Men's Basketball | 2/20/2014 10:44:00 PM

Box Score

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Jordan Wiley three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the game, gave the Western Oregon University men's basketball team a 71-70 road win at the University of Alaska Thursday.

The Wolves (15-10, 8-7 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) won their fourth straight game with only three games left in the regular season. Western Oregon has won five of its last six games. WOU is now in sole possession of fifth place in the conference standings and a half-game out of fourth place. The top six teams make the GNAC Championships.

Wiley completed a wild finish that favored Western Oregon. The Wolves trailed by five points with 23 seconds remaining in regulation before it reeled off the game's final six points. WOU rallied from a 17-point deficit, matching the largest under Brady Bergeson, in the first half as well.

Devon Alexander led Western Oregon with a season-high 20 points. The sophomore made 8-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and made a game-high five steals. Andy Avgi added 15 points and Wiley finished with 12, all from behind-the-arc.

Western Oregon improved to 12-1 this season when it finishes with a better field goal percentage than its opponent. The Wolves made 49 percent of their shots from the field, while UAF was 47 percent. Both teams made seven three-pointers. WOU was 12-for-18 from the free throw line, while the Nanooks were 7-of-9.

After scoring the game's first five points, Alaska built its lead to 18-6 at the 14:37 mark of the first half. Five minutes later, a Mike Stepovich three-pointer gave the Nanooks their largest advantage of the game, 32-15. Western Oregon then scored 16 unanswered points over an eight minute stretch. UAF was 0-for-8 from the field and committed six turnovers during the drought. The Wolves scored 23 of the 25 points in the final nine minutes of the first half. WOU led 38-34 at halftime.

The Nanooks regained the momentum and the lead early in the second half. Alaska led by six twice, but Western Oregon battled and exchanged the lead several times in the second stanza. Trailing 70-65 with 23 seconds left in the game, the Wolves ended the game on a 6-0 run. Alexander made a lay-in, while being fouled. His ensuing free throw cut the lead to three with 16 seconds remaining. After the Nanooks missed the front end of a one-and-one, Wiley's three-pointer completed the scoring. A last second shot by Alaska fell short.

The win avenged a tough loss for WOU less than a month ago in Monmouth. The Wolves had their 14-point second half lead slip away when UAF completed the game on a 21-3 run. Western Oregon snapped a three-game skid to Alaska with Thursday's win. The Nanooks have won 18 of the 32 all-time meetings.

Ronnie Baker matched the game-high of 20 points. He was 8-of-20 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind-the-perimeter. Joe Slocum added 15 points and four steals. Andrew Kelly finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Stefan Tica had 10 points.

The Nanooks (15-9, 10-6 GNAC) remain one win from clinching their spot in the GNAC Championships. UAF had a 32-28 edge on the glass, and a 40-30 advantage in points in the paint. Alaska committed 19 turnovers to Western Oregon's 16.

The Wolves travel to Alaska-Anchorage for Saturday's game. The Seawolves cruised to a 92-58 win in Monmouth in the first meeting this season. UAA made 19 three-pointers in that victory. Alaska-Anchorage beat Saint Martin's Thursday. Saturday's tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. AT. Live video and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

Western Oregon vs Alaska
02/20/14 7:30 pm at Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)
At Fairbanks, Alaska (Patty Center)
WESTERN OREGON 71, ALASKA 70
WESTERN OREGON (15-10, 8-7 GNAC)
Alexander,Devon 8-12 1-1 20; Avgi,Andy 5-7 5-5 15; Wiley,Jordan 4-8 0-0 12;
Webster,Rodney 2-7 5-8 9; Sarhan,Marwan 3-9 1-2 7; Thomas,Lewis 2-7 0-0 4;
Hastings,Adam 2-3 0-2 4; Schriber,Jordan 0-0 0-0 0; DupreeTurner,Dezmond 0-0
0-0 0; Johnson,Drew 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-53 12-18 71.
ALASKA (15-9, 10-6 GNAC)
Baker,Ronnie 8-12 0-1 20; Slocum,Joe 5-11 5-5 15; Tica,Stefan 4-13 0-1 10;
Kelly,Andrew 4-9 2-2 10; Pucar,Sergej 4-6 0-0 8; Stepovich,Mike 1-1 0-0 3;
Reese,Anthony 1-2 0-0 2; Pierson,Cody 1-1 0-0 2; Bills,Dallen 0-2 0-0 0;
Allen,Rashaad 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 7-9 70.
Western Oregon................   38   33  -   71
Alaska........................   34   36  -   70
3-point goals--Western Oregon 7-17 (Wiley,Jordan 4-7; Alexander,Devon 3-5;
Webster,Rodney 0-3; Sarhan,Marwan 0-1; Thomas,Lewis 0-1), Alaska 7-20
(Baker,Ronnie 4-5; Tica,Stefan 2-6; Stepovich,Mike 1-1; Pucar,Sergej 0-2;
Allen,Rashaad 0-2; Slocum,Joe 0-4). Fouled out--Western Oregon-None,
Alaska-None. Rebounds--Western Oregon 28 (Alexander,Devon 8), Alaska 32
(Kelly,Andrew 11). Assists--Western Oregon 9 (Webster,Rodney 4), Alaska 16
(Kelly,Andrew 4). Total fouls--Western Oregon 14, Alaska 14. Technical
fouls--Western Oregon-None, Alaska-None. A-239