THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF MEN’S BASKETBALL ...
Saturday, Dec. 7 — 7:30 pm — Wells Fargo Sports Complex — Anchorage, AK
Alaska Fairbanks (4-3, 0-0 GNAC) at Alaska Anchorage (5-4, 0-0 GNAC)
RADIO: Live locally on FM-93.7 KAFC
TV: Catch the delayed telecast at 11 p.m. Saturday on KCFT (GCI Ch. 19)
LIVE STATS: GoSeawolves.com
ONLINE: All UAA home games feature free live video and live stats. Surf to GoSeawolves.com and follow the links in the upper right-hand corner … follow Seawolf Athletics as well on Facebook (Alaska Anchorage Seawolves) and Twitter (@UAASeawolves).
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2013-14 stats)
G—Brian McGill, 6-2/185, So. (15.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.8 apg, .477 FG, .841 FT)
G—Travis Thompson, 6-1/185, Jr. (21.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, .429 3FG, .918 FT)
G—Kyle Fossman, 6-0/180, Sr. (16.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, .452 3FG, .846 FT)
F—Teancum Stafford, 6-5/205, Jr. (15.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, .543 FG, .400 3FG)
C—Brad Mears, 6-9/230, Jr. (4.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .515 FG, 5 blocks)
SCOUTING THE NANOOKS: Alaska Fairbanks went 3-0 in its home tournament Nov. 21-23 but has just a 1-3 mark away from its home court … the Nanooks are led by G Ronnie Baker (17.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, .506 FG, .538 3FG, .781 FT) and F Andrew Kelly (12.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, .700 FG, .889 FT).
ALL-TIME vs UAF: UAA leads 72-21 (41-5 at UAA) / Last Meeting: UAA 71-69 (2/16/13 at UAA) / Streak: UAA 15 / Notes: UAA has the longest streak in series history at 15, although the last four games have been decided by six points or less … UAA has won 10 straight at home since a 73-70 loss, Feb. 22, 2003 … UAF’s last win overall was 76-73, in Fairbanks, Jan. 28, 2006 … UAA leads 19-5 in GNAC meetings (since 2001-02) and 42-9 since 1990 … teams have met at least twice each year since both became NCAA Div. II programs in 1977-78.
TEAM COMPARISONS UAA UAF
UAA Home/Opp. Road 3-3 0-1
Points per Game 81.9 70.9
Points Allowed per Game 74.7 64.9
Rebounding Differential -3.7 -3.4
Assists per Game 16.2 15.7
Turnovers per Game 8.9 10.0
Steals per Game 4.3 7.0
Blocks per Game 1.6 1.1
FG% .456 .422
3-pt FG% .392 .333
FT% .785 .780
SHOOTOUT RECAP: The Seawolves went winless against NCAA Div. I competition in their own Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout for the first time since 2007, despite playing all three opponents within 10 points … UAA held a lead in the last minute in its 73-70 first-round loss to TCU and was ahead by eight points at halftime in the finale against Denver before falling 78-71 … Jr. G Travis Thompson averaged 16.7 ppg and shot 10 of 22 (.455) from long distance to earn a spot on the Carrs/Safeway All-Tournament Team, while Sr. G Kyle Fossman netted a tournament-high 28 points in the Seawolves’ 97-87 loss to Indiana State.
LAST TIME AT THE FARG: The Seawolves started the home portion of their schedule with three wins in three days, Nov. 15-17, taking the unofficial title of their annual AT&T Jamboree with wins over Holy Names (Calif.) and Regis (Colo.), before ending with another (non-tourney) game against Holy Names on Sunday … in the first HNU contest, Jr. G/F Teancum Stafford posted his second career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Jr. G Travis Thompson (23 pts, 5-9 3FG) and Sr. G Kyle Fossman (22 pts, 6-12 3FG) accounted for nearly half of UAA’s points in the 93-60 runaway … So. PG Brian McGill made his Seawolf home debut with 15 points, 9 rebounds and only 1 turnover … in the showdown against Regis, Thompson exploded for 30 points (12-13 FT) and Fossman added 21 points (4-7 3FG), 5 assists and 5 rebounds to keep the Rangers at arm’s reach, 88-74 … McGill added 13 points and 8 assists, and Stafford had 10 points and 6 boards … Thompson was named in the Jamboree’s Most Outstanding Player, with McGill, Fossman and Stafford also making the all-tourney team … in the rematch with HNU (not considered part of the Jamboree), McGill had 26 points (10-14 FG, 2-3 3FG, 5 asst, 0 TO) and led a 2nd-half charge to fend off the Hawks 90-73 … Thompson matched McGill’s 26 points, Fossman had 16 points and came one shy of his career-high with 8 assists, and Sr. G/F Colton Lauwers had 9 points, 4 assists and a career-high-tying 9 rebounds.
