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Men fall just shy of D-I upset at Troy

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Men fall just shy of D-I upset at Troy

TROY, Ala. – Alaska Anchorage veterans Kyle Fossman and Abebe Demissie combined for 27 points Monday but it wasn't quite enough to pull the upset as Troy earned a 61-57 exhibition victory over the Seawolves.

The Division I Trojans, playing their first game in the brand-new Troy Arena, were led by a game-high 19 points and four assists from guard Hunter Williams, plus 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals from forward Emil Jones.

The Seawolves – coming off consecutive NCAA Div. II Tournament appearances – forged a 34-23 lead late in the first half when senior center Liam Gibcus scored back-to-back layups, converting a traditional three-point play at the 2:21 mark.

UAA would not score again in the half though, as the Trojans cut it to 34-29 at the break. The hosts from the Sun Belt Conference continued their run with the first 10 points of the second half before junior transfer Mike MacKelvie connected on a three-pointer to make it 39-37 with 16:08 left.

The Seawolves stayed within striking distance until freshman John Erickson put Seawolves up 55-54 with a trey at the 5:56 mark. Freshman point guard Jalen Little made it 57-54 on a layup moments later, but UAA would go cold from there, missing its final six shots.

Troy's Jeff Mullahey gave his team the lead, 59-57, on a layup with 4:15 remaining, and Williams scored the final points at the 2:42 mark.

Gibcus, a 6-10 senior center, finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting and four rebounds, while sophomore transfer Teancum Stafford had five points and five boards. Six different Seawolves accounted for three points apiece as UAA shot 41 percent from three-point range (11 of 27) and overall (21 of 51).

Fossman, a 6-1 guard from Haines, was nearly perfect, shooting 6 of 8 from the floor and 2 of 2 at the charity stripe, along with four rebounds and three assists. The junior from Haines was the only Seawolf to play more than 21 minutes, logging 34.

Demissie, a 6-6 senior forward from Seattle, got hot from three-point land where he made 4 of 5.

The Seawolves open the regular season this weekend when they host the 18th annual AT&T Jamboree at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. UAA takes on Colorado Christian on Friday and Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday. Tip-off both nights is scheduled for 5 p.m.

NOTES: Fossman – who averaged 10.8 points per game as a sophomore – will be UAA's top returning scorer after head coach Rusty Osborne announced earlier Monday that junior guard Travis Thompson will redshirt … Troy has been picked to finish among the top half of the Sun Belt Conference this year, including a 4th-place prediction by Athlon magazine.

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Players Mentioned

Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

F/C
6' 10"
Freshman
Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Abebe Demissie

#24 Abebe Demissie

F
6' 6"
Junior
John Erickson

#14 John Erickson

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Jalen Little

#20 Jalen Little

G
5' 10"
Freshman
Mike MacKelvie

#3 Mike MacKelvie

G
6' 4"
Junior
Teancum Stafford

#30 Teancum Stafford

G
6' 5"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

6' 10"
Freshman
F/C
Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Abebe Demissie

#24 Abebe Demissie

6' 6"
Junior
F
John Erickson

#14 John Erickson

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Jalen Little

#20 Jalen Little

5' 10"
Freshman
G
Mike MacKelvie

#3 Mike MacKelvie

6' 4"
Junior
G
Teancum Stafford

#30 Teancum Stafford

6' 5"
Sophomore
G