Scoreboard

UAA upsets #5 Minnesota State in Anaheim

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

UAA upsets #5 Minnesota State in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Junior wing Teancum Stafford scored a career-high 29 points and Travis Thompson added 18 points and seven rebounds to propel Alaska Anchorage to an 83-72 upset of No. 5 Minnesota State in men's basketball action at the CCA Div. II Tip-Off Classic early Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Sophomore point guard Brian McGill added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Seawolves (2-0) earned their second win in a 15-hour span.

The Mavericks (1-1) were led by 16 points and six rebounds from guard Gage Wooten as UAA outshot the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason favorites 43 percent (12-28) to 31 percent (5-16) from three-point range. The Seawolves also locked down defensively on NSIC preseason player-of-the-year Assem Marei, holding the 6-9 forward to 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, along with team-highs of seven rebounds and six turnovers.

“We really battled. I don't think our kids got to bed until one in the morning after getting a postgame meal and going over the scouting report,” said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose team completed a 74-57 win over Lindenwood at 8 p.m. local time Friday. “They really showed a lot of heart today.”

Saturday's 9 a.m. tip-off was a tight contest through the first 16 minutes, featuring nine ties and nine lead changes – the final occurring when UAA went up 32-31 on Stafford's three-pointer with 4:22 on the clock. The 6-5 swingman  from Auburn, Wash., lined up another trey 32 seconds later, and followed with two consecutive mid-range jumpers to push it to a 41-35 edge. McGill connected on a jumper at the buzzer to make it 44-35 at halftime.

The Mavericks cut their deficit to 49-45 with 17:20 left in the game, but the Seawolves responded with a 18-8 surge over the next six minutes, culminating with a three-pointer by Thompson at the 11:40 mark.

Minnesota State's last charge ended with 4 minutes left when Thompson scored inside and drew a foul from Wooten, completing a three-point play to make it 78-69.

UAA also got several big late shots from senior guard Kyle Fossman, who rebounded from a scoreless, two-foul first half to tally all 11 of his points after the break.

Meanwhile, Stafford made 10 of his first 11 shots and finished 5 of 7 from three-point range, while pulling down six rebounds. He surpassed his old career-high of 23 points with 12 minutes left in the game and completed a rare four-point play to cap his big morning.

“Teancum was able to stay out of foul trouble and that was huge,” Osborne said. “He really carried us in the first half, and Travis and Foss made some shots. Then it was a combination of Colton Lauwers and Jackson McTier and Brad Mears just battling on defense against a very good post player.”

Thompson snagged four steals and tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Christian Leckband had seven points and five rebounds.  

The victory was UAA's first over a top 5-ranked team since beating No. 5 Seattle Pacific 89-75 on Feb. 12, 2006 in Anchorage.

UAA's final game at the Classic is a key West Region encounter with Cal State Dominguez Hills in the event's finale at 6:30 p.m. AST Sunday.


Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Christian Leckband

#1 Christian Leckband

F
6' 5"
Freshman
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

G
6' 2"
Sophomore
Teancum Stafford

#30 Teancum Stafford

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Jackson McTier

#45 Jackson McTier

F
6' 7"
Freshman
Brad Mears

#44 Brad Mears

F/C
6' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Colton Lauwers

#23 Colton Lauwers

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Christian Leckband

#1 Christian Leckband

6' 5"
Freshman
F
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

6' 2"
Sophomore
G
Teancum Stafford

#30 Teancum Stafford

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Jackson McTier

#45 Jackson McTier

6' 7"
Freshman
F
Brad Mears

#44 Brad Mears

6' 9"
Junior
F/C