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Seawolves repel #13 Vikings, tighten GNAC race

Men's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves repel #13 Vikings, tighten GNAC race

ANCHORAGE – Senior guards Suki Wiggs and Diante Mitchell combined for 57 points and six assists Thursday as second-place Alaska Anchorage made the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball title race far more interesting with an 87-79 victory over league leader and 13th-ranked Western Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Wiggs scored 32 points – going over 30 for the third straight game – and dished three assists to help the Seawolves (16-5, 10-3 GNAC) to their fifth consecutive victory and a regular-season split against the Vikings (17-4, 11-2), who had their eight-game winning streak snapped.

The visitors were led by 21 points and eight assists from senior guard Taylor Stafford, but they could not complete a furious comeback in the final five minutes and lost despite outshooting the hosts 54 percent to 47 percent.

UAA overcame its shooting disadvantage by committing just six turnovers and knocking down 7 of 16 (.438) three-point tries, compared to 15 turnovers and 5 of 19 (.263) by WWU.

Coming in as the nation's sixth-leading scorer at 23.9 points per game, Wiggs had just eight points and the Seawolves trailed 22-17 when he picked up his second foul with 8:20 remaining in the first half. With Wiggs on the bench and the score 25-17, Mitchell scored five quick points to spark the offense, and the Utah native gave UAA a 37-35 lead with a three-pointer at the 1:34 mark.

A Mitchell layup right before halftime made it 42-35, and the Seawolves would not relinquish the lead in the second half, despite seeing it sliced to 53-52 with 13:20 left.

Wiggs answered that Vikings surge with three straight jumpers, followed by a driving layup with 9:42 remaining to extend to a 65-55 advantage. The reigning GNAC Player of the Week fed Mitchell for a trey that made it 75-61 with 4:45 left, and the Seawolves repelled a frantic rally after WWU pulled within 79-75 at the 1:43 mark, making eight of 10 free throws over the final 1:41.

Wiggs shot 10 of 13 in the second half to record the 10th 30-plus scoring effort of his 2-year career, while fellow senior Corey Hammell grabbed 15 rebounds, reaching that plateau for the 10th time, too. Meanwhile, Mitchell matched his career-best scoring total against a fellow Div. II program, hitting 3 of 5 treys and 8 of 10 free throws, while committing no turnovers in 35 minutes.

The Seawolves also got 11 points and a pair of blocks from senior center Connor Devine, plus solid bench contributions from juniors Ashton Pomrehn (6 points, 2-4 3FG, 2 rebounds, 0 turnovers) and Augustus Simmers (2 points, 3 rebounds).

With seven games left in the regular season, the Seawolves continue their chase of WWU in the standings Saturday when they face Simon Fraser (2-17, 0-13) at the Alaska Airlines Center at 3:15 p.m. Call 907-786-1562 to order tickets or visit GoSeawolves.com for more information.



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Players Mentioned

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
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

G
6' 4"
Junior
Connor Devine

#30 Connor Devine

F/C
6' 10"
Senior
Ashton Pomrehn

#1 Ashton Pomrehn

G
6' 3"
Junior

Players Mentioned

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
Sekou

#2 Sekou 'Suki' Wiggs

6' 4"
Junior
G
Connor Devine

#30 Connor Devine

6' 10"
Senior
F/C
Ashton Pomrehn

#1 Ashton Pomrehn

6' 3"
Junior
G