Friday, March 6, 2020

SEATTLE – He was quiet offensively through the first half, but Oggie Pantovic was there when Alaska Anchorage needed him most.

The junior forward scored a team-high 23 points and connected on what proved to be the game-winning three-point play with 43 seconds left as the No. 5 seeded Seawolves beat No. 1 seed Seattle Pacific, 86-85, in the semifinals of the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championships at Royal Brougham Pavilion.

Pantovic did not score his first basket until the 5:30 mark of the first half and proceeded to score 12 of his 23 in the second half in a close, exciting contest. Senior guard Niko Bevens added 18 points, all on 6 of 12 from three-point range, while senior guard Tyrus Hosley scored 16. Alaska Anchorage (20-13) shot 58.5 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from three-point range.

With the win, the Seawolves earn the right to take on No. 2 seed Western Washington in the GNAC Championships final on Saturday at 5 p.m. This marks the third time in tournament history that the No. 5 seed has advanced to the final (Montana State Billings in 2012 and Western Washington in 2015).

Sophomore guard Divant’e Moffitt led Seattle Pacific (22-7) with 28 points on 8 of 17 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Gabe Colosimo finished with 17 points and freshman forward Shaw Anderson added 12 to go with nine rebounds. The Falcons shot 48.3 percent from the field, made 90.9 percent from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Seawolves 30-26.

As advertised, the contest started as a close affair with neither team leading by more than four points over the opening 13 minutes. The Seawolves trailed 30-29 before Hosley’s three-pointer started a 13-4 run over the next five minutes. The run culminated on Tyler Brimhall’s short jumper at the 2:30 mark that put Alaska Anchorage ahead 43-33. Bevens put the icing on the half with a long three-pointer with 1:10 that allowed the Seawolves a 50-37 halftime lead.

Alaska Anchorage blistered the nets for 62.1 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Seawolves shot 50 percent from three-point range, buoyed by 5 of 8 from outside by Bevens.

Seattle Pacific came out of the locker room inspired, outscoring the Seawolves 18-7 over the first seven minutes of the second half. A three-point play by Moffitt brought the deficit under 10 points and another three-point play by Colosimo made it a two-point gage, 57-55, at the 13:23 mark. Filip Anderson gave the Falcons their first second-half lead, 60-59, on a lay-in with 10:40 left.

Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way with nine lead changes and three ties. Seattle Pacific built a three-point lead when a pair of Harry Cavell free throws with 4:02 left but Alaska Anchorage responded to build a four-point advantage when Hosley hit a three-pointer with 1:43 left and never trailed from that point.

After Pantovic’s three-point play, Anderson put the Falcons in a spot to challenge for the win with a lay-in with 27 seconds but SPU could not convert on a pair of attempts in the final possession of the game.