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Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Men's season ends in NCAA 2nd Round

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Junior guard Mario Gill scored a career-high 24 points but it was not enough Saturday as the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 100-91 defeat to BYU-Hawaii in the second round of the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships at Nicholson Pavilion.

The 6th-seeded Seawolves (24-10) also got 22 points from senior guard Brandon Walker in his final game but could not overcome an 18-point halftime deficit against the sharp-shooting Seasiders, who advanced to the regional title game for the fourth straight year.

BYU-Hawaii, seeded No. 7 in the regional, got a game-high 26 points from point guard Tsung-Hsien Chang, 22 points from forward Rory Patterson, and a 12-point, 11-rebound showing from forward Marques Whippy as the Pacific West Conference squad had five players score double figures.

After defeating nationally 6th -ranked Humboldt State 76-70 in Friday's first round, the Seawolves could not find their rhythm in the early going and never led against the Seasiders.

UAA drew within 22-19 on a three-pointer from senior Casey Robinson midway through the first half, but BYU-Hawaii held the Seawolves scoreless for the next five minutes to take control. The Seasiders knocked down 7 of 14 three-pointers in the opening stanza to take a 44-26 lead into the locker room, and continued the barrage in the second half, stretching their largest advantage to 64-38 with 14:10 remaining.

The Seawolves used a pressing defense to try a comeback attempt but could not cut their deficit to single digits until Robinson nailed a three-pointer with 5 seconds left for the game's final basket.

Gill, a 6-2 guard from Portland, Ore., posted his second double-double of the year, grabbing 10 rebounds to go with his 7-of-14 shooting night. Walker, meanwhile, was 5 of 11 from three-point range, and Robinson tallied 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Junior center Taylor Rohde scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

“This was a terrific group of young men,” said 7 th -year head coach Rusty Osborne of his Seawolves. “They were a pleasure to coach and be around throughout the year. We are disappointed because we didn't come here to win just one game. We truly believe we were good enough to win the national championship, but tonight (BYU-Hawaii) was the better team and outplayed us. Regardless, this group has a lot to be proud of.”

The Seawolves' 24 victories tied the 1988 NCAA finalist squad for the second-most in the program's 34 years, and UAA finished runner-up in both the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season and postseason tournament. UAA also posted a pair of wins against Division I teams Houston Baptist and Ball State in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout and won two games against nationally ranked Division II squads (Humboldt State and Central Washington).

NOTES: Walker finished his career No. 8 on UAA's career list for points (1,242), No. 11 in rebounds (463), and No. 7 in three-pointers made (152) and games started (80) … Casey Robinson finished tied for No. 10 in three-pointers made (146) … point guard Drew Robinson was the third Seawolf senior to play his final game Saturday night as the Lehi, Utah, native had six points, three rebounds and three assists … Drew Robinson finished his career No. 14 in free-throw percentage (.803) and No. 10 in assists per game (3.7) … Dimond High product Travis Thompson went 1 for 3 on three-pointers Saturday but still finished with the UAA freshman record for three-point percentage at .440, breaking the mark of Trenton Millar (.436 in 2006-07).
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Players Mentioned

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
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

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
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G