IRVINE, Calif. – Senior point guard Da'Zhon Wyche had 32 points and five assists to help the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team throw a scare into Div. I foe UC Irvine on Thursday in an 87-83 overtime exhibition loss at the Bren Event Center.

The Seawolves also got 11 points from newcomer Dathan Satchell to propel a second-half comeback, while juniors Jaedon Bradley and Jaron Williams added 10 points apiece.

The Anteaters were led by 28 points from guard DJ Davis, along with 14 points and 10 rebounds from center Bent Leuchten as they outscored the visitors 18-14 in the extra session.

"I thought we showed a lot tonight, playing with toughness and battling for 45 minutes," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose Div. II Seawolves were playing their first game against a Div. I team since 2018. "We made huge strides defensively the last week, and it paid off. Offensively we were out of sync and not trusting our offense in the first half, but we settled in and had a good offensive second half."

Despite trailing 27-16 after 14 minutes, the Seawolves rallied within 29-25 when Williams nailed a three-pointer just before the half.

The Anteaters stretched back to a 46-37 edge with 13:30 to play, but UAA answered with a 13-4 run, getting a steal from Wyche and a jumper by Satchell to make it 50-50 at the 10:56 mark.

The game remained within one or two possessions for the rest of regulation, with the Seawolves grabbing a 67-62 lead on a Bradley jumper with 2:54 remaining. Wyche put UAA up 69-65 with 65 seconds left, before Dean Keeler and Dawson Baker scored in the final minute to forge overtime.

The Anteaters scored on the first possession of the extra session and never trailed again, shooting 4 of 5 from the field and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line over those five minutes.

"It is tough to lose, but we have very little installed after only 12 practices. As we get more practice opportunities, we will be better prepared in many areas," Osborne added. "Da'Zhon had an exceptional game, of course, but others played well also. In his first game, Dathan showed his ability to shoot, and Jaedon, Jaron and Tyson Gilbert all had good games. Sawyer Storms battled bigger guys all night long, and AJ Garrity gave us great minutes at multiple positions."

Gilbert finished with eight points and four steals, while Storms had nine points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Seawolves (2-0) play their first games against fellow NCAA Div. II opponents next week when they travel to Hawaii for three contests, starting Dec. 11 (5:30 p.m. AST) against Chaminade. Surf to GoSeawolves.com for live links.