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Men travel for showdown with Falcons

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Men travel for showdown with Falcons

THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF BASKETBALL...

Thur., Feb. 3 — 6 pm AST — Royal Brougham Pavilion (2,650) — Seattle, WA
Alaska Anchorage (16-5, 8-2 GNAC) at Seattle Pacific (14-5, 8-3 GNAC)
&
Sat., Feb. 5 — 5:30 pm AST — Alterowitz Gymnasium (3,500) — Billings, MT
Alaska Anchorage at Montana State Billings (5-13, 3-8 GNAC [2/3 vs UAF])

RADIO: Live on FM-93.7 KAFC with veteran play-by-play man Kelly Thompson on the mike.

TV: None.

ONLINE AUDIO: Online audio for all UAA men's games is available at GoSeawolves.com in the 'SplashZone' (subscription fee applies).

ONLINE VIDEO & LIVE STATS: Available for both games. Click on the Calendar tab on the GoSeawolves.com homepage for links.

UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2010-11 stats)
PG—Drew Robinson, 6-2, 190, Sr. (6.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, .437 FG, .742 FT)
G—Mario Gill, 6-2, 180, Jr. (7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, .483 FG, .455 3FG, .773 FT)
G—Brandon Walker, 6-3, 200, Sr. (12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, .449 FG, .392 3FG, .776 FT)
F—Casey Robinson, 6-6, 230, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, .338 3FG, .719 FT)
C—Taylor Rohde, 6-9, 255, Jr. (16.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, .596 FG, .724 FT)

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Seattle Pacific ran its winning streak to six games with its 77-68 victory at Saint Martin's on Monday, setting up Thursday's matchup with UAA as a battle for second place in the GNAC standings … the Falcons are led by 6-4 Sr. G/F Jeff Downs (16.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, .487 FG, .442 FG, .859 FT), 6-6 Sr. F Ryan Sweet (13.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, .597 FG, .773 FT) and 6-11 So. C Andy Poling (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg, .545 FG) … Montana State Billings snapped a 4-game losing streak with its 63-62 victory at Saint Martin's on Saturday … the Yellowjackets, who have unusually struggled at home (2-6) this season, are led by 6-2 Sr. G DeAndre Chambers (12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, .408 FG, .291 3FG) and 6-7 Jr. F Robert Mayes (11.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, .519 FG, .720 FT).

ALL-TIME SERIES
   vs SPU: UAA leads 33-25 (SPU leads 19-8 in Seattle)
   Last Meeting: UAA 78-61 (1/8/11 at UAA)
   Streak: UAA 2 / Notes: The home team has won the last nine games … the last six of the last seven games have been decided by 11 points or fewer … SPU leads 13-7 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02), with four of those games going to overtime … SPU is UAA's 3rd-most common opponent (UAF, MSUB) with 58 meetings … series started in UAA's first year of Div. II competition in 1977-78.

   vs MSUB: UAA leads 33-26 (MSUB leads 21-8 in Billings)
   Last Meeting: UAA 73-52 (1/5/11 at UAA)
   Streak: UAA 1 / Notes: MSUB is UAA's 2nd-most common opponent behind UAF … teams have split the last two season series … UAA leads 5-2 since MSUB joined the GNAC in 2007-08 … UAA has lost the last two meetings in Billings, including 65-60 last year … first meeting was in 1977-78..

TEAM COMPARISONS    UAA   SPU   MSUB*
Overall Record      16-5  14-5  5-13
Conference Record   8-2   8-3   3-8
UAA Road/Opp. Home  3-1   8-3   2-6
Points per Game     72.8  77.3  68.1
Points Allowed/Gm   63.1  68.1  73.3
Rebounding Diff.    +3.9  +7.4  -1.7
Assists per Game    16.3  17.4  16.0
Turnovers per Game  13.0  12.2  14.6
Steals per Game     5.6   5.6   5.7
Blocks per Game     1.9   3.5   2.3
FG%                 .472  .495  .479
3-pt FG%            .388  .396  .355
FT%                 .712  .734  .661
One game pending (2/3 vs UAF)

SEAWOLVES SPLIT TOUGH HOME CONTESTS: The Seawolves ran their Wells Fargo Sports Complex winning streak to nine games with a 73-63 win over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 27 before having that string snapped two days later with a 52-50 defeat against 14th-ranked Central Washington … in the first game, Jr. C Taylor Rohde and Sr. F Casey Robinson scored 14 points apiece to hold off a strong challenge from NNU … the Seawolves also got 13 points and 7 rebounds from Sr. G Brandon Walker, who moved past 1,000 points in his 3-year career … UAA used 61 percent shooting (17 of 28) in the second half to win for the 15th time in 16 games … the Seawolves also earned their first season sweep of the Crusaders since 2007-08 … the game stayed within single digits for the first 39 minutes before the Seawolves pulled away late from the charity stripe … Jr. G Mario Gill scored all 8 of his points after halftime, Sr. PG Drew Robinson delivered 7 points and 5 assists, and Fr. G Travis Thompson finished with 10 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG, 2-2 FT) … two days later, Chris Sprinker scored 11 points, including the game-deciding free throws with 70 seconds remaining, to lift CWU to a narrow victory in a battle for first place in the GNAC … the host Seawolves got 15 points and 10 boards from Rohde, but Walker's straightaway three rimmed in and out at the buzzer as UAA suffered its first loss at the WFSC this season despite a raucous, sellout crowd … it was another epic battle between the league leaders, with neither team leading by more than five points all night … the game featured nine ties and 20 lead changes … the Seawolves were a perfect 12 of 12 from the free-throw line, however CWU held UAA to its 2nd-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.

