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Seawolf comeback sinks Saints, 73-66

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolf comeback sinks Saints, 73-66

ANCHORAGE – Brandon Walker had 20 points and seven rebounds to highlight a big night for Alaska Anchorage's three seniors as the Seawolves earned a 73-66 comeback victory over Saint Martin's on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

UAA (15-4, 7-1 GNAC) also got a career-high 14 points from junior guard Mario Gill to overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and stay within one-half game of Central Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball race.

SMU (11-8, 4-5) was led by 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals from senior center Blake Poole – the nation's leading rebounder – and a career-high 16 points from reserve guard Eric Taylor, but the Saints could not hold on to a 50-40 lead with 13 minutes remaining.

The Seawolves started their comeback when senior Casey Robinson hit a long baseline jumper and then fed Lonnie Ridgeway for a fastbreak layup a few seconds later. UAA took its first lead since the 5-minute mark of the first half when junior center Taylor Rohde banked in a short jumper to make it 56-55 with 8:34 left, and Walker followed with a step-back three-pointer to cap a 19-5 run.

The visitors from Lacey, Wash., retook the lead at 62-60 on Roger O'Neill's trey at the 3:47 mark, but UAA responded with the next seven points. Gill, who made all six of his field-goal attempts, scored on a nice feed from Walker to tie it, and senior Drew Robinson delivered a traditional three-point play with 2:59 left to give the Seawolves the lead for good.

Rohde, who battled foul trouble all night, came through on UAA's next two offensive possessions, hitting two free throws and a put-back layup while drawing the fourth and fifth fouls on Poole. Rohde finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting to run his double-digit scoring streak to 17 games.

Drew Robinson had 14 points (3-6 FG, 8-9 FT) as the senior point guard posted his second-best scoring total of the season, and Casey Robinson finished with eight points and career-highs of 11 rebounds and seven assists.

O'Neill was the third Saints player in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, plus four assists.

UAA shot an efficient 24 of 43 (55.8 percent) from the field – including 19 of 28 (67.9 percent) from inside the arc – boosted by Walker's 7-for-8 effort. Meanwhile, SMU could not continue its hot shooting as the Saints hit at a 51.6 percent clip in the first half but cooled to 29.6 percent (8 of 27) after the break.

The Seawolves also won the rebounding battle, 32-24, to help them stay perfect in seven games at the WFSC this season.

UAA concludes its four-game homestand next week against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Jan. 27, followed by the showdown with 16th-ranked Central Washington on Saturday, Jan. 29. UAA beat the Wildcats 98-93 in double-overtime in the teams' first meeting this season, Dec. 30 in Ellensburg.


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Players Mentioned

Casey Robinson

Casey Robinson

THR
Junior
Lonnie Ridgeway

#RS Lonnie Ridgeway

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Casey Robinson

#44 Casey Robinson

F
6' 6"
Junior
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Drew Robinson

#11 Drew Robinson

G
6' 1"
Junior
Mario Gill

#2 Mario Gill

G
6' 2"
Junior
Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

F/C
6' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Casey Robinson

Casey Robinson

Junior
THR
Lonnie Ridgeway

#RS Lonnie Ridgeway

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Casey Robinson

#44 Casey Robinson

6' 6"
Junior
F
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Drew Robinson

#11 Drew Robinson

6' 1"
Junior
G
Mario Gill

#2 Mario Gill

6' 2"
Junior
G
Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

6' 9"
Junior
F/C