Down 37-15 in the first half, and still trailing by 10 with five and a half minutes to go, the UAA men's basketball team pulled out a potentially season-saving win, 71-69 on Saturday night against Montana State-Billings. The Seawolves finish the regular season 11 and 7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and prevent the Yellowjackets from tying them for third in the final conference standings.
Teancum Stafford hit the go-ahead three pointer with 6.7 seconds to play to put UAA up by two. In all, Stafford played a huge role during the Seawolves' late rally, scoring nine of his 16 points in the final 2:25.
UAA entered the week ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II west region poll. Since only eight schools advance to the NCAA tournament, a loss in Billings would have been devastating.
The Seawolves probably still need a strong showing in next week's GNAC tournament to enhance its case.
Meanwhile, the UAA women defeated UAF for the 12th straight time, their 7th straight win overall this season, 76-61. Kylie Burns made seven of nine shots from the field en route to a team-high 21 points.
The Seawolves also wrap up GNAC play 11 and 7 in league. An NCAA tournament bid is also a possibility for the ladies.
