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FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Behind career-high nights by
Richard Woodworth and
Chris Mitchell, Western Washington was able to take advantage of a good shooting night to defeat Alaska 101-81 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Thursday night at the Patty Center.
Woodworth put together a career-best 25 points on nine of 11 shooting and five of six from beyond the arc, while Mitchell turned in 20 points, also a career-high after making eight of 13 shots and three of six from long range.
“We knew Woodworth was good, but Mitchell ha d a pretty good night with 20 points,” head coach
Mick Durham said. “I don't think we're as bad as we played, but we just have some bad stretches.”
The Vikings (14-3, 5-1 GNAC) shot better than 56-percent from the field (36-64), including just shy of 61-percent (17-28) in the second half. They converted time and time again from the perimeter, draining 11 of 24 three-point attempts (.478). Other double-figure scorers included
Rory Blanche and
John Allen, who each had 16 points to go with five assists for both players. Blanche also brought down a game-high eight rebounds. The Nanooks (4-12, 1-5 GNAC) shot just under 42-percent (23-55) for the game and converted eight triples on 17 tries (.471). They also got to the free throw line 31 times, making 27 from the stripe (.871).
“It's always difficult to play on the road and I've known Mick a long time and know he's a good coach and they're well prepared, but we got off to a good start, which we hadn't been doing,” WWU head coach
Brad Jackson said. “We hadn't been playing well on offense, so we broke out a little tonight so I was pleased how we looked most of the game.”
Sophomore center
Sergej Pucar (Banja Luka, Serbia/Jacksonville College) paced Alaska with a career-high 25 points, while sophomore forward
Stefan Tica (Belgrade, Serbia/Panola College) contributed 20 points. Junior guard
Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/College of the Redwoods) also had a balanced stat line with nine points, a career-best eight assists and three steals.
“[Sergej] was able to get the ball and he was the one release we had inside,” Durham said. “I like him taking a bunch of shots. He was definitely a plus getting him to have a big night offensively.”
WWU started fast taking a 19-8 lead just over seven minutes in. After a Nanooks basket, the Vikings went on a 16-5 run over the next 5:40 for a commanding 35-15 advantage with 6:58 to go. The lead got to 20 on four different occasions in the first, but a 10-0 Alaska run in the final 2:44 trimmed the lead to 45-35 at the break.
The Nanooks got to within eight at 47-39, but a Mitchell trey on the ensuing possession sparked a 7-0 run to give the visitors its biggest lead at 54-39 with 16:06 to play. Leading 65-52 with just under 11 to go, seven straight points in two minutes gave Western a 20-point lead, a lead that would never be less than 16 the rest of the way.
“I thought the last five minutes of the half was our best defense of the game but a little surprised the second half,” Durham said. “I thought we'd be better offensively, but we were better offensively so it kind of balanced.”
The Nanooks return to action Saturday at 7 p.m. against Simon Fraser, which conceded the lead late and eventually fell 86-81 at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday.
