ANCHORAGE – Senior forward Tyler Brimhall had 17 points and eight rebounds Saturday and the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team held off a late Northern Michigan rally to earn an 84-76 victory in the finale of the Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (6-2) also got 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and three assists from senior forward Niko Bevens, plus 10 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and just one turnover from starting point guard DeAndre Osuigwe in the non-conference victory.

The Wildcats (3-3) were led by 17 points from guard Marcus Matelski, along with 15 points and five assists from all-tourney selection Alec Fruin, but the visitors from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference could not complete a furious comeback from a 21-point second-half deficit.

"That was a complete team victory tonight," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne. "It's encouraging to see that we got contributions up and down the lineup. After we started so hot, I think we began to allow some of our misses to affect our defense on the other end, and that's what allowed them to get back in it. Thankfully we were able to execute on some key possessions in the final minutes and hang on for a good win over a tough team."

UAA hit eight of its first 10 three-pointers to build a 46-31 lead at halftime, getting treys from seven different players.

The Seawolves expanded their largest lead to 58-37 when Brimhall scored on a dish from Bevens with 15:45 remaining and still held a 62-42 advantage with 12 minutes left. The visitors from Marquette, Mich., began to slowly chip away, however, cutting it to a 70-60 score with 5 minutes to play.

After Brimhall hit two free throws to make it 72-63 at the 4:30 mark, NMU continued its surge with back-to-back three-pointers from Sam Taylor and Naseer Turner, making it a one-possession game with 3:01 on the clock.

Bevens responded with two free throws, and UAA got the shot of the game when Tyrus Hosley beat the shot clock with an NBA-range trey that bounced off the rim, backboard and in for a 77-69 lead. Hosley added another three 15 seconds later for the clincher as the senior guard finished with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.

Senior guard Jack Macdonald had 11 points, and junior center Oggie Pantovic joined Brimhall and Bevens on the all-tournament team after collecting 10 points (3-6 FG, 3-3 FT) and three assists.

The Seawolves take a break from non-conference play next week for their Great Northwest Athletic Conference openers, starting with a Thursday 7:30 p.m. tip against Concordia-Portland at the Alaska Airlines Center. Surf to AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com for tickets.

Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
Niko Bevens, Alaska Anchorage
Tyler Brimhall, Alaska Anchorage
Alec Fruin, Northern Michigan
Tommy Lucca, Michigan Tech
Oggie Pantovic, Alaska Anchorage
Most Outstanding Player: Kyle Monroe, Michigan Tech