THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE MEN'S BASKETBALL ...
 
Thur., Jan. 2, 4:15 pm AST — Royal Brougham Pavilion — Seattle, Wash.
Alaska Anchorage (9-4, 2-0 GNAC) at Seattle Pacific (6-4, 2-0 GNAC)
&
Sat., Jan. 4, 4:15 pm AST — Marcus Pavilion — Lacey, Wash.
Alaska Anchorage at Saint Martin's (4-7, 2-0 GNAC [1/2 vs UAF])
 
LIVE VIDEO: Both games at gnac.tv ... for Thursday's game, there is also an alternate feed (which includes playback) at youtube.com/user/SPUsports
 
LIVE STATS: Thursday at sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball ... Saturday at gnac.tv
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: Check the @UAAMBB Twitter feed for in-game updates.
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2019-20 stats)
G—DeAndre Osuigwe, 6-0, Jr. (7.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, .379 3FG, .654 FT)
G—Tobin Karlberg, 6-0, So. (11.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, .500 FG, .441 3FG, .857 FT, 23/9 AT ratio)
C—David Riley, 6-8, Jr. (3.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .516 FG, .643 FT)
F—Tyler Brimhall, 6-5, Sr. (9.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, .371 FG, .288 3FG, .773 FT)
F—Niko Bevens, 6-6, Sr. (12.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, .438 FG, .447 3FG, .909 FT)
 
GNAC's BACK: After completing their non-conference schedule in Hawaii prior to the holidays, the Seawolves resume Great Northwest Athletic Conference compeition this week at Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's ... UAA finished with a 5-4 record against their D-II non-conference foes, including a 4-1 mark against West Region teams.
 
SCOUTING REPORTS: Defending GNAC Tournament champion Seattle Pacific has rebounded from an 0-4 start with six straight victories, including league road wins over Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene ... the Falcons are led by Divant'e Moffitt (13.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg, .521 FG, .780 FT) and Gavin Long (11.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, .444 FG, .682 FT) ... defending GNAC regular-season champ and 2019 West Regional finalist Saint Martin's has started 2-7 against D-II competition, earning its lone victories at CWU and NNU as well ... the Saints, who lost to common opponents UH Hilo and Arkansas Monticello in Honolulu, are led by Demonte Malloy (16.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, .500 FG, .395 3FG) and Alex Schumacher (13.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 spg).
 
THE SERIES...
vs. SPU: Tied 39-39 overall; SPU leads 25-11 in Seattle
Last: SPU 65-64 (2/7/19 at UAA)
Streak: SPU 3
Notes: The road team has won nine of the last 12 meetings, although SPU defended its home court by a 87-74 count last season ... seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided by five points or fewer, including two overtime contests ... 19 of the last 27 games have been decided by 11 points or fewer … SPU leads 24-12 in GNAC regular-season meetings (since 2001-02), with six games going to overtime … SPU is UAA's 3rd-most common opponent (78 meetings) ... series started in UAA's first year of Div. II competition in 1977-78.
 
vs. SMU: UAA leads 31-11 overall, 11-7 in Lacey
Last: SMU 69-53 (2/9/19 at UAA)
Streak: SMU 4
Notes: SMU's current 4-game streak is its longest against UAA ...  ... the Seawolves' last win came by a 67-63 score, Jan. 26, 2017 in Lacey ... five of the last seven games have been decided by six points or fewer, including a 70-68 SMU win in Lacey last year ... UAA leads 24-12 in GNAC regular-season meetings … teams met twice as members of the Pac West (in 1999 and 2001) and four times between 1977-80.
 
WIN ENDS NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: After falling to Great American Conference foes Arkansas-Monticello and No. 21 SE Oklahoma State in Honolulu, the Seawolves bounced back to earn a critical West Region victory in the finale, knocking off Hawaii Hilo 66-64 ... Jr. C Oggie Pantovic scored 22 points (8-10 FG, 6-8 FT) ­­­– including UAA's final six – and grabbed 9 rebounds to power the victory, while Sr. F Tyler Brimhall delivered 13 points and a season-high 10 rebounds ... the Seawolves also got 14 points from So. G Tobin Karlberg as they survived a 30-point effort by UHH's Kupaa Harrison and a last-second 3FG try by the Vulcans.
 
TEAM NOTES: The Seawolves stand No. 4 in the most recent D2SIDA West Region poll ... UAA leads the GNAC in assists per game (19.0), A/T ratio (1.5) and 3FGs per game (11.5), while ranking 2nd in scoring defense (72.1) and turnover margin (1.5) ... in the NCAA Div. II national stats, the Seawolves are 14th in assists, 16th in A/T ratio, 15th in 3FGs per game and 51st in turnovers per game (12.3) ... the 11.5 3FGs per game are easily on pace for the second-highest average in program history, trailing only the 2013-14 squad's 13.0 3FGs/gm ... the 18 three-pointers in UAA's win over Coast Guard marked the 7th-most in program history against an NCAA opponent.
 
