Men's Basketball | 1/25/2014 4:02:00 PM

Box Score
POSTGAME QUOTES

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The University of Alaska men's basketball team used a 21-3 run to close out a 60-54 come-from-behind victory at Western Oregon University Saturday.

The Nanooks (12-5, 7-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) trailed by 14 points with 7:30 remaining in regulation, but scored 21 of the game's final 24 points. Alaska held WOU to 1-of-10 shooting over the final eight minutes, while it made 7-of-13. The Nanooks outrebounded Western Oregon 13-3 during the last eight minutes, with six rebounds coming on the offensive end.

Alaska improved its conference-high win streak to five games, while the Wolves dropped their fifth straight contest. The Nanooks closed the first half of GNAC play in emphatic fashion, and sit in a tie atop the conference standings.

Andrew Kelly led Alaska with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. He made six of his seven attempts from the field. The senior threw a game-high four assists and made three steals. Sergej Pucar scored a team-high 15 points, making 6-of-9, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. After shooting 36 percent from the field in the first half, the Nanooks made 48 percent of its shots in the second half. They were also 8-of-22 from behind-the-arc, and 10-for-13 from the free throw line.

Alaska turned 19 WOU turnovers into 27 points. The Nanooks committed 19 turnovers. Both teams scored 26 points in the paint, but Alaska held a 16-8 edge in the second half. The teams combined for 27 steals, with the Nanooks having 14. Alaska outrebounded the Wolves, 33-23, with 11 offensive rebounds.

The Nanooks only led for two minutes in a game that featured three ties and six lead changes. Western Oregon got out to an 11-4 lead after a 7-0 run early in the game. Alaska closed within one point, but never led after its 4-3 advantage at the beginning of the game. WOU had a 29-26 halftime edge. The Wolves shot 12-of-24 from the field in the opening half, and had a 16-13 rebound advantage.

Western Oregon scored 12 of the first 14 points to start the second half. Four minutes into the second stanza, the Wolves built their lead to 41-28. A Jordan Wiley three-pointer with 8:09 remaining in the game, gave WOU its largest lead, 53-39. Alaska then went on a 16-0 run over a four-minute span. Western Oregon (10-9, 3-6 GNAC) missed eight consecutive shots during the stretch, while the Nanooks made 6-of-11. The Wolves committed six turnovers in the final seven minutes, compared to Alaska's one.

Wiley recorded a season-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Rodney Webster added 13 points and matched a career-high with four steals. Adam Hastings grabbed seven rebounds. The Wolves finished 43 percent from the field, 6-of-18 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

The 14-point surrendered lead matched a high for WOU under Brady Bergeson. Last season, Western Oregon had its 14-point first half advantage slip away in the Nanooks' last trip to Monmouth on Feb. 7, 2013. It was the third straight Alaska win in the series.

The Wolves travel to Montana State Billings Thursday for their next game. WOU rallied for a 98-90 double overtime win over the Yellowjackets in the first meeting this season on Jan. 4, in Monmouth. Western Oregon snapped MSUB's four-game winning streak in the series with that win. WOU is 1-7 all-time in Billings. Tipoff for the 18th meeting between the programs is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain Time. Live video and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

Alaska vs Western Oregon
01/25/14 2 p.m. at Monmouth, OR (New P.E. Building)
At Monmouth, OR (New P.E. Building)
ALASKA 60, WESTERN OREGON 56
ALASKA (12-5, 7-2 GNAC)
Pucar,Sergej 6-9 0-0 15; Kelly,Andrew 6-7 2-2 14; Baker,Ronnie 2-7 4-7 9;
Tica,Stefan 3-14 0-0 8; Slocum,Joe 2-5 2-2 7; Allen,Rashaad 1-2 0-0 3;
Reese,Anthony 0-0 2-2 2; Renfro,John 1-4 0-0 2; Pierson,Cody 0-2 0-0 0;
Bills,Dallen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 10-13 60.
WESTERN OREGON (10-9, 3-6 GNAC)
Wiley,Jordan 6-11 2-2 16; Webster,Rodney 6-8 0-0 13; Sarhan,Marwan 4-10 0-0
9; Thomas,Lewis 3-9 0-0 7; Alexander,Devon 1-4 1-2 4; Schriber,Jordan 1-2
0-0 2; Johnson,Drew 1-3 0-0 2; Sabic,Mirza 1-1 0-0 2; Hastings,Adam 0-4 1-2
1; DupreeTurner,Dezmond 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-53 4-6 56.
Alaska........................   26   34  -   60
Western Oregon................   29   27  -   56
3-point goals--Alaska 8-22 (Pucar,Sergej 3-5; Tica,Stefan 2-8; Slocum,Joe
1-2; Allen,Rashaad 1-2; Baker,Ronnie 1-3; Pierson,Cody 0-1; Renfro,John
0-1), Western Oregon 6-18 (Wiley,Jordan 2-5; Webster,Rodney 1-2;
Thomas,Lewis 1-5; Alexander,Devon 1-3; Sarhan,Marwan 1-1; Johnson,Drew 0-2).
Fouled out--Alaska-None, Western Oregon-None. Rebounds--Alaska 33
(Kelly,Andrew 12), Western Oregon 29 (Hastings,Adam 7). Assists--Alaska 11
(Kelly,Andrew 4), Western Oregon 7 (Alexander,Devon 2; Webster,Rodney 2).
Total fouls--Alaska 11, Western Oregon 14. Technical fouls--Alaska-None,
Western Oregon-None. A-471
Great Northwest Athletic Conference game