BILLINGS, Mont. (Jan. 25) – Tyler Burraston scored 16 points and Bishop Tosi collected nine points and seven rebounds, but the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team fell one possession shy Saturday in a 66-64 loss to Montana State Billings at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (10-12, 3-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 13 points, two assists, two steals and no turnovers from senior point guard Dillon Barrientos as they lost despite advantages in rebounds (37-34) and field-goal percentage (.456 to .417).

The Yellowjackets (13-9, 4-5) were led by 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting from starting forward Kael Robinson, while guard Jalen Tot had 15 points and seven rebounds.

"We battled, but we need to defensive rebound better," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose team lost second-leading scorer and top assist man Sean Evans to injury Thursday at Seattle Pacific. "We got some contributions from guys who haven't played a lot. Hopefully we can make a few more plays going forward."

In a rivalry defined by close games, Saturday's contest was not exception, featuring nine lead changes and no lead larger than seven points.

UAA jumped to a 6-0 lead and led virtually the whole first half before Brendon Johnson sank a corner three-pointer with three seconds left, giving the hosts a 28-27 halftime edge.

Following several lead changes, Burraston put UAA up 45-44 on a three-pointer with 11:39 remaining. That would be the final lead for the Seawolves as Robinson stretched Billings back to a 57-50 advantage, converting an assist from Tot at the 5:56 mark.

Despite trailing 61-54 with less that 2:15 remaining, the Seawolves had two late opportunities to tie. Burraston missed a stepback jumper in the lane and Barrientos missed a 17-footer in the final 75 seconds, however, and Johnson clinched the game with four free throws in the final 38 seconds.

Burraston shot 6 of 12 from the field and 4 of 8 from long range, while Barrientos connected on 4 of 7 overall and 2 of 3 threes. The Seawolves got seven points and three assists from junior forward Jesse Stines, who entered the starting lineup in place of Evans, and junior guard Zach Ibbetson had four points and a career-best five rebounds off the bench.

True freshman guard Luke Johnston saw his first action in a conference game, finishing with three points, one rebounds and one assist.

UAA begins the second half of GNAC round-robin play Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. tip against Western Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center. Find tickets and more at GoSeawolves.com.