DISNEY RECAP: The Seawolves nearly made it a perfect showing at the CCA Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 8-10, knocking off Lindenwood (74-57) and 5th-ranked Minnesota State (83-72), before falling to West Region foe Cal State Dominguez Hills (88-81) in the finale … the Seawolves produced a different leading scorer each night, getting 18 points and 8 rebounds from Sr. G Kyle Fossman to lead the way in the opener … Jr. G Travis Thompson added 11 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds as all five Seawolf starters scored in double figures against the Lions … against the Mavs, UAA got a career-high 29 points from Jr. G/F Teancum Stafford, along with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals from Thompson, to outlast the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference favorites … So. PG Brian McGill added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to help UAA earn its first win over a top-5 team since Feb. 2006 … in the finale, the Seawolves nearly knocked off the Toros despite playing without the services of Stafford, who chose not to play on Sunday because of religious convictions … Thompson nearly made up the slack with a career-high 32 points, while McGill poured in 24 points, but the Toros ended the game with a 9-0 run after UAA had taken a late 81-79 lead.
TEAM NOTES: With non-conference play near completion, UAA leads the GNAC and holds top-20 national ranks in 3FGs per game (7th, 11.4), fewest turnovers per game (7th, 8.9), assist-TO ratio (8th, 1.8) and FT% (15th, .785), while the Seawolves’ grand total of 103 three-pointers lead the nation … UAA has won 28 of its last 31 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, with the only losses coming to 2012 NCAA champ Western Washington (twice) and then-No. 13 Seattle Pacific … UAA has won 27 of its last 29 games when scoring 80 points or more; the 88-81 loss to Cal St. Dominguez Hills snapped a streak of 24 straight wins when hitting that mark, covered the entire 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons … UAA is chasing its ninth straight winning season and the 31st in the program’s 37 years … the Seawolves have also finished with a plus-.500 league record 25 times in 31 years of conference membership.
PLAYER NOTES: Jr. G Travis Thompson ranks No. 2 in the GNAC and 46th nationally with 21.1 points per game, along with a No. 36 national rank in FT% (.918) … coming off a redshirt season, the local Dimond HS product has tallied double figures in all nine games thus far, bettering his career-high by eight with a 32-point effort in the finale against CSU Dominguez Hills … with 30 points against Regis and 26 in the rematch with Holy Names, Thompson topped the 25-point mark three times in an 8-day span, Nov. 10-17 … Thompson was named Most Outstanding Player of the Nov. 15-16 AT&T Jamboree and made the all-tourney team at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout … a 2nd-Team All-GNAC pick in 2011-12 and a preseason all-league selection this year, Thompson currently ranks among UAA’s career top 20 in 3FG% (5th, .455), FT% (4th, .863) and 3FGs made (13th, 140), along with No. 32 on the all-time scoring list (747); he needs nine points to move into the top 30 in scoring and seven more treys to reach the top 10 … Sr. G Kyle Fossman was a First Team All-GNAC pick and joined Thompson as a preseason All-GNAC designee … the Haines product started the season right with team highs of 18 points (6-11 FG, 4-7 3FG) and 8 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and has sprung for double figures in eight of nine games overall ... UAA’s 2012-13 team MVP ranks 7th in the early GNAC scoring race with 16.8 ppg, boosted by a career-high-tying 28 points in the loss to Indiana State … since the start of the season, Fossman has risen from 12th to 4th place on UAA’s career 3FGs list (177), while his other career ranks include 4th in 3FG% (.456), 7th in FT% (.850) and 26th in points (877); he needs 10 points to reach the top 25 and 18 more treys to catch Kemmy Burgess (2003-04, 05-06) for No. 3 in 3FGs … another preseason all-league pick and returning All-GNAC 2nd Team selection, Jr. G/F Teancum Stafford sits 10th in the early GNAC scoring race with 15.1 ppg, boosted by a career-high 29 points in the 83-72 victory over No. 5 Minnesota State … Stafford is also 7th in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and 11th in FG% (.543) … since transferring from Snow (Utah) College last year, the Auburn, Wash., native has scored double figures in 29 of 33 appearances, including a current streak of 20 games … Stafford earned his second career double-double and best rebounding effort with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the Jamboree win over Holy Names … So. PG Brian McGill has made an impressive debut after sitting out last year as a transfer from Western Oregon, picking up 