Scoreboard

Men fend off Nanooks for 16th straight time

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Men fend off Nanooks for 16th straight time

ANCHORAGE – Point guard Brian McGill had 29 points and 10 assists Saturday as the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team pulled away for a 96-76 victory over rival Alaska Fairbanks in the league opener for both teams at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

UAA (6-4, 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 20 points and a career-high eight rebounds from junior guard Travis Thompson, while junior wing Teancum Stafford tied his career-high with 12 rebounds.

UAF (4-4, 0-1) got 21 points from guard Ronnie Baker plus 12 points and 12 rebounds from forward Andrew Kelly, but the Nanooks suffered their 16th straight defeat in the series – extending the longest-ever streak in the rivalry.

The first seven minutes went back and forth, with UAF forging a 19-15 lead at the 13:06 mark. UAA responded with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes, however, sparked by a thunderous dunk from sophomore forward Christian Leckband, who finished with nine points.

The Seawolves took a 45-36 edge into halftime and continued their momentum into the second half, with senior guard Kyle Fossman accounting for 13 of his 18 points after the break. UAA pushed its largest lead to 72-47 when McGill fed Leckband for an easy layup at the 11:42 mark, and the Nanooks never got closer than 16 the rest of the way.

McGill, a 6-2 sophomore, slithered through the Nanook defense for a career-high scoring total on 8-of-12 shooting (2-2 3FGs) from the field and 11-of-12 free-throw marksmanship. Thompson shot 7 of 15 overall and 4 of 11 from long range, while Fossman sank 3 of 6 from deep and dished six assists.

Stafford had his streak of double-figure scoring games snapped, but the junior from Auburn, Wash., tied his best rebounding total as a Seawolf, adding two assists, two blocks and two of UAA's season-high nine steals.

The Seawolves are off for eight days before hosting Northland International for a pair of games Dec. 16-17 at the WFSC, marking the end of UAA's non-conference slate.

NOTES: UAA finished with an 11-game win streak against UAF at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, which is hosting its final season of basketball before the Seawolves move to the Alaska Airlines center next fall … UAF's last win in Anchorage came on Feb. 22, 2003, while its last win in the series was Jan. 28, 2006 in Fairbanks … Fossman moved into the top 25 on UAA's career scoring list, now with 895 points, while Thompson rose to 29th in scoring (767 pts) … with his 61st win in a Seawolf uniform, Fossman also moved up to No. 16 on UAA's individual victories list, tying Peter Bullock (2000-04) and Kevin White (2007-10).

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
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

Players Mentioned

Kyle Fossman

#24 Kyle Fossman

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
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