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'Wolves, Rohde garner preseason attention

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Rohde's 31 power men to win in Billings

BILLINGS, Mont. – Junior Taylor Rohde scored a career-high 31 points and senior Brandon Walker added 14 points Saturday to lift the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to a workmanlike 81-64 victory over Montana State Billings at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (17-6, 9-3 GNAC), ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Div. II West Region poll, shot 51 percent from the field and 86 percent at the free-throw stripe to snap a two-game losing streak and sweep the season series from MSUB.

The Yellowjackets (5-15, 3-10) were led by 19 points from guard Jaxon Myaer but could not overcome Rohde and a dominating 37-19 rebounding advantage by the Seawolves.

Rohde, a 6-9 center from Phoenix, shot 12 of 16 from the field and 7 of 8 at the charity stripe to post the most points for a Seawolf since Casey Robinson had 30 in a victory at Western Oregon on Feb. 18, 2010. The Arizona State transfer also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

Both Rohde and junior guard Mario Gill, who had four offensive boards, grabbed more than MSUB did as a team, with the Yellowjackets recovering only two of their 28 misses. UAA held advantages of 34-12 in points in the paint and 13-5 in second-chance points.

Gill tallied 12 points (3-6 FG, 5-5 FT) and seven rebounds, while Robinson had eight points and a game-high six assists. Junior point guard Steve White added six points, four assists and just one turnover in 16 minutes off the bench, and starting point guard Drew Robinson had four assists without a turnover.

The Seawolves shot just 5 of 21 (.238) from long range but converted on 21 of 30 (.700) from inside the arc. UAA was 24 of 28 at the free-throw line.

UAA never trailed in the 60th meeting against their longtime rivals, although MSUB kept things close until midway through the second half. Raason Young sliced the Yellowjackets' deficit to 54-50 on a three-pointer with 12:17 left, but Walker answered with a short jumper to start a clinching 12-1 run for the Seawolves.

Walker, a senior from Hayward, Calif., moved into 15th place on UAA's all-time scoring list with 1,039 points.

The victory kept the Seawolves tied in the loss column with Seattle Pacific (16-5, 10-3) in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings as they head back to Anchorage for a pair of games next week. UAA will face Western Washington on Thur., Feb. 10 and Simon Fraser on Sat., Feb. 12 in 7:30 p.m. tip-offs.

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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
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

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
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