University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Box Score ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska men's basketball team nearly overcame a double-digit second half deficit Friday in its 2013-14 season opener against Regis (Colo.) University, but a turnover with 2 1/2 minutes to play allowed the Rangers to escape with a 72-63 victory in the opening game of the AT&T Jamboree, hosted by Alaska Anchorage.
 
Senior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice) put in a jumper with 3:19 to play to cut the Nanooks' (0-1) deficit to four at 63-59 after they had trailed by 10 on three different occasions during the second half. Regis would miss on the other end and Kelly grabbed the rebound, giving Alaska an opportunity to cut the lead to two or one.
 
But senior guard Ronnie Baker (Vallejo, Calif./Communication) would be called for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to Regis (1-0) with 2:36 on the clock. Kelly cut it to four again with 1:20 left to play. But the Rangers' Kevin Marshall banked in an improbable 3-pointer, falling back from the top of the key as the shot clock approached zero, all but sealing the victory.
 
Baker led the Nanooks with 15 points. Junior guard Joe Slocum (San Francisco/Communication) had 14 with five assists and four steals. Senior center Sergej Pucar (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration) scored 13 and tied Kelly for the team lead in rebounds with five.
 
Jon Conley tallied 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench for the Rangers. Jarrett Green added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Regis outshot Alaska as a team, 48.2 percent to 42.6 percent and outrebounded the Nanooks 33-27.
 
The teams were tied at 28-28 at halftime after Alaska had held as much as a nine-point advantage just 5 minutes in. Both teams shot over 50 percent in the second half, but the biggest difference in the game was the bench scoring. The Rangers' bench outscored the Nanooks' reserves 23-5, with three players playing 13 or more minutes.
 
Alaska concludes play at the AT&T Jamboree at 1 p.m. Saturday against Holy Names University of the Pacific West Conference.