Racers hold off 'Wolves in 1st round

ANCHORAGE – Guard Isaiah Canaan scored 19 points and made four steals Wednesday to help Murray State overcome a strong challenge from host Alaska Anchorage and record a 64-62 victory in the first round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.

The Racers (5-0) also got 13 points apiece from starting forwards Ivan Aska and Donte Poole as they remained undefeated and won their Shootout debut.

The Seawolves (0-1), ranked No. 17 in NCAA Div. II, were led by 19 points and six rebounds from senior center Taylor Rohde, who shot 7 of 8 from the field. Senior point guard Steve White also had a solid season-opener with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-9 marksmanship, plus five assists and just one turnover.

Murray State started the game with a 7-0 run before White's jumper got UAA on the board at the 15:04 mark. White tied it 17-all with a three-pointer at the 5-minute mark, then gave the Seawolves a 24-23 lead at halftime with a layup with 9 seconds on the clock.

The visitors from Kentucky came out of the locker room strong, scoring the first five points and never falling behind again. A three-pointer by Travis Thompson brought UAA within 43-42 midway through the second half, however the Seawolves could get no closer. UAA trailed 62-51 with 1:43 left before closing with a furious run. Another White layup brought UAA within 62-59 with 8 seconds to play, but Aska's two free throws with 5.1 seconds on the clock made Abebe Demissie's three-pointer at the buzzer a non-factor.

Thompson and Demissie scored eight points apiece, while Thompson also dished a career-high four assists.

UAA falls into the consolation bracket with the loss and will play the loser of the late game between Dartmouth and San Francisco at noon AST on Friday. Meanwhile, the Racers move into the semifinals to meet the Dartmouth-USF winner at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Steve White: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#34 Taylor Rohde: F/C; 6' 9"; Junior

#11 Travis Thompson: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#24 Abebe Demissie: F; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#14 Steve White
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#34 Taylor Rohde
: 6' 9"; Junior
: F/C

#11 Travis Thompson
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#24 Abebe Demissie
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F