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#24 Vikings outlast Seawolves in 1st-place battle

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves rally at St. Martin's for 67-63 victory

LACEY, Wash. – Senior guard Suki Wiggs scored 21 of his 31 points after halftime Thursday to propel the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to a 67-63 victory over Saint Martin's at Marcus Pavilion.

The Seawolves (14-5, 8-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 15 points from senior guard Spencer Svejcar and 10 rebounds from senior forward Corey Hammell to prevail in a game that featured seven ties, 17 lead changes, and an early 6-point Saints advantage as the largest for either team.

With the win, UAA stayed two games behind GNAC leader Western Washington and claimed sole possession of second place in the league after Central Washington was upset at home by Concordia.

The Saints (11-8, 5-6) were led by 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds from 7-2 center Fred Jorg, but the hosts could not slow Wiggs after the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year got off to a slow shooting start.

Wiggs made just two of his first 15 shots from the field and the Seawolves trailed 42-39 with 8:31 remaining when he finally got hot. A driving layup and traditional three-point play gave UAA a 50-48 edge with 4:51 to play, and he answered a Saints three-pointer with a another layin on the next possession.

Tied 57-57 with 1:48 minutes left, Svejcar swished a 10-foot jumper in the lane to give UAA the lead for good. Neither team would make another field goal until the Saints' Cole Preston drained a three-pointer to make it 65-63 with 1.5 seconds on the clock, and UAA threw the ball the length of the court of a Wiggs dunk at the buzzer.

Wiggs finished 12 of 13 at the free-throw line, along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while senior guard Diante Mitchell had 13 points and was 7 of 7 at the foul line, including two key charities in the final 10 seconds.

“This was a very gutsy win against a tough opponent,” said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose team swept the season series along with a 55-49 win in Anchorage last month. “SMU is extraordinarily disciplined in executing its offensive and defensive strategies. Suki, Spencer and Diante all hit big shots down the stretch and other guys made crucial plays, including a big charging foul drawn by Sjur Berg in the last two minutes.”

The Seawolves head north on Interstate 5 on Saturday to face Seattle Pacific in another GNAC contest. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. AST, with live video available at gnac.tv.

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Players Mentioned

Sjur Berg

#2 Sjur Berg

F
6' 7"
Freshman
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
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

G
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Sjur Berg

#2 Sjur Berg

6' 7"
Freshman
F
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
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

6' 4"
Junior
G