Box Score |
Final Stats
ANCHORAGE, Ak. – Diante Mitchell drained seven 3-pointers and compiled 17 of his 25 points during the first half Thursday, helping Alaska Anchorage build a large early lead en route to an 85-49 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball win over Seattle Pacific at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Falcons (5-6) fell to 1-2 in league play while UAA (8-3) improved to 2-1. SPU had won in its previous four visits to Anchorage, last losing on Feb. 2, 2012.
Reserve forward
Hunter Eisenhower, a sophomore from Wasilla, Ak., was SPU's only double-figure scorer. He tallied 12 points, shooting 4 of 5 from the field while making 2 of 3 treys.
Mitchell converted 8 of his 10 shots, including 7-for-9 accuracy behind the 3-point arc. Senior Sekou Wiggs, a product of Seattle's O'Dea High School, added 14 points for the Seawolves while Corey Hammell had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Connor Devine and Spencer Svejcar each contributed 10 points for the hosts, who shot 53 percent (32 of 61). UAA made half of its 3-point tries (9 of 18).
Outside the arena temperatures were 16 degrees. Inside, the Falcons were also frigid as they were held to 31 percent from the floor (17 of 55) and made just 4 of 25 shots from 3-point range. They hit 11 of 20 free throws.
The Seawolves raced out to a 13-2 lead five minutes into the contest as all five starters got into the scoring column. Their lead grew to 39-10 on the strength of a 14-point run, fueled by six points from Wiggs.
SPU narrowed the gap with a run of its own, getting nine straight points. When Eisenhower capped the spree on a 3-pointer with 1:58 left in the half, the Falcons were within 39-19.
Anchorage registered the final seven points of the period to claim a 46-19 halftime advantage.
Mitchell's 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining closed the half. He amassed 17 points during the opening 20 minutes, including five treys. Mitchell made his first five shots and four of those were 3-pointers.
SPU shot 29 percent (7 of 24) in the first half, making 2 of 13 treys and 3 of 10 free throws.
UAA countered with 53-percent accuracy (18 of 34), including 6-for-12 on 3-pointers.
Any hopes of a second-half rally were spoiled early when SPU missed its first six shots while the Seawolves netted five points.
The 36-point final margin marked the Falcons worst loss since Feb. 14, 1998 when they fell 130-91 at Montana State Billings.
The SPU men remain in Alaska for one more game. They travel to Fairbanks on Saturday for a 4 p.m. Pacific Time game against the UAF Nanooks.
A pair of home games at Brougham Pavilion await the Falcons upon their return to Seattle. They host defending GNAC champion Western Oregon on Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Concordia (Ore.) on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016
Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Ak.
at Alaska Anchorage 85, Seattle Pacific 49
SEATTLE PACIFIC (5-6, 1-2 GNAC)
Wooten 3-6 1-2 8, Miller 1-7 0-0 2, Rasmussen 3-10 3-5 9, Parker 1-7 0-0 2, Betu 2-6 0-1 5, Eisenhower 4-5 2-2 12, Khan 2-7 2-2 6, Streufert 1-3 2-4 4, Van Dyken 0-0 1-2 1, Long 0-4 0-2 0, Poulsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-55 11-20 49.
ALASKA ANCHORAGE (8-3, 2-1 GNAC)
Hammell 4-9 6-6 14, Devine 4-7 2-4 10, Wiggs 6-17 1-3 14, Mitchell 8-10 2-2 25, Svejcar 4-5 1-2 10, Thompson 2-3 0-1 4, Berg 1-3 0-0 2, McTier 1-2 0-0 2, Parrish 1-1 0-0 2, Fulp 1-3 0-0 2, Ryan 0-1 0-0 0, Simmers 0-0 0-0 0, Pomrehn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-61 12-18 85.
Seattle Pacific 19 30 - 49
Alaska Anchorage 46 39 - 85
3-point goals--SPU 4-25 (Eisenhower 2-3, Betu 1-2, Wooten 1-4, Streufert 0-1, Miller 0-5, Parker 0-5, Long 0-1, Khan 0-2, Rasmussen 0-2), UAA 9-18 (Mitchell 7-9, Wiggs 1-6, Svejcar 1-2, Fulp 0-1). Fouled out--SPU-None, UAA-None. Rebounds--SPU 32 (Streufert, Miller 4), UAA 41 (Hammell 14). Assists--SPU 11 (Wooten 4), UAA 24 (Svejcar 7). Total fouls--SPU 19, UAA 18. Technical fouls--SPU-None, UAA-None. A-1,128.
Next SPU Men's Basketball Game
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Fairbanks
Saturday, Dec. 31, 4:00 p.m. PST
Patty Center / Fairbanks, Ak.
