Scoreboard

McGill, Peterson spark UAA over UAF, 76-71

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

McGill, Peterson spark UAA over UAF, 76-71

ANCHORAGE – Senior guard Brian McGill scored 28 points and dished five assists to propel the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to a 76-71 comeback victory over Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (19-8, 12-4 GNAC) also got 20 points and 10 rebounds from junior guard Suki Wiggs, while junior forward Corey Hammell grabbed 15 rebounds to help sweep the season series from their northern rivals. Junior guard Drew Peterson scored 12 of his career-high 14 points after halftime, shooting 3 of 5 from three-point range.

The Nanooks (16-7, 10-5) were led by 22 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Travante Williams, while junior forward Bangaly Kaba had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.

UAA trailed 33-31 after a first half in which neither team led by more than six points.

UAF came out hot to start the second half, extending its lead to 44-36 on a Kaba layup at the 16:26 mark, and 48-41 with 15 minutes left. But McGill got hit two free throws and Wiggs drained a three-pointer to spark a Seawolf spurt, and Hammell gave UAA a 52-50 lead with two free throws at the 11:05 mark.

After Williams hit two charities with 7:28 remaining to put the Nanooks up 56-54, Peterson took a feed from McGill and drained a three-pointer that marked the final lead change. McGill swished a trey on the next possession, and Wiggs assisted on another Peterson three that made it 67-60 with 3:34 on the clock.

The Nanooks got back-to-back three-pointers from Kaba to quickly slice a 74-65 deficit to 74-71 with 24 seconds left, however Peterson stepped to the line and calmly drained his free throws for the final points.

McGill – the reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week – shot 8 of 16 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, while adding two steals. He and Wiggs both played the entire 40 minutes, with Wiggs adding three assists and a key block of a Williams layup in the late-going.

Peterson shot 4 of 8 from the field and dished two assists, and Hammell added nine points on 7-of-7 free-throw shooting.

The victory keeps UAA alone in second place by half a game in the GNAC standings, although Seattle Pacific (18-5, 11-4) will have a chance to make up ground on Saturday (at Central Washington) with the Seawolves idle.

After four games in eight days – spanning three different states and British Columbia – the Seawolves will get a week to rest before hosting Concordia (Ore.) on Thursday, Feb. 18 at the Alaska Airlines Center. Call 907-786-1562 for ticket information or visit GoSeawolves.com for more information.

NOTES: McGill moved up three spots to No. 15 on UAA's career scoring list, now with 1,111 points … McGill also rose to No. 5 in free throws made (295), although his streak of 40 consecutive charities came to an end in the final two minutes Thursday … Wiggs collected his seventh double-double of the year and scored at least 20 points for the 25th time in 27 games … Wiggs moved up to No. 8 on UAA's single-season scoring list with 641 points, passing recently graduated star Travis Thompson (640 pts in 2013-14) … Hammell recorded his sixth game with at least 15 rebounds, moving up to No. 9 on UAA's single-season list with 270 boards … UAA now leads the all-time series 77-22 against their most common opponent, including a 44-5 edge in Anchorage, although eight of the last 10 meetings have been decided by 6 points or less, or in overtime.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

G
6' 2"
Sophomore
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

F
6' 6"
Junior
Drew Peterson

#21 Drew Peterson

G/F
6' 3"
Junior
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

G
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Travis Thompson

#11 Travis Thompson

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Brian McGill

#RS Brian McGill

6' 2"
Sophomore
G
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

6' 6"
Junior
F
Drew Peterson

#21 Drew Peterson

6' 3"
Junior
G/F
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

6' 4"
Junior
G