ANCHORAGE, Alaska – With Houston Baptist's leading scorer, senior guard Andrew Gonzalez, in foul trouble, Alaska Anchorage went on a 13-0 run in the first half and withstood a late rally to down the Huskies, 74-67, in the second round of the Carrs Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Friday afternoon at Sullivan Arena.
Freshman guard T.J. Berry went 5-for-6, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc, to finish with 15 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Huskies (0-5). Senior guard Michael Moss also had 15 points and added four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Miles Dixon had 11 points, and junior forward Terry Bembry led HBU with six rebounds. Gonzalez finished with a career-low five points, breaking a string of 14 consecutive double-figure scoring games, including a streak of six straight games in which he had scored 20 more.
Brandon Walker hit 10-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, to lead UAA (2-3) with 25 points. Casey Robinson added 14 points and six rebounds, while Mario Gill had 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Seawolves.
In the first half, HBU led 11-9 at the 15:26 mark, but neither team scored over the next 4:26, when UAA tied the game. The Huskies took a 16-11 lead, but the Seawolves forced Gonzalez into his third offensive foul of the half and took advantage with a run that put them up 24-16. The Seawolves led 33-21 at halftime, with Walker leading them with nine points.
UAA took its largest lead of the game as it held a 16-point advantage with 13:38 remaining in the game, but a 10-2 run by the Huskies cut the deficit to single digits. HBU cut the lead to five with 3:43 to go, but UAA responded by scoring the next seven to go back up by 12 with 1:30 left. The Huskies still wouldn't go quietly as they got within five with 35 second left, and missed a couple of opportunities to make it a one-possession game down the stretch.
The Seawolves shot 45.3 percent from the field for the game, including 8-of-20 (40.0 percent) from 3-point range, while the Huskies shot 48.1 percent from the field and 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from behind the arc. UAA took more than twice as many free throws as they hit 18-of-28, while HBU was 9-of-13. UAA outrebounded HBU, 32-30, including 11-9 on the offensive glass.
The Huskies conclude play at the Great Alaska Shootout when they face Southern Utah Saturday at 3 p.m. CDT (noon in Alaska).