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#14 Wildcats hold off 'Wolves at buzzer

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#14 Wildcats hold off 'Wolves at buzzer

ANCHORAGE – Chris Sprinker scored 11 points, including the game-deciding free throws with 70 seconds remaining, to lift 14th-ranked Central Washington to a 52-50 victory over Alaska Anchorage in a battle for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball race Saturday.

The host Seawolves (16-5, 8-2 GNAC) got 15 points and 10 rebounds from junior center Taylor Rohde, but Brandon Walker's straightaway three-pointer rimmed in and out at the buzzer as UAA suffered its first loss at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex this season despite a raucous, sellout crowd.

The Wildcats (17-2, 10-1) also got 11 points and five rebounds from guard Drew Harris to avenge a 98-93 double-overtime loss to UAA from Dec. 30 in Ellensburg. CWU also tied a record – held by the 2007-08 Seawolves and three other teams – for most consecutive GNAC road victories with their seventh straight.

Saturday's contest was another epic battle between the league leaders, with neither team leading by more than five points all night. The game between the teams ranked No. 2 (CWU) and No. 4 (UAA) in the NCAA Div. II West Region featured nine ties and 20 lead changes.

CWU took a 49-44 advantage with 5:23 to play on a pair of free throws by reserve forward Jody Johnson, but the Seawolves would answer with the next six points, getting three-pointers from Casey Robinson and Mario Gill. Gill finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Robinson tallied all nine of his points on treys.

After Gill's three-pointer at the 3:23 mark, the teams would come up empty on their next eight possessions combined. With 1:13 to play, Gill missed a short tip-in off a Rohde miss, then was whistled for a foul as Sprinker grabbed the rebound.

After Sprinker made it 51-50 with his free throws, Rohde missed a layup, but UAA got the ball back with 22 seconds when Chris Scott misfired on a trey at the other end. UAA point guard Drew Robinson drove the lane but missed from close range and CWU's Roby Clyde snagged the board. Gill quickly committed a foul to send Clyde to the line, and the Wildcats' starting power forward made the first charity.

Clyde's second attempt bounced off the rim and into the hands of Rohde, who fed the ball up the court. Walker, who scored eight points on the night, had an open look from 21 feet on the final attempt but the ball rolled tantalizingly around the rim for a full rotation before coming out, and CWU's Cody Gibler secured the rebound just before the buzzer sounded.

The Seawolves were a perfect 12 of 12 from the free-throw line, however CWU held UAA to its second-worst field-goal percentage of the season at .340 (17 of 50). The Wildcats managed to shoot just .345 (19 of 55) from the field themselves, but the visitors made seven three-pointers to UAA's four.

The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for UAA at the WFSC dating back to last March.

UAA, which finished a four-game homestand Saturday, returns to the road next week to face regionally 6th-ranked Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 3, and Montana State Billings on Saturday, Feb. 5. Both games can be heard live in Anchorage on FM-93.7 KAFC.

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Players Mentioned

Casey Robinson

Casey Robinson

THR
Junior
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
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