Wildcats down Seawolves in Ellensburg

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Alaska Anchorage's Kyle Fossman scored a game-high 24 points Saturday, but the 25th-ranked Seawolves could not complete a huge rally against Central Washington, losing 81-72 at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Seawolves (8-4, 1-3 GNAC) also got nine points, five rebounds and three blocks from freshman post Collin Spickerman as they erased a 20-point second-half deficit, only to have the Wildcats (8-4, 2-2) record the final nine points.

Central Washington was led by 23 points from forward Mark McLaughlin, who shot 14 of 16 from the free-throw line, while center Derrick Davis accounted for 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds.

The Wildcats jumped to a 59-39 lead with 14:35 remaining before Fossman and Spickerman sparked a 17-0 burst over the next four minutes.

UAA drew within 72-70 when Spickerman scored on driving feed from Abebe Demissie with 1:23 remaining. Demissie then grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, dribbled down and was fouled on a three-point attempt with 54 seconds left. The senior forward from Seattle made 2 of 3 at the stripe to tie it, and the hosts called timeout.

McLaughlin, who was 3 of 13 from the floor at that point, came downcourt and sank a midrange jumper for the deciding score, then stole the ball with 16 seconds to go. The Wildcats made 7 of 8 free throws in the last 14.2 seconds to account for the final score.

Fossman shot 7 of 13 from the floor, 4 of 9 on threes and 6 of 6 at the charity stripe for UAA, while Spickerman made all three of his field-goal tries. Demissie and sophomore forward Christian Leckband added eight points apiece for the Seawolves.

UAA returns the Wells Fargo Sports Complex next week to host Great Northwest Athletic Conference games against Western Oregon (Thur., Jan. 10, 7 p.m.) and Saint Martin's (Sat., Jan. 12, 7 p.m.).

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Players Mentioned

#24 Kyle Fossman: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#24 Abebe Demissie: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#1 Christian Leckband: F; 6' 5"; Freshman

#25 Collin Spickerman: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#24 Kyle Fossman
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#24 Abebe Demissie
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#1 Christian Leckband
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: F

#25 Collin Spickerman
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F