NAMPA, Idaho (Jan. 8) – Senior forward
Bishop Tosi had 15 points and seven rebounds, but the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team saw its four-game winning streak snapped Thursday, falling 60-54 to Northwest Nazarene at the Johnson Sports Center.
The Seawolves (11-5, 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 12 points, five rebounds and three assists from senior guard
Hasaan Herrington, along with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals from junior guard
Cole Johnson.
Easton Reagan led the Nighthawks (9-4, 3-1) with 17 points and five steals, while reserve guard Garrett Hawkes made the difference with 15 points, hitting a pair of tiebreaking three-pointers in the final three minutes.
"We defended well, rebounded well and competed at a high level in a game between two good teams," said UAA head coach
Rusty Osborne. "We had a few unfortunate turnovers but still won the turnover battle. I'm encouraged with how we played against an NNU team that had their injured guys back in their lineup. Unfortunately we missed too many wide-open shots. If we continue to defend and compete at this level we will have success."
Looking for its first win in Nampa since 2016, UAA came out sharp with scores on its first four possessions and a 19-8 lead when Tosi converted inside at the 12:50 mark. The hosts would get back in it with an 11-0 run, however, and take a 28-26 lead into the locker room.
The second half was a classic back-and-forth affair, featuring eight ties, eight lead changes, and no lead larger than three points until the final 30 seconds. Tosi made a hustle play on an offensive rebound at the 5-minute mark, feeding
Zach Ibbetson for a layup to put the Seawolves up 48-47, and
Elijah Mobley converted a steal to draw even at 50-50 with three minutes remaining.
Hawkes snapped the deadlock with a three-pointer 30 seconds later, before Johnson scored a driving layup and Tosi split a pair of free throws with 1:18 showing. With the clock ticking under a minute, the Nighthawks went right back to Hawkes, who swished the eventual game-winner.
UAA committed a turnover on its next possession, and Northwest Nazarene sealed it with 4-of-4 free-throw shooting in the final 30 seconds.
Tosi shot 6 of 12 from the floor, while junior forward
Sylas Williams added seven points, four rebounds and two blocks.
The Seawolves continue a three-game road swing Saturday with a 6:15 p.m. AST tip against Central Washington in Ellensburg, Wash. Find links to live video ($) and stats at GoSeawolves.com.