark, then followed with an off-balance, put-back basket while being upended by MSUB's Brad Hodge. Pacitti finished the three-point play to make it 64-56, and the Yellowjackets would get no closer than six points from there.

Pacitti's 19 points and Lao's 16 were both career-highs, while White finished with a season-best 14 points. Lao shot 4 of 6 from three-point land, while White was 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.

Walker, who shot 0 of 4 in the first half, regained his form in the second half, nailing 7 of 10 shots and finishing with a team-high five assists. The Hayward, Calif., native has now scored double figures in 10 straight games.

The Seawolves hit the road next week for GNAC battles at nationally ranked Western Washington (Thur., Jan. 14, 6 p.m. AST) and Central Washington (Sat., Jan. 16, 6:30 p.m.).
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Players Mentioned

Kevin White

#1 Kevin White

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Donnie Lao

#30 Donnie Lao

G
6' 3"
Junior
Nick Pacitti

#34 Nick Pacitti

F
6' 6"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Kevin White

#1 Kevin White

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Donnie Lao

#30 Donnie Lao

6' 3"
Junior
G
Nick Pacitti

#34 Nick Pacitti

6' 6"
Junior
F