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#24 Vikings outlast Seawolves in 1st-place battle

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#24 Vikings outlast Seawolves in 1st-place battle

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Senior guard Suki Wiggs scored 24 points but the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team could not catch up to a hot-shooting Western Washington squad Saturday in a 91-84 loss at Whatcom Pavilion.

The 24th-ranked Vikings (11-3, 5-1 GNAC) rode guard Taylor Stafford's 32-point effort and used 30-of-32 (.938) free throw shooting to break an early tie for first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings and snap a 4-game regular-season losing skid against UAA.

The Seawolves (10-4, 4-2) shot well themselves as senior wing Spencer Svejcar tallied 18 points on 5-of-8 accuracy and senior point guard Diante Mitchell made 8 of 11 shots, scoring most of his 20 points during a late comeback attempt. UAA finished 11 of 18 (.611) from long range but struggled from the foul stripe at 19 of 29 (.655).

After holding their last three opponents under 50 points, the Seawolves fought hard all night to stay within striking distance against the league's top-scoring club. The Vikings made their first six shots and were on 100-point pace at the 10-minute mark before UAA's league-leading defense kicked in, and the Seawolves pulled within 45-44 at the break.

Both teams shot over 58 percent from the field in the first half, and the Vikings used a quick start to the second to earn a cushion they wouldn't relinquish.

WWU led by as many as 11 points three times and enjoyed its largest advantage, 80-68 at the 3:26 mark, before the Seawolves charged back with eight straight points, capped by a three-pointer from Mitchell. The Vikings answered with two free throws from Deandre Dickson, however, and Stafford extended it to an 85-77 lead with a three-pointer with 36 seconds left.

UAA lost despite committing only seven turnovers and edging the hosts in field-goal percentage (.540 to .532) and rebounds (26-25). Senior forward Corey Hammell was one under his GNAC-best average with 10 boards, reaching double digits for the 11th time in 14 games this year, while sophomore guard Damien Fulp (6 points, 3-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 0 turnovers in 10 minutes) and junior forward Augustus Simmers (5 points, 2-2 FG) made nice contributions off the bench.

In addition to Stafford's 9-of-14 shooting effort, the Vikings got big offensive showings from forwards Jeffrey Parker (21 points, 6-8 FG) and Daulton Hommes (17 points, 6-10 FG).

The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak for UAA.

The Seawolves return home briefly to for a Tuesday night showdown against Alaska Fairbanks at the Alaska Airlines Center – the third of four games in an 8-day span – before heading back south to face Montana State Billings on Thursday.

Visit GoSeawolves.com for UAA ticket information, or call 907-786-1562 to order.

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Players Mentioned

Damien Fulp

#RS Damien Fulp

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

F
6' 6"
Junior
Diante Mitchell

#11 Diante Mitchell

G
6' 1"
Junior
Augustus Simmers

#3 Augustus Simmers

F
6' 4"
Junior
Spencer Svejcar

#20 Spencer Svejcar

G
6' 4"
Junior
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

G
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Damien Fulp

#RS Damien Fulp

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Corey Hammell

#25 Corey Hammell

6' 6"
Junior
F
Diante Mitchell

#11 Diante Mitchell

6' 1"
Junior
G
Augustus Simmers

#3 Augustus Simmers

6' 4"
Junior
F
Spencer Svejcar

#20 Spencer Svejcar

6' 4"
Junior
G
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

6' 4"
Junior
G