NAMPA, Idaho – Junior guard Tobin Karlberg scored a career-high 24 points to spearhead a big Alaska Anchorage comeback effort, the host Northwest Nazarene made enough big plays down the stretch to earn a 70-66 men's basketball victory Thursday at the Johnson Sports Center.

The Seawolves (11-6, 6-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds from senior center Oggie Pantovic as their three-game winning streak was halted.

The Nighthawks (7-7, 5-4 GNAC) were led by 19 points and nine rebounds from forward James Nelson as they raced to a 32-12 lead after 17 minutes and held off a furious second-half rally.

"We showed a lot of grit after our poor start, but it just goes to show that even good teams can't afford to dig that big of a hole, especially when you are playing a quality opponent on the road," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne. "While the schedule won't get any easier the rest of the way, I know we have a mentally tough, veteran group that will put tonight behind us and rise to the challenge."

After slicing their deficit to 38-23 at the half, the Seawolves continued chipping away and drew within 42-33 on a driving layup by Karlberg. Pantovic recorded a traditional three-point play and Karlberg hit a jumper to spark a 7-0 Seawolf run that made it 49-47 at the 8:48 mark, but NNU's Julian Agosto responded with a three-pointer 16 seconds later.

The Seawolves would keep the game within three possessions the rest of the way, with Pantovic hitting his third three-pointer to make it 64-60 with 1:47 remaining. Following a defensive stop, UAA had another chance to draw within one score, but Nighhawk guard Tru Allen stepped in front of a Seawolf pass and converted a fastbreak layup with 58 seconds to play.

Karlberg shot 8 of 15 from the floor and 6 of 9 at the foul stripe to surpass his previous scoring high by one point, and the former Grace Christian High School star had two of UAA's season-high-tying 10 steals.

Pantovic shot 3 of 3 from long range and 3 of 4 on free throws as the reigning GNAC Player of the Week recorded his fifth double-double this season and 14th of his two-year career.

Sophomore guard Caleb Larsen scored seven of his nine points (2-3 3FG, 3-4 FT) in the first half to help UAA stay within striking distance, and fellow reserve A.J. Garrity added five points and a career-high seven rebounds.

Senior point guard David Rowlands had four assists and matched his career-high from his days at Hawaii Pacific with four steals.

The Seawolves remain on the road Saturday when they face Central Washington at 5:15 p.m. AST at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash. Surf to GoSeawolves.com for links to live video and stats.