Box Score FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Tiffin outscored Alaska 12-5 over the final 2:14 and converted a clutch three-pointer with under a minute to play to take an 86-79 men's basketball victory at the 2011 GCI Alaska Invitational on Friday night at the Patty Center.
“We felt good at half, but I felt they played a bit more physical in the second half,” Head Coach
Mick Durham said. “They made that separation move and we got down 10 but I was proud of our guys to pull back even. I'm proud how we hung in there and we have to come back and get better.”
The Dragons (3-1) had possession with a three-point lead in the final minute before senior guard
Karl Finley drained a 25-foot long-range jumper as the shot clock expired to double the lead to six at 83-77 and they hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Sophomore guard
Joe Graessle tallied a game-high 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half, and Finley chipped in 20 points with 15 coming in the final frame. Both guards also tied for a game-high with five assists. Seniors
Brandon Harris and
Travis Spahr each contributed 14 points and six rebounds.
“We wanted to get a win and with this win it lets us compete for the championship,” Tiffin head coach
John Hill said. “We have a chance to get there and we told the guys we came up here to try and win the tournament. Those 18 hats that were bought, we'd like to be wearing them on the plane home.”
For Alaska (1-3), four players scored in double figures, led by junior guard
Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/College of the Redwoods), who had 16 points and made four treys. Sophomore forward
Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Panola College) and senior guard
Jarrett Miller each scored 15 points and each made a trio of long-range shots. Freshman forward
Jesse Ward (North Pole, Alaska/North Pole) came off the bench for 12 points in just 12 minutes. Miller also tied the game-high with five assists as well.
The Dragons shot 51.6-percent (33-64 FG) for the game and drained eight threes on 17 attempts (47.1%) while the Nanooks struggled in the second half, finishing the game with a 41.3-percent (26-63 FG) shooting night. They played better from the perimeter Friday, sinking 12 treys (12-30 3PT -- 40%).
After a strong first half on the boards which saw Alaska leading the rebounding war 20-15, Tiffin ruled the glass in the final 20, with a 24-15 advantage (39-35 overall). The teams also did a much better job holding on to possession as TU made just eight turnovers to UA's 10.
“We wore down a bit [in the second half],” Durham said. “Rebounding for us is still a work in progress. We rebounded pretty well the first half and a lot of things got away from us defensively in the second, not just rebounding.”
Durham continued, “Their two best players made plays to win the game. They hit a fade away in the corner, hit the 25 footer to seal it, so my hat's off to those guys.”
The Nanooks led 12-5, but an 11-4 run by the visitors tied it up at 16 with 11:11 to go in the first. The Dragons took a lead briefly, but a 13-4 run by UA that spanned 3:26 gave the lead back to Alaska at 32-24 with 5:48 left in the half. The Nanooks led by as many as 10 points and took a 43-37 lead into the locker room.
In the second, Alaska led 48-39, but Tiffin tied it at 50-50 with 11:43 to go after an 11-2 run. Tica hit a three to give UA a 53-50 lead, but the Dragons answered with 13 of the game's next 16 points to turn the tide and take the lead at 63-56 with just over 10 to play.
Leading 73-63 with 5:48 remaining, Tiffin allowed Alaska to score 11 of the next 12 to ignite the crowd of 263 and erase the deficit. A dunk by Harris and a pair of Graessle free throws gave the Dragons a four-point lead, but Brinson answered with a three with 94 seconds to go.
The lead got back to three after Graessle hit two more free throws, and after Brinson's three-point attempts went off the mark, that set up Finley's dagger from 25 feet out to put the game out of reach.
“They played really smart at the end and that's what won the game,” Tica said. “Their five guys who came back from last year played together and they played really smart to bring the game to an end. In the crucial moments, they outplayed us.”
“It was an improvement from last night,” Brinson said. “We came out and fought, but it wasn't good enough in the end. I think tomorrow will be a different story. We have in our minds that we want to win.”
Tomorrow, the Nanooks will conclude the 2011 Alaska Invitational with a 5:15 p.m. meeting against Lindenwood, which is 1-1 in the tournament. Earlier in session two,
LU fell in overtime, 92-82, to Southwest Baptist. In the first game Saturday, SBU plays Tiffin and a win by the Bearcats would complete a clean sweep and secure the tournament title.
