FAIRBANKS – Sophomore guard Tobin Karlberg scored a career-high 23 points and senior guard Tyrus Hosley scored all 15 of his points in the second half Tuesday to propel the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to a critical 94-81 victory over Alaska Fairbanks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown at the Patty Center.

The Seawolves (17-11, 10-7 GNAC) also got 19 points from senior guard Jack Macdonald and 17 points and 7 rebounds from junior center Oggie Pantovic as they swept the season series from their northern rivals and pulled alone into fifth place – just half a game out of second – in the league standings.

The Nanooks (10-15, 9-8) were led by 25 points and 12 assists from guard Shadeed Shabazz but were outrebounded 30-19 as they lost their third in a row.

"We made some nice defensive adjustments at halftime and continued to run our offense efficiently and take advantage of the good looks we were getting," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose team outshot the hosts .586 to .526 overall and .517 (15-29) to .300 (6-20) on three-pointers. "Even when Oggie picked up his third foul early in the second half, our 'smaller' lineup did a great job of expanding the lead. We will try to keep this momentum going and are looking forward to a great crowd coming out for our Senior Night on Saturday."

After a pair of home overtime victories last week, the Seawolves appeared headed for another last-second affair, battling to a 45-43 lead in a first half that featured seven ties and six lead changes.

The Seawolves took control immediately in the second half, expanding the lead to 57-45 on a three-pointer by Hosley at the 15-minute mark. UAF stayed within striking distance for the next four minutes before UAA went on another streak, hitting seven shots in a row and taking its largest lead at 82-63 on a feed from Karlberg to Macdonald with seven minutes left.

Shabazz and the Nanooks would not go away, however, as the GNAC's leading scorer accounted for 10 points during a 17-3 run that shaved it to 85-80 with 2:21 left. But UAA senior Tyler Brimhall delivered the clincher on UAA's next possession, taking a pass from Macdonald in the corner and swishing his only three-pointer of the night with 1:57 to play.

A former local prep star at Anchorage's Grace Christian High School, Karlberg shot 8 of 16 from the floor, 3 of 7 from long range and 4 of 4 at the free-throw line to top the 20-point plateau for the fourth time. He also had a team-high eight rebounds and tied Hosley with six assists.

Hosley – who nailed game-tying and game-tying three-pointers in Saturday's 90-89 overtime win over Northwest Nazarene – came alive in the second 20 minutes to shoot 5 of 10 overall (3-7 3FG), along with seven rebounds.

Macdonald shot 7 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from deep, while dishing two assists, and senior forward Niko Bevens delivered 15 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting. Karlberg and Hosley played the entire game, while Hosley and Bevens logged 39 and 36 minutes, respectively.

Pantovic finished 7 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 at the charity stripe, along with seven rebounds, as the reigning GNAC Player of the Week fought through foul trouble to score double figures for the 16th game in a row.

Along with their 105-86 win in Anchorage last month over the Nanooks, the Seawolves now own the tiebreaker should the teams be deadlocked in the final standings. The top six teams make the GNAC Tournament, scheduled for Mar. 5-7 in Seattle, with the regular-season champion (Seattle Pacific) and the runner-up receiving first-round byes.

UAA takes the court for the final time at the Alaska Airlines Center in 2019-20 when it hosts Montana State Billings on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. Surf to AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com for tickets and parking information.