ANCHORAGE - Alaska Anchorage's Taylor Rohde scored a game-high 26 points but visiting Western Washington made the keys plays late Saturday, earning a 73-68 victory over the Seawolves in a battle of Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball contenders.
The Seawolves (11-4, 5-2 GNAC) also got 11 points from sophomore guard Travis Thompson as they saw their 13-game Wells Fargo Sports Complex win streak come to an end.
The Vikings (15-3, 6-1) got 18 points from senior forward Rory Blanche - including the go-ahead three-point play with 1:38 remaining - as they moved into a first-place tie atop the GNAC standings.
Guard John Allen added 17 points and five assists for WWU, while guard Richard Woodworth had 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four blocks, helping the Vikings win for the third time in their last four trips to Anchorage.
The Seawolves, who erased a late double-digit deficit in Thursday's 86-81 win over Simon Fraser, almost did it again Saturday, coming back from a 53-42 hole with 10:52 left.
Thompson pulled UAA even at 59-59 with a three-pointer at the 5:18 mark and the hosts took their first lead since halftime when Rohde swished two free throws with 1:49 remaining, making it 66-65.
The Vikings would answer quickly, however, as Zack Henefin drove the baseline and fed Blanche, who drew the foul from Rohde and completed the layup. After UAA's Kyle Fossman missed a corner three-pointer, Allen sealed his team's win with a bank-in trey with 20 seconds left, making it 71-66.
The Vikings shot 65 percent (17 of 26) in the second half and nailed 47 percent (9 of 19) from three-point range for the game.
Thompson made 3 of 6 three-pointers for UAA, which shot 7 of 20 from distance, but the Seawolves could not take advantage on a night when they committed just nine turnovers.
Fossman finished with 10 points, four assists and no turnovers, while UAA also got strong games from junior guard Marcus Jackson (9 pts, 5 rebs) and Abebe Demissie (8 pts, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals) in the loss.
The Seawolves now hit the road for four straight games, beginning Thur., Jan. 19, when the travel to Monmouth, Ore., to face GNAC co-leader Western Oregon. That game tips at 6 p.m. AST and can be heard live on FM-93.7 KAFC in Anchorage.