46 points, 13 assists, 15 rebounds and four steals on the trip to Anaheim, followed by an all-tourney team showing at the AT&T Jamboree … the Clackamas, Ore., native has committed just 15 turnovers in 312 minutes of action, ranking 3rd in the GNAC with 5.8 assists per game (30th nationally) and a 3.5-to-1 assist-turnover ratio … at 15.9 ppg, McGill is 9th in the league, giving UAA four of the GNAC’s top 10 scorers … Sr. G/F Colton Lauwers has been UAA’s lunch-pail man so far, spelling McGill at the point and banging for rebounds at the power forward position … after a cold start, Lauwers has connected on eight of his last 16 three-pointers, while emerging as the team’s third-leading rebounder (4.4 rpg) … a former Dimond HS teammate of Thompson’s, Lauwers ranks 5th in the GNAC in assist-turnover ratio with 20 assists and just seven giveaways in 213 minutes.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: After being ranked No. 19, UAA fell one spot out of the NABC’s NCAA Div. II Top 25 poll following its three D-I losses … joining Great Northwest Athletic Conference foes No. 5 Western Washington and No. 16 Seattle Pacific … Dixie State remains the only other West Region team in the poll at No. 10, while Minnesota State — having still suffered its only loss to UAA — rose from 12th to 9th … here is an abbreviated look at the latest poll (for complete rankings, visit nabc.org):
NABC Division II Top 25 — Dec. 3, 2013
(UAA & opponents in bold; West Region teams in italics)
Rk Team (1st pl. votes) Rec. Pts
1 West Liberty, W.Va. (12) 5-0 391
2 Bellarmine, Ky. (3) 4-0 381
3 Drury, Mo. 5-0 360
4 Florida Southern (1) 8-0 348
5 Western Washington 4-0 344
6 Metro State, Colo. 3-1 321
7 Indiana, Pa. 6-0 289
8 Findlay, Ohio 3-0 278
9 Minnesota State 7-1 258
10 Dixie State, Utah 4-0 248
16 Seattle Pacific 7-2 131
Other West Region teams receiving 5 or more votes: 26) ALASKA ANCHORAGE 23; 31) Cal State San Bernardino 14; 34) Cal State Stanislaus 6.
UAA PEGGED FOR SECOND: UAA was picked to finish runner-up by the league’s 10 head coaches in the 2013-14 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll, released Oct. 15. Here’s a look at the poll, with actual finish denoted on the right:
2013-14 GNAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rk Team 2012-13 Recs., Pl. Pts
1. Seattle Pacific (9) 27-4 (16-2, 2nd) 99
2. Alaska Anchorage (1) 18-9 (11-7, 3rd) 86
3. Western Washington 31-3 (17-1, 1st) 80
4. Central Washington 15-13 (8-10, 6th) 70
5. Alaska Fairbanks 16-12 (10-8, 4th) 62
6. Western Oregon 10-16 (5-13, 9th) 44
7. Montana State Billings 16-14 (9-9, 5th) 41
8. Northwest Nazarene 13-13 (7-11, 7th) 30
9. Simon Fraser 6-20 (1-17, 10th) 20
10. Saint Martin’s 10-16 (6-12, 8th) 18
ALL-CONFERENCE TRIO: Sr. G Kyle Fossman, Jr. G/F Teancum Stafford and Jr. G Travis Thompson were among 16 players named Oct. 17 to the 2013-14 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team … Fossman and Stafford were both unanimous selections in balloting by the league’s 10 head coaches, while Thompson’s inclusion gave UAA a tie for the most honorees, along with three apiece from Seattle Pacific and Central Washington … Fossman was a First Team All-GNAC performer last season, leading the Seawolves with 14.8 points per game … the Haines native posted top-5 GNAC ranks in 3FGs/gm (2.6, 2nd), minutes/gm (36.2, 3rd), 3FG% (.445, 5th) and FT% (.854, 5th) … Stafford was a Second Team All-GNAC pick in his first season as a Seawolf, tallying 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.2 apg, scoring double figures in 22 of his 26 appearances, including a streak of 12 straight games to end the season … Thompson earned Second Team All-GNAC honors as a sophomore in 2011-12 before redshirting last season … the local Dimond High School product led the GNAC with 47.6 percent three-point shooting and a 2.7-to-1 assist-turnover ratio two years ago, while helping that squad to a 23-7 record and a second-round NCAA berth.
LOOK OUT, GOLIATH: After this year’s Shootout, Division II UAA owns a 55-138 all-time record against Division I opponents (regular season only) … the Seawolves’ biggest upset came during the 1988-89 campaign when they beat then-No. 2 and undefeated Michigan, 70-66, at the Utah Seiko Classic; the Wolverines went on to win the NCAA title that year ... UAA has beaten at least one Division I school in 27 of the last 30 seasons.
SEAWOLVES IN THE SHOOTOUT: The Seawolves, the only Division II team and the only school to appear in every Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, now sport a 35-73 (.331) all-time mark in the tournament, including 13-23 since 2002 … the Seawolves have won at least one game in 29 of the 36 Shootouts.
Nate Sagan
Sports Information Director
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK 9508
(907) 786-1295 / nate@uaa.alaska.edu
GoSeawolves.com
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