TEAM NOTES: The Seawolves clinched their sixth straight winning season with their victory over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 27 … UAA has led the GNAC in scoring defense for five straight seasons and is on pace to make it six with a league-best 63.1 ppg allowed … UAA's .419 opponent FG% and .325 opponent 3FG% also lead the league, while the Seawolves are No. 2 in 3FGs per game (8.2), assists (16.3 apg), defensive rebound pct. (.724) and scoring margin (+9.7) … in the NCAA stats, UAA is in the top 40 in seven categories, including 19th in assist-turnover ratio (1.26), 22nd in scoring defense, 26th in 3FG% (.388) and 28th in 3FGs per game … UAA's 12-game winning streak from Nov. 26-Jan. 13 finished as the 3rd-longest in program history — trailing only the 18-game streak in 2007-08 and a 14-game streak in 1982 — and the 6th-longest in GNAC men's basketball history … the Seawolves led at halftime in 14 of their first 15 games but have trailed in four of the last six … rebounds have been the story in all but three of UAA's games as the Seawolves are 15-2 when winning the battle of the boards and 1-3 when on the wrong side of that stat … UAA finished the non-conference season 3-2 against fellow NCAA Division II opponents, including 2-1 against West Region foes (wins over HPU and UC San Diego; loss to Dixie State) … the Seawolves' 44-point defensive effort against Ball State was its best-ever against a Division I opponent, bettering a 69-52 win over Montana in the 2002 Shootout.

'WOLF BITES: Jr. F/C Taylor Rohde has made an immediate impact in his first year after transferring from Arizona State, leading the Seawolves in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) … Rohde had 15 and 14 points last week to run his double-digit scoring streak to 15 games … before an 'off' shooting performance in last week's contests, Rohde had shot 50 percent or better from the field in 13 straight games, dating all the way back to the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout in November … Rohde ranks 5th in the GNAC and 29th nationally in FG% at .596 (currently No. 9 on UAA's single-season list) … in the other GNAC stats, Rohde is 7th in rebounding and 8th in scoring … against No. 11 Central Washington on Dec. 30, Rhode became the first Seawolf since Nov. 2004 to post at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game when he went for 28 and 16 in the 2OT win … Rohde earned all-tournament honors all of UAA's regular-season tourneys — the Disney Tip-Off Classic, the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout and the AT&T Jamboree … he has also earned two GNAC Player of the Week awards (Nov. 8-14, Dec. 27-Jan. 3) … with his performances last week, Sr. G Brandon Walker became just the 10th Seawolf men's player to total 1,000 points and 400 rebounds in his career … UAA's second-leading scorer (12.8 ppg) leads the team in steals (0.9 spg), blocks (0.6 bpg) and minutes (31.0 mpg) … the former D-I transfer (Loyola Marymount) has scored in double digits in 37 of the last 46 games … the Hayward, Calif., native stands 16th on UAA's career scoring list with 1,015 points and needs just 12 more to catch Ryan Williams (1,027, 1995-97) for 15th … on the other career lists, Walker ranks 18th in rebounds (404) and FGs made (360), 15th in 3FGs made (116), 16th in 3FG% (.387), 17th in FTs made (179), 10th in blocks (45) and 9th in games started (68) ... Walker scored 37 points the 2010 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout to finish No. 4 on the tournament's all-time points list with 151 … in nine Shootout appearances, Walker averaged 16.8 ppg (13th all-time) … Sr. F Casey Robinson is UAA's 3rd-leading scorer (9.7 ppg) and 2nd-leading rebounder (4.6 rpg), nailing a team-high 48 three-pointers thus far … the Manila, Utah native shot .500 (6-12) from three-point range in UAA's games last week, and on Feb. 20 he broke the Seawolf record for treys in a half with seven after halftime against Western Oregon … in the GNAC rankings, he is 2nd in assist-turnover ratio (2.2-1), 4th in 3FGs per game (2.3) and 14th in defensive rebounding (3.8 drpg) … Robinson has scored in double figures 10 times this year, with UAA going 9-1 in those games … Robinson has started all 51 games of his Seawolf career, and with 123 three-pointers he now stands 12th on UAA's career list … Sr. PG Drew Robinson has been one of the most efficient floor generals in the GNAC, ranking 3rd in the league with 4.2 assists per game … with 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, Robinson is 7th in the GNAC and 45th nationally … on UAA's career lists, Robinson ranks 10th in assists per game (3.5) and 20th in FT% (.772) ... the Lehi, Utah, native was named the GNAC Player of the Week for Nov. 29-Dec. 5 after orchestrating a Seawolf offense that shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in wins over Hawaii Pacific and British Columbia … Jr. G Mario Gill has pushed his game to another level since the GNAC season started, posting better numbers in scoring (9.3 ppg), rebounding (4.9 rpg) and FG% (.523) than during the non-league schedule … the Portland, Ore., native ranks tied for 2nd in the overall GNAC stats in 3FG% (.455), plus 19th in 3FGs per game (1.4) and 20th in defensive rebounding (3.4 drpg) … Gill's season 3FG% is currently No. 8 in program history … Jr. G Lonnie Ridgeway has made an splash since returning to the Seawolf lineup after the first semester, averaging 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and shooting .783 from the FT line in 12 games … Jr. PG Steve White ranks 6th in the GNAC and 45th nationally with a 2.1-1 assist-turnover ratio … in the other overall GNAC stats, White is 8th in assists (3.7 apg), while his .544 FG% is No. 2 on the team among players with 20 or more attempts … Fr. G Travis Thompson already has five double-digit scoring efforts in his young career, including a 20-point outburst Dec. 4 against British Columbia … the 2010 Alaska 4A Player of the Year (Dimond HS) currently ranks 6th in the GNAC in 3FG% (.429) and is on pace to threaten UAA's freshman record in that category … in November, Thompson became the first Seawolf freshman since 2006 (Trenton Millar) to score double digits in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout when he tallied 13 points in the win over Ball State.

