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Seawolves knock off Anteaters for 7th

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves knock off Anteaters for 7th

ANCHORAGE – Senior center Taylor Rohde tallied tournament-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds Saturday to lead host Alaska Anchorage to a 77-63 victory over UC Irvine in the 7th-place game of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.

The Seawolves (1-2) also got 13 points apiece from reserves Travis Thompson and Abebe Demissie as they earned the program's 53rd win all-time against Division I opponents. Ranked No. 17 in the NCAA Div. II poll, UAA outscored the visitors 35-19 in the second half to pull away late.

The Anteaters (0-6) were led by 21 points and seven rebounds from swingman Daman Starring. UCI led 7-0 early and 44-42 at halftime, but the youngest team in D-I basketball – with eight freshmen and no seniors – was held to 29 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes by a veteran Seawolf club.

Rohde, a 6-9 preseason All-American, was at his best early, scoring 17 points in the first half and drawing fouls seemingly at will. The Phoenix native went 16 for 18 from the free-throw line – all in the first 25 minutes – to come one short of Jeff Martin's 1983 school record for charities made in a game.

Trailing 52-48 early in the second half, Rohde hit a free throw and sophomore guard Colton Lauwers nailed a three-pointer to start a 9-0 Seawolf run. UCI cut its deficit to 60-59 at the 10-minute mark but would get no closer as UAA answered with a Rohde layup and two free throws by Demissie.

Thompson, sophomore guard, nailed a three-pointer from the corner to make it 69-61 with 5:56 left, and UAA held the Anteaters scoreless in the final five minutes to win the first-ever meeting between the programs. Thompson added team-highs of four assists and four steals – both career highs.

Demissie, a 6-6 forward from North Idaho College, shot 4 of 6 (3 of 5 three-pointers), along with nine rebounds and three assists.

The Seawolves begin their Div. II schedule next week when they host Minot State on Thursday, Dec. 1 (7 p.m. AST) at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

NOTES: UCI became the 44th different D-I program to suffer a loss to the Seawolves … UAA has now won at least one Shootout game for four straight years and 28 of 34 tournaments.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

F/C
6' 9"
Junior
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Abebe Demissie

#24 Abebe Demissie

F
6' 6"
Junior
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

G
6' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

6' 9"
Junior
F/C
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Abebe Demissie

#24 Abebe Demissie

6' 6"
Junior
F
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

6' 3"
Sophomore
G