SEATTLE – Junior center Oggie Pantovic scored 23 points, including the eventual game-winning three-point play with 42 seconds remaining, as 5th-seeded Alaska Anchorage kept its season alive with an 86-85 upset of top-seeded Seattle Pacific in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championships semifinals at Royal Brougham Pavilion on Friday.

The Seawolves (20-13) also got big performances from senior forward Niko Bevens with 18 points and senior guard Tyrus Hosley with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, helping UAA back to the GNAC title game for the first time since 2012.

UAA will face 2nd-seeded Western Washington – a 76-64 winner over Alaska Fairbanks in the early semifinal – for the championship at 4 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on Saturday, with the victor earning the GNAC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

The nationally 25th-ranked Falcons (22-7) got a game-high 28 points from sophomore Divant'e Moffitt, but the all-conference guard's final desperation three-point shot glanced off at the buzzer. GNAC Freshman of the Year Shaw Anderson posted 12 points and nine rebounds for the hosts, who entered with a No. 5 West Region ranking and will likely earn an at-large berth to week's NCAA Regional Championships.

"That was an absolutely great college basketball game," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, who collected his 299th career victory and led his program to its 17th 20-win season. "I think that our guys were just able to make one more play than theirs. They were doing well at the offensive end in the second half at taking advantage on some of their mismatches on us, but in the end we were able to get some stops and (Pantovic and Hosley) hit big shots for us."

After falling to the Falcons twice in close regular-season contests, the Seawolves took control late in the first half behind 5-of-8 three-point shooting from Bevens. Pantovic – a 6-7 first-team all-league center – finally cracked the scoring column late in the period to collect 11 points in the final 5:30 and stake UAA to a 50-37 halftime edge.

The Falcons took the momentum back immediately after the break, chipping away for the first 10 minutes and taking the lead at 60-59 on a layup by Filip Fullerton.

The lead changed hands eight times before Pantovic and Hosley combined for three straight three-pointers, staking the Seawolves to an 83-79 advantage with 1:43 remaining.

The Falcons got to the foul stripe for four straight points to tie it with one minute on the clock, but Pantovic got free inside for a layup and was fouled by Anderson with 42 seconds left. Anderson scored the game's final basket on a layup with 27 seconds left, and Pantovic missed the front end of a one-and-one.

SPU called timeout and got it in the paint to forward Harry Cavell, whose layup bounced off and into the hands of Hosley, who was fouled with five seconds left. An 86 percent free throw shooter, Hosley also missed the front end, giving SPU one final shot. Anderson grabbed the rebound and passed to Moffitt, who dashed upcourt and launched a running three-pointer that caught rim and bounced out of bounds as time expired.

Pantovic shot 7 of 9 from the field and 8 of 10 on free throws to earn his 21st straight double-figure scoring total, along with a team-high seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Bevens finished 6 of 12 from long range as the University of Montana transfer broke UAA's program records for three-pointers made in a season (115) and in a two-year career (197). Those records were formerly held by current assistant coach Kyle Fossman (113 in 2014-15) and Seawolf Hall of Famer Kemmy Burgess (195 in 2003-04 and 2005-06).

Sophomore guard Tobin Karlberg delivered eight points, six rebounds, and a game-high four assists despite fouling out late, while senior guard Jack Macdonald had eight points, two assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes.

UAA – which lost twice to Western Washington during the regular season – must win Saturday to continue its season, while the Vikings enter on the NCAA bubble with a No. 9 West Region ranking.

That game can be seen live online at gnac.tv, with live stats at spufalcons.com/sidearmstats/mbball.