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Men host GNAC openers at new times

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Hammell helps UAA pull away late in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – Suki Wiggs scored 24 points and fellow junior Corey Hammell delivered another monster double-double Saturday as the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team used a late run to earn 90-71 victory over Concordia at Cavalier Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (16-5, 9-1 GNAC) got 19 points and 17 rebounds from Hammell, plus 17 points from Brian McGill, to retain a share of first place with No. 8 Western Oregon at the midway point of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference campaign.

The Cavaliers (5-12, 3-7) were led by 23 points from guard Latrell Wilson as the GNAC newcomers hosted UAA for the first time and threatened to pull the upset until the final five minutes.

UAA grabbed an 8-7 lead on Wiggs's dunk early in the game and forged 42-36 halftime advantage.

After Tayler Thompson scored back-to-back layups to open the second half, the Cavaliers came storming back with a 7-0 run to slice their deficit to 46-45. Concordia's Drew Martin completed a traditional three-point play with 15:19 left to make it 48-48 – the first of eight ties in the next seven minutes.

Wiggs earned the final tie when he started UAA's game-winning run with a layup to make it 63-63, and he followed with a steal and reverse dunk on the fast break. The Cavaliers remained within striking distance, trailing 73-69 when Martin drained a jumper at the 6:20 mark, but UAA senior Christian Leckband hit a short jumper and Hammell converted one of his eight offensive rebounds to start a game-ending 17-2 run for the visitors.

Wiggs shot 8 of 16 from the field and 7 of 9 at the free-throw line to run his streak of 20-plus scoring efforts to 21 in a row. The Idaho transfer added seven rebounds, three assists and career-high three blocks.

Meanwhile, Hammell recorded his 10th double-double and his fourth '15/15' effort, shooting 5 of 9 from the floor and 9 of 10 at the charity stripe. The Santa Rosa Junior College transfer tied his own UAA record for rebounds in a GNAC game, with the 17 matching his own total against Northwest Nazarene and Peter Bullock's two performances in 2003.

McGill shot 6 of 11 from the field and dished three assists in his final regular-season game in his home state. The former Clackamas High School star added two steals and drained a key three-pointer that extended the lead to 80-71 with 3:51 remaining.

Thompson had his best game since early December, scoring a career-high 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting –  along with six rebounds in just 14 minutes – and junior guard Diante Mitchell added eight points. Junior guard Spencer Svejcar scored just six points to see his double-digit streak snapped at six games, although the Colorado native delivered three assists without a turnover.

The Seawolves return to Anchorage to start the second half of the league campaign Thursday with a 7 p.m. clash against Saint Martin's at the Alaska Airlines Center. Call 907-786-1562 for tickets or visit GoSeawolves.com for more information.

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Players Mentioned

Christian Leckband

#1 Christian Leckband

F
6' 5"
Freshman
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

G
6' 2"
Sophomore
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

F
6' 6"
Junior
Diante Mitchell

#11 Diante Mitchell

G
6' 1"
Junior
Spencer Svejcar

#20 Spencer Svejcar

G
6' 4"
Junior
Tayler Thompson

#24 Tayler Thompson

F
6' 8"
Junior
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

G
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Christian Leckband

#1 Christian Leckband

6' 5"
Freshman
F
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

6' 2"
Sophomore
G
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

6' 6"
Junior
F
Diante Mitchell

#11 Diante Mitchell

6' 1"
Junior
G
Spencer Svejcar

#20 Spencer Svejcar

6' 4"
Junior
G
Tayler Thompson

#24 Tayler Thompson

6' 8"
Junior
F
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

6' 4"
Junior
G