BILLINGS, Mont. (Feb. 19) – Junior guards Elijah Mobley and Cole Johnson combined for 35 points and Sylas Williams notched another double-double Thursday to power the Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team to its fifth straight victory, defeating Montana State Billings 82-75 at Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (19-7, 11-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got career highs of 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting and eight rebounds from Mobley, while Johnson returned from injury to match his career-high 17 points, shooting 4 of 6 from the field, 2 of 2 on three-pointers and 7 of 7 on free throws.

Williams recorded his ninth double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping UAA clinch a GNAC Tournament berth and move closer to securing a quarterfinal bye. The Seawolves remain one game behind No. 24 Saint Martin's (20-5, 12-3) with three games left for each team, including a head-to-head meeting in the regular-season finale Feb. 28 in Anchorage.

The Yellowjackets (20-9, 9-7) were led by 20 points from guard Mason Landdeck, along with 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists from reserve forward Brandon Tchouya.

"Our group showed its resiliency once again, with Elijah and Cole stepping up to lead a gutsy effort," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne, whose bench outscored its counterparts 32-23. "We got big minutes and significant contributions from everyone in the lineup."

Aiming for the regular-season sweep after an 84-70 win Jan. 24 in Anchorage, the Seawolves came out strong with a 14-6 advantage, getting a pair of early assists from Williams.

The Seawolves would go through a seven-minute scoreless stretch, however, and trailed 27-19 before getting back on track. Sophomore center Lyman Simmons spurred the run with an offensive rebound and free throw, and Mobley converted a strong drive in the waning seconds to pull within 28-26 at the break.

Despite losing second-leading scorer and assist leader Hasaan Herrington to injury late in the first half, Johnson stepped up to fill the void in a big way. The Utah native started the second half with two free throws, then drained three straight jumpers – a long two and a pair of treys – in a 72-second span to give UAA a 41-34 lead.

Johnson converted a traditional three-point play to make it 55-44, and Mobley pulled the same trick for a 58-47 cushion at the 7:51 mark. The Seawolves stretched their largest lead to 67-52 with 5:30 remaining, and fought off a late Billings comeback by making a season-high 29 free throws.

Mobley shot 8 of 14 from the stripe as the Chicago native scored double figures for the fifth time as a Seawolf.

Senior forward Bishop Tosi had 11 points (7-8 FT) and two assists, senior guard Akok Machar added seven points (3-6 FG), five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and junior guard Zach Ibbetson chipped in six points.

The Seawolves finish their regular-season road schedule with a 3:15 p.m. tip Saturday at Seattle Pacific. Find live links at GoSeawolves.com.