BALANCING ACT: The Seawolves have not relied on star power to achieve their success so far, getting at least 7.2 points per game from seven players and at least 3.1 rebounds per game from five players, with only one player averaging more than 25 minutes ... Sr. F Niko Bevens leads the GNAC with 3.5 3FGs  per game (26th nationally), along with ranks of 20th in scoring (12.9 ppg) and 8th in 3FG% (46th nationally) ...  the Beaverton, Ore., native has scored double figures in eight of the last nine games, including 19 points in the OT win over Western Oregon ... Bevens broke UAA's single-game record for 3FG% (min. 6 attempts) against Coast Guard, sinking 8 of 9 treys in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU ... after averaging 3.4 ppg in a reserve role as a true freshman, So. G Tobin Karlberg has emerged as UAA's 2nd-leading scorer with 11.5 ppg ... the former local Grace Christian HS star has tallied double figures in eight games thus far, including a career-high 21 points in the Dec. 19 loss to Arkansas-Monticello ... Karlberg holds current GNAC ranks of 6th in A/T ratio (3.5) and 10th in 3FG% (.441) and 3FGs per game (2.0) and 20th in FG% (.500) ... with his big game in the win over Western Oregon, Jr. C Oggie Pantovic became the first Seawolf to tally at least 20 points and 13 rebounds since Corey Hammell posted 24 and 15 against Chaminade on Nov. 13, 2015 ... Pantovic is the only Seawolf in the GNAC top 10 in scoring or rebounding, currently 10th with 6.4 rpg ... the transfer from Utah State-Eastern ranks 8th in the league with a .583 FG% and 6th with 0.8 blocks per game ... Sr. G Jack Macdonald delivered a season-high 18 points in the win over San Francisco State and dished a career-high 8 assists (with no turnovers) in the victory over Sonoma State ... the CoSIDA Academic All-District performer is putting up 7.8 ppg, boosted by .425 3FG shooting ... in the GNAC stats, Macdonald leads with 19-of-19 FT shooting, and is 7th in A/T ratio (2.5), 18th in assists (2.5 apg) and 14th in 3FG% ... UAA has gotten a major contribution from all five of its transfers thus far, including the backcourt trio of Sr. G Tyrus Hosley, Jr. G DeAndre Osuigwe and Jr. G Amari Hale ... Hosley, from Northwest Christian, is the team's 4th-leading scorer at 10.2 ppg and holds GNAC top-15 ranks in assists (8th, 3.6 apg) and A/T ratio (8th, 2.4), while his 3.7 rpg are 4th on the team ...  from State College of Florida, Osuigwe is 3rd in the GNAC with 4.6 apg, and has proven one of the best-rebounding guards in the league, grabbing 12 boards against WOU and ranking 18th with 5.6 rpg ... Hale, from Eastern Arizona, has delivered 35 assists and committed just 11 turnovers in 255 minutes for the 3rd-best A/T ratio in the league.
 
TRUST IN RUSTY: Now in his 16th year at the helm, head coach Rusty Osborne (288-170) has led the Seawolves to 14 straight seasons of .500-plus records, along with five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2008 NCAA D-II Semifinals … the longest tenured coach in program history and in the GNAC, he became the first UAA basketball coach to reach 200 career victories when the Seawolves beat Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 10, 2015 … Osborne captured his first career GNAC and NABC West District coach-of-the-year awards in 2008 after becoming the second coach to lead UAA to three consecutive NCAA berths (2006-08), and in 2011-12 his Seawolves posted a 24-10 record to equal the 2nd-most victories in program history; Osborne's 2007-08 club holds that record with a 29-6 mark … before taking over the head job in 2004-05, the Texas native previously served 13 seasons (1991-04) as a UAA assistant, including 11 years as the top assistant … the Seawolves have won over 60 percent of their games with Osborne on the staff, claiming four conference titles and eight trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament ... Osborne is assisted in by Ryan Orton (6th season) and former Seawolf guard Kyle Fossman (1st season).
 
2019-20 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
NIKO BEVENS
Preseason All-GNAC Team
Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
TYLER BRIMHALL
Preseason All-GNAC Team (unanimous)
Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
TOBIN KARLBERG
Alaska/Hawaii Challenge All-Tournament Team
OGGIE PANTOVIC
Alaska/Hawaii Challenge All-Tournament Team
Seawolf Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
D2 Power Invitational All-Tournament Team