Monday, January 15, 2024
by Thomas Lal

PORTLAND, Ore. –  After 42 days away from the Alaska Airlines Center, the Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team made no mistake in its conference home opener, picking up two wins en route to GNAC Team of the Week honors.

The Seawolves made a triumphant return to their home hardwood last week with a 75-61 win over Central Washington last Thursday and a 71-68 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. With two more wins under their belt, the Seawolves’ home record improves to an undefeated 8-0. The weekend’s results see UAA in fourth place in the GNAC standings courtesy of a 3-2 conference record (13-3 overall).

The Seawolves picked up the win in their conference home opener with a wire-to-wire victory over the Wildcats after opening the game with an 8-0  scoring run. While UAA leaped out to an early lead, the Seawolves defending in the second half also proved to be a key to securing the result. In the second frame, UAA held CWU to just 33.3% from the field and 13.3% from three-point range while outscoring the Wildcats 36-27 to close out the win.

Offensively, Alaska Anchorage was led to Thursday’s win by a trio of double-digit scorers. Senior guard Tyson Gilbert was the top scoring threat for the team, finishing with 16 points to tie for the game lead. Gilbert also picked up three rebounds, two steals and an assist while shooting 6 for 10 from the field, including 4 for 6 from beyond the three-point arc. Fellow senior guard Dathan Satchell and junior guard Dillon Barrientos both finished the night with 15 points, one block and one steal. Barrientos also notched eight rebounds and eight assists in the victory.

On Saturday, the Seawolves used a big first half against the Nighthawks to set the tone for their fourth straight win. Alaska Anchorage poured in 40 points in the first frame while holding NNU to just 23 on 39.1% shooting. It was a stifling defensive performance on the perimeter for the Seawolves as they allowed just four three-pointers all night. As a team, the Seawolves made the most of their offensive opportunities by shooting 50% from the field and 48.1% from long range.

It was another monster performance for Satchell to lead all players with a GNAC career-high 24 points on 8 of 11 from the field and an impressive 6 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc. Along with his outstanding points total, Satchell finished with six rebounds, two assists and one steal. Barrientos also rounded out the week with a second consecutive strong performance, notching 14 points to go with six assists, two rebounds and a steal. Senior guard Jaron Williams made it three UAA players in the double digits with 10 points to go with five assists, three steals and two rebounds.

After a brief stint at home, Alaska Anchorage will return to the road this week as it travels to face Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.