FAIRBANKS – Brennan Rymer led a late Alaska Anchorage surge with 16 points but it wasn't quite enough for the visitors Saturday as Alaska Fairbanks pulled out a 68-67 victory in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball action at the Patty Center.
The Seawolves (5-5, 0-2 GNAC) also got 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds from junior forward Sjur Berg to build a 63-57 lead with three minutes remaining.
The Nanooks (4-5, 1-1) were led by 17 points from guard Aushanti Potts-Woods and made their comeback despite losing forward Michael Kluting – who had 14 points and 11 rebounds – to foul trouble.
In a game where neither team led by six points, UAA took a 65-60 lead when Rymer drove past Kluting and scored with 20 seconds remaining, drawing the fifth foul on the Nanooks' leading scorer and rebounder.
After UAF's Alex Martin made a layup with 10.3 seconds left, the Seawolves got the ball to freshman Tobin Karlberg, who was fouled in the backcourt. Karlberg missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Seawolves were whistled for a foul on the rebound.
Nanooks forward Alex Baham made two free throws to slice it to 65-64, but the Seawolves retained their margin when Jack Macdonald swished two charities with 6.9 seconds remaining. Rymer then fouled Potts-Woods with 4.1 seconds left to prevent a possible tying three-point attempt. After swishing the first, Potts-Wood missed the second free throw on purpose, and the Nanooks were granted possession after a scramble for the rebound.
With 1.3 seconds showing, UAF got the ball to Spencer Sweet in the corner for an open three-point look that bounced off the rim, but Berg was whistled for a foul as he ran past the shooter. Sweet then swished all three free throws to give his team its first win over its rival since 2014.
Junior swingman Tyler Brimhall had 11 points and nine rebounds to come just shy of his third double-double as a Seawolf, while Rymer – a sophomore point guard – shot 7 of 11 from the floor and dished a team-high three assists.
UAF's victory snapped an eight-game winning streak by UAA and marked just the Nanooks' second win in the last 26 meetings. UAF's last win also came at the Patty Center, by a 70-68 score in the final game of the 2013-14 season.
The Seawolves have a long break from regular-season action until they face defending GNAC champion Western Oregon on Jan. 3 at the Alaska Airlines Center. In the meantime, UAA will host an exhibition game against the Seawolf Alumni on Dec. 19. Admission to that contest is free.
