ANCHORAGE - Freshman Travis Thompson came off the bench to score a game-high 13 points Saturday, lifting host Alaska Anchorage to a 62-44 upset of Ball State in the 4th-place game of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.
The Seawolves (3-3) also got 12 points, four rebounds and three assists from senior wing Brandon Walker as they equaled their best finish in 33 years of Shootout play. UAA also won two games and finished fourth in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 2003.
Ball State (3-3) was led by 11 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks from center Jarrod Jones, but the Cardinals were held to 29 percent shooting and made just 2-of-13 three-pointers.
UAA's defensive effort was its best-ever against a Division I opponent, topping a 69-52 victory over Montana in the 2002 Shootout. The margin of victory was the Seawolves' sixth-best in 52 all-time wins against D-I clubs.
Despite falling down 7-0 and not scoring until 13:05 remained in the first half, UAA rallied to dominate the remainder of the contest. Senior forward Casey Robinson drilled a pair of three-pointers in the first half to spark the tournament hosts to a 28-21 halftime advantage, and the Seawolves maintained a double-digit advantage throughout most of the second half.
Ball State crept within 41-35 on a three-pointer by point guard Randy Davis at the 7:22 mark, but Thompson hit a corner trey that started an 8-2 UAA run, eventually sealing the win.
Thompson - the 2009-10 Alaska 4A Player of the Year from Dimond High School - shot 4 of 7 from the field, including 3-of-5 three-pointers. The 6-1 guard also grabbed two rebounds and committed no turnovers in 18 minutes as he filled in for starter Mario Gill, who left in the first half with an injury.
Casey Robinson finished with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-4 3FGs), four rebounds, one assist and no turnovers in his final Shootout appearance, and fellow Utah native Drew Robinson led UAA with four assists and a pair of steals. Starting center Taylor Rohde had seven rebonds, three assists and two blocks, while his backup - junior Matt Peterson - had his best game thus far as a Seawolf, contributing seven points (2-3 FG) and making several big plays in the second half.
Ball State, from Muncie, Ind., finished sixth in its first Shootout appearance.
The victory improved UAA's all-time Shootout record to 32-67. It was the Seawolves' second win over a Mid-American Conference school, joining an 87-77 decision against Western Michigan from Dec. 29, 1978.
The Seawolves return to action on Friday, Dec. 3 when they play an important NCAA Div. II West Region game against Hawaii Pacific in Fairbanks.
