ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 10) – Junior forward Sylas Williams led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team used a sterling defensive effort Saturday to earn a 69-55 victory over Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Seawolves (12-5, 4-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 14 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Bishop Tosi, along with 13 points and eight assists from senior guard Hasaan Herrington, claiming third place in the league standings at the one-third mark of the GNAC race.

The Wildcats (8-8, 2-3) were led by 21 points from Bradley Swillie and 17 points, six rebounds from Jordan Clark, but the defending GNAC regular-season champs were outshot .429 (27-63) to .339 (19-56) and outrebounded 43-36.

"I was really pleased with our offensive execution and shot selection," said UAA coach Rusty Osborne, whose team shot 53 percent from two-point range and committed just eight turnovers while forcing 13 by the Wildcats. "Our starters played well but it was our bench that made a huge difference tonight, especially the scoring we got from Jesse Stines in the first half and a big contribution from Elijah Mobley. Jeremiah Coleman also returned from an injury and gave us some quality minutes. We continue to buy into defending at a high level and finishing possessions by controlling the boards."

Aiming for their first win over Central Washington in Ellensburg since 2019, the Seawolves took command with baskets on three straight possessions early in the first half. UAA led 13-12 when Williams went to the bench with his second foul at the 10:27 mark, but Stines provided a spark, sinking a pair of three-pointers and a 17-foot jumper to stretch it to a 25-16 advantage. Coleman scored five straight points to go up 30-19, and UAA held a 32-24 lead at halftime.

The Wildcats rallied within 38-33 on a basket by Jamari Harris with 15 minutes remaining, before Herrington connected on a layup and dished consecutive assists to Williams in an 80-second span.

UAA led by double figures the rest of the way, stretching its largest advantage to 56-39 when Coleman stole the ball and fed Mobley for a fastbreak layup.

Williams shot 6 of 13 from the field and dished three assists as the Skagit Valley (Wash.) College transfer claimed his fifth double-double and second in the last three games.

Tosi was 5 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 at the charity stripe, while Herrington improved on his nation-best assist-turnover ratio by committing just one giveaway.

Mobley finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and no turnovers in 23 minutes, Stines had eight points (3-3 FG), and senior forward John McFadden chipped in four points (2-4 FG) and five boards, boosting the Seawolves to a 23-10 edge in bench scoring.

UAA finishes a three-game road swing Saturday (3 p.m.) at Alaska Fairbanks. Find links to live video ($) and stats at GoSeawolves.com.