INJURY REPORT: Jr. G Lonnie Ridgeway suffered a concussion in UAA's win over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 27 and sat out the Central Washington game … Ridgeway is probable for the games this week against SPU and Billings.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Seawolves premiered at No. 4 in the initial NCAA Division II West Region rankings (Jan. 26) … those rankings – compiled by the NCAA for all eight Division II regions – are the lone determining factor for NCAA Tournament qualification, including the opportunity to host the regional tournament … they will be released every Wednesday through Mar. 2, leading to the announcement of the playoff field on Mar. 6 … the rankings consider only games against Div. II competition and put an added emphasis on games against in-region opponents.

NCAA Div. II West Region Men's Basketball Rankings
Jan. 26, 2011
Rk  Team                  vs DII vs West Conf. Lst Wk
 1. CS Dominguez Hills    14-1   12-1    CCAA  1-1
 2. Central Washington    13-2   13-1    GNAC  2-0
 3. Humboldt State        11-2   11-2    CCAA  2-0
 4. Alaska Anchorage      10-3   9-2     GNAC  1-1
 5. Chaminade             9-3    9-2     PWC   0-2
 6. Seattle Pacific       11-5   11-5    GNAC  2-0
 7. CS San Bernardino     9-5    9-5     CCAA  0-2
 8. Brigham Young-Hawaii  9-2    7-2     PWC   1-1
 9. San Francisco State   10-4   10-4    CCAA  2-0
10. Dixie State           8-4    8-3     PWC   1-1
(D-II & West Region records as of Jan. 25)
(Next poll: Feb. 2)

SEAWOLVES 4TH IN GNAC POLL: UAA was picked to finish fourth in the 2010-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference's men's basketball preseason coaches' poll, released Oct. 13 … the Seawolves were tabbed to finish behind defending champion Seattle Pacific, Central Washington and MSU Billings in balloting by the league's 10 head coaches. SPU garnered eight first place votes while one apiece went to CWU and UAA.

2010-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rk  Team                     09-10 Record (Pl.)  Pts
 1. Seattle Pacific (8)      22-6, 13-3 (1st)     98
 2. Central Washington (1)   16-11, 10-6 (3rd)    88
 3. Montana State Billings   15-10, 9-7 (4th)     72
 4. Alaska Anchorage (1)     17-10, 8-8 (5th)     71
 5. Western Washington       26-6, 12-4 (2nd)     64
 6. Northwest Nazarene       15-12, 7-9 (6th)     48
 7. Saint Martin's           14-13, 4-12 (8th-T)  39
 8. Western Oregon           12-15, 5-11 (7th)    31
 9. Alaska Fairbanks         9-16, 4-12 (8th-T)   29
10. Simon Fraser             18-12, 14-4 (2nd*)   10
(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 10-9-8-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *Simon Fraser finished second in Canada West Pacific Division).

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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
Steve White

#14 Steve White

G
6' 0"
Freshman
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
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman

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
Steve White

#14 Steve White

6' 0"
Freshman
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
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G