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FAIRBANKS, Alaska — No. 19 Seattle Pacific shot 52 percent in the second half to fend off an Alaska comeback and dominated the rebounding category Saturday, pulling away for a 67-56 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball victory and ending the Nanooks' home winning streak at 11 games.
 
It was Alaska's (13-8, 8-5 GNAC) first home loss this season, moving them to 9-1 at the Patty Center, and its first in over a year when Central Washington defeated the Nanooks 71-54 on Feb. 2, 2013. Alaska's 11 straight home wins tied its longest home winning streak since joining the GNAC in 2001-02. The team also won 11 straight in Fairbanks during the 2002-03 season.
 
The GNAC-leading Falcons (20-4, 11-2 GNAC) clinched their fifth-straight 20-win season thanks to sound shooting late and a 41-22 rebounding advantage. SPU entered the game as the GNAC's best shooting team at 51.4 percent for the season, but were held to just 36.7 percent shooting in the first half. They turned that around in the second half, shooting 52.0 percent with six 3-pointers and holding the Nanooks to 42.3 percent shooting.
 
The Nanooks were led by senior forward Stefan Tica's (Belgrade, Serbia/Business Administration) 17 points on 6 for 9 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Tica has made at least one 3-pointer in nine straight games and two or more in eight of his last nine outings.
 
The Falcons had three players in double figures. Patrick Simon and Mitch Penner each had 18 points, with Penner's 18 coming in 23 minutes off the bench. Matt Borton had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Senior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice) was Alaska's only other scorer in double figures with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Kelly also had a game-high three steals, as the Nanooks forced 10 Seattle Pacific turnovers to their season-low five.
 
By forcing 10 turnovers, Alaska dominated points off turnovers 11-5 and the fast break 6-0, but the game was won on the glass. Seattle Pacific's 41-22 rebounding advantage was the most the Nanooks have been outrebounded by this season. It included a 14-4 lead on the offensive boards, which translated into a 17-8 advantage for the Falcons in second-chance points.
 
Seattle Pacific outrebounded Alaska 24-11 in the first half alone, including 10-2 on the offensive end for a 12-5 second-chance points advantage and a 30-25 halftime lead. Kelly scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, including all seven of the Nanooks' final points in the last 3 minutes, 30 seconds of the period to close a nine-point deficit to five.
 
The Nanooks continued to push coming out of the break, tying the game at 30-30 with five straight points on a 3-pointer by Tica and a layup from senior guard Ronnie Baker (Vallejo, Calif./Communication), who finished the game 1 for 9 with six points.
 
After a 3-pointer from Borton gave the lead back to Seattle Pacific, Alaska would take its first lead since the 13:38 mark of the first half on five more consecutive points from junior guard Joe Slocum (San Francisco/Communication), capping a 15-3 run that spanned both halves to give the Nanooks a 35-33 lead.
 
Seattle Pacific put out Alaska's fire quickly with a 12-2 run over the next 4:33, accentuated by a dunk from Simon to give the Falcons a 45-37 lead. Alaska answered with six straight points on another 3-pointer from Tica and a three-point play from Kelly to make it a two-point game, but that was as close as it would get.
 
SPU led the rest of the way, pushing its lead to as much as 13 with 2:05 to play before settling for the 11-point victory. Four of Seattle Pacific's five starters played at least 32 of 40 minutes in the game. Penner outscored Alaska's bench on his own, 18-5.
 
Alaska heads out on its final road trip of the season next week when it travels to Northwest Nazarene Thursday and Central Washington Saturday. Thursday's game against the Crusaders tips off at 5 p.m. AKST, while Saturday's matchup against the Wildcats tips at 6 p.m. AKST.