ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team were stunned by a late rally from the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Thursday night, as they dropped their first game on a season-long four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip, 76-71, at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The loss snapped the Nooks three-game winning streak, as they are now 16-7 on the year and move into fourth place in the GNAC with a 10-5 mark. For Alaska Anchorage, they maintain their half-game lead for second place over Seattle Pacific, as they improve to 12-4 in the conference and 19-8 overall on the year.
Thursday's game featured 12 lead changes and seven ties, but the final lead change came at the 6:27 mark when UAA took a 57-56 lead after a Drew Peterson 3-point field goal. The teams traded baskets over the next couple of possessions, but then the Seawolves rolled off five-straight points to take a 67-60 lead after another Peterson trifecta with 3:34 left to play.
Alaska Anchorage hit 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the closing minutes, as they pushed their advantage to nine with 35 seconds to play. Junior Bangaly Kaba made things interested with a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers within four seconds of play to pull within three at 74-71. Anchorage sealed the deal on their next possession with a pair of Peterson free throws and picked up the five-point victory.
Senior Travante Williams led a quartet of double-digit scores for the Nooks on Thursday, with a team-best 22 points. Williams hit seven of his 16 field goal attempts against UAA and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Thursday's 22-point performance marks his 13th-straight double-digit scoring game.
Kaba tallied double-digits for the second time in three games with an 18-point effort. The junior led the team in assists for the second-straight contest, as he handed out a game-best five helpers. Fellow junior Brandon Davis turned in a 17-point performance, while senior Almir Hadzisehovic extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games with 12 points.
Alaska collected a 43.9 percent field goal percentage on the night, while holding Alaska Anchorage to 41.5 percent. The Nooks also outscored UAA, 32-20, in points in the paint.
UAA's Brian McGill tallied a game-best 28 points, while the GNAC's leading score Sekou Wiggs scored 20 points.
The Nooks will be back in action on Saturday, as they conclude their four-game GNAC road trip at Montana State Billings. Tip-off is set for 3:15 p.m. AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
