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Seawolf men put clamps on 'Lopes, 67-38

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves stun Wildcats in final ticks

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Junior forward Casey Robinson scored a game-high 18 points, including two game-winning free throws with half a second remaining, to lead the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to a hard-fought 67-66 victory over Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion on Saturday night.

The Seawolves (11-3, 2-1 GNAC) also got 14 points and nine rebounds from junior forward Nick Pacitti and 12 points from junior guard Donnie Lao as they snapped Central's five-game winning streak and handed the Wildcats their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference loss of the year.

The Wildcats (9-5, 3-1) – led by 14 points apiece from forward Riley Spevak and reserve guard Tyler Toussaint – claimed all of the momentum out of the gate and seemed to take more into the locker room when Shane Miller hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the home team a 31-25 lead.

Trailing 36-29 in the second half, the Seawolves made their move when Robinson scored four straight points and Kevin White and Pacitti hit consecutive three-pointers, giving UAA its first lead, 39-38, with 13:41 remaining.

Sophomore forward Aaron Stevens – a South Anchorage High product and transfer from Highline Community College – picked an excellent time for his first two career field goals, nailing mid-range jump shots one minute apart to make it 43-40.

The Seawolves would take a seven-point lead before the Wildcats scrapped back to make it 54-54 with 7:36 remaining. UAA had yet another answer, however, and Lao gave the Seawolves their biggest lead – 62-55 – with a layup at the 5-minute mark.

Clinging to a 65-64 lead in the final minute, the Seawolves finally fell behind with 35.8 seconds showing when Toussaint nailed a pair of free throws. CWU made 26 of 33 free throws in the second half as three Seawolves – Pacitti, Liam Gibcus and Brandon Walker – fouled out.

With just one active player remaining on the bench, the Seawolves ran down the clock for a chance at the final shot. White drove the lane and missed a reverse layin with about 7 seconds remaining, and Robinson secured a loose-ball scramble for the offensive rebound with 1.7 on the clock.

After two timeouts, Lao inbounded to Robinson outside the three-point arc, and CWU's Coby Gibler was whistled for a foul with 0.4 showing. The foul was ruled non-shooting – allowing Robinson two chances instead of three – but Robinson the Manila, Utah, native still calmly stepped to the line and nailed both free throws in the face of a raucous student section.

A three-quarter-court heave was no good at the buzzer as the Seawolves claimed just their second win in Ellensburg in the last seven years. The victory tied the all-time series between the schools at 10-10 and marked the first time that the road team had prevailed since 2007.

Robinson shot 5 of 12 from the field and made all six of his free throws, while Lao shot 3 of 5 overall, 6 of 6 at the stripe, and collected four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The GNAC's leading free throw shooter, Lao is now 27 of 28 (.964) for the season.

Pacitti nailed 3 of 4 three-pointers, and the Seawolves also got important contributions from true freshmen Bryce Arnott (7 pts, career-high 5 rebounds) and Liam Gibcus (6 pts, 2-3 FG, 2-2 FT).

The Seawolves won despite leading scorer Brandon Walker going without a point on 0-of-6 shooting. UAA connected at a .412 (7-17) clip from long range and .818 (18-22) at the free-throw line.

UAA returns home to the Wells Fargo Sports Complex this week when it hosts Saint Martin's (Thur., Jan. 21) and Western Oregon (Sat., Jan. 23). Tip-off both nights is set for 7:30 p.m. AST.
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Players Mentioned

Kevin White

#1 Kevin White

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Casey Robinson

#44 Casey Robinson

F
6' 6"
Junior
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Bryce Arnott

#3 Bryce Arnott

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

F/C
6' 10"
Freshman
Donnie Lao

#30 Donnie Lao

G
6' 3"
Junior
Nick Pacitti

#34 Nick Pacitti

F
6' 6"
Junior
Aaron Stevens

#42 Aaron Stevens

F
6' 8"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Kevin White

#1 Kevin White

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Casey Robinson

#44 Casey Robinson

6' 6"
Junior
F
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Bryce Arnott

#3 Bryce Arnott

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

6' 10"
Freshman
F/C
Donnie Lao

#30 Donnie Lao

6' 3"
Junior
G
Nick Pacitti

#34 Nick Pacitti

6' 6"
Junior
F
Aaron Stevens

#42 Aaron Stevens

6' 8"
Sophomore
F