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Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Rohde's big night stings 'Jackets

ANCHORAGE – Senior center Taylor Rohde delivered a dominating 30-point, 11-rebound performance Saturday to lift the 21st-ranked Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to an 85-70 victory over Montana State Billings at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The Seawolves (17-4, 11-2 GNAC) also got 10 points apiece from starting guards Colton Lauwers and Travis Thompson as they won their sixth straight game and swept the season series from their longtime rivals.

The Yellowjackets (13-8, 8-5) got 18 points from Antoine Proctor, plus 12 points and nine assists from fellow senior guard Jaxon Myaer as their four-game winning streak came to an end.

Saturday's victory sets up a showdown atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings when the Seawolves travel next week to face No. 16 Western Washington, which holds a half-game lead over UAA.

“I thought we were very focused in the first half, and I liked the way we answered every time they made a run,” said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne. “Taylor was fantastic again tonight, and we got a lot of unsung contributions off the bench with players like Phillip Hearn (4 points, 2 steals), Liam Gibcus (4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block) and Marcus Jackson (4 points, 2-3 FG, 0 turnovers).”

The Seawolves, who beat the Yellowjackets 80-72 last month in Billings, controlled the rematch from the early moments. UAA used a 10-2 run to go ahead 17-10, and the lead stretched permanently to double digits when point guard Steve White drove for a layup to make it 28-17 with 8:52 on the clock.

UAA led 45-22 with 3:12 left after White made a steal and converted a fast-break layup, however MSUB sliced it to 47-31 at the break.

The Seawolves regained their largest lead at 63-40 on Lonnie Ridgeway's short jumper early in the second half and never let the Yellowjackets closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Rohde made 11 of 13 shots from the floor to help UAA to a .525 overall percentage – the Seawolves' fourth straight game over 50 percent. The former Arizona State transfer has now posted two of his four career 30-point efforts against MSUB, along with his 31 in last season's win in Billings.

Lauwers, meanwhile, nailed 2 of 4 three-pointers as the former Dimond High star and Adams State transfer scored in double digits for the second straight game. Thompson added five assists and had just one turnover, and Ridgeway contributed nine points off the bench.

White dished a team-high seven assists and scored eight points in the victory.

The Seawolves and Vikings (20-3, 11-1) tip off at 6 p.m. AST on Thursday, followed by a trip to British Columbia to face Simon Fraser (7-13, 2-10) on Saturday, Feb. 11.

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Players Mentioned

Lonnie Ridgeway

#RS Lonnie Ridgeway

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Phillip Hearn

#22 Phillip Hearn

G/F
6' 6"
Freshman
Steve White

#14 Steve White

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

F/C
6' 10"
Freshman
Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

F/C
6' 9"
Junior
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Marcus Jackson

#22 Marcus Jackson

G
6' 2"
Junior
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

G
6' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Lonnie Ridgeway

#RS Lonnie Ridgeway

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Phillip Hearn

#22 Phillip Hearn

6' 6"
Freshman
G/F
Steve White

#14 Steve White

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Liam Gibcus

#32 Liam Gibcus

6' 10"
Freshman
F/C
Taylor Rohde

#34 Taylor Rohde

6' 9"
Junior
F/C
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Marcus Jackson

#22 Marcus Jackson

6' 2"
Junior
G
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

6' 3"
Sophomore
G