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Shooters power Seawolves past 'Jackets, 82-68

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Shooters power Seawolves past 'Jackets, 82-68

ANCHORAGE – Senior guards Travis Thompson and Derrick Fain combined for 41 points and seven assists Thursday to lead Alaska Anchorage to its fifth straight men's basketball victory with an 82-68 decision over Montana State Billings at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (14-9, 10-3 GNAC) also got 14 points, five assists and five rebounds from junior point guard Brian McGill as they swept the season series from MSUB and tightened their grip on second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The Yellowjackets (5-19, 3-11), who suited up just seven healthy players for the game, were led by a career-high 25 points and four assists from guard Marc Mathews, who shot 12 of 12 from the free-throw stripe.

The visitors forged a 34-32 halftime lead thanks to 11 offensive rebounds in the opening stanza, but UAA held them to just one offensive carom in the second half, winning the battle of the boards 20-9 after the break.

Thompson sparked the deciding run by scoring 11 of his 23 points in the opening four minutes of the second half. The GNAC Preseason Player of the Year started 4 of 4 from three-point range and made 7 of 8 free throws, along with three assists and no turnovers.

UAA led 52-44 when junior guard Dom Hunter – who had been held scoreless to that point – broke loose for a long jumper at the 12:49 mark and added a three-pointer 43 seconds later. The Eastern Arizona transfer finished with 10 points to reach double figures for the seventh straight game.

The Yellowjackets climbed within single digits twice in the final four minutes before junior forward Christian Leckband drained a three-pointer to make it 78-66 with 2:30 remaining.

UAA shot 52.2 percent (12 of 23) from beyond the arc and dished 26 assists with just seven turnovers. Senior guard Boomer Blossom tied his career-bests against Div. II competition with six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, while adding his second career blocked shot. Sophomore forward Travis Parrish had four assists, no turnovers two steals and four rebounds – all on the offensive end – and freshman forward Sjur Berg scored all seven of his points in the first half.

With the win, UAA pulls within 2.5 games of league leader Western Oregon (20-3, 13-1) and remains 1.5 games ahead of third-place Seattle Pacific (17-7, 9-5), which invades the Alaska Airlines Center for a 2 p.m. clash on Saturday. Central Washington (13-7, 8-5) and Northwest Nazarene (10-13, 8-5) began the night tied for third place but fell further back in the standings after losses earlier Thursday.

NOTES: The Seawolves clinched a winning conference record for the fifth straight year and the 27th time in 33 years of league membership … UAA needs just one more win to clinch its 10th straight overall winning record … Fain scored double figures for the fourth straight game, averaging 18.5 ppg since Jan. 29 … Thompson scored at least 20 points for the third game in a row and the ninth time this year … Thompson moved into a tie for No. 3 on UAA's all-time list with his 78th victory in a Seawolf uniform, equaling Carl Arts (2004-08) and Luke Cooper (2004-08); former teammate Liam Gibcus stands No. 2 with 79 wins from 2009-13 … Thompson pushed his career three-pointers total to 286 to draw within six of GNAC career record-holder Jake Linton (292, 2005-09) of Saint Martin's.


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Players Mentioned

Boomer Blossom

#RS Boomer Blossom

G
6' 2"
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
Sjur Berg

#2 Sjur Berg

F
6' 7"
Freshman
Derrick Fain

#14 Derrick Fain

G
6' 4"
Senior
Dom Hunter

#13 Dom Hunter

G
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Boomer Blossom

#RS Boomer Blossom

6' 2"
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
Sjur Berg

#2 Sjur Berg

6' 7"
Freshman
F
Derrick Fain

#14 Derrick Fain

6' 4"
Senior
G
Dom Hunter

#13 Dom Hunter

6' 0"
Junior
G