ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Twenty-one second-half points by Montana State University Billings senior Jace Anderson weren't enough to lift the Yellowjackets on Saturday, as host Alaska Anchorage maintained its spot atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball standings with a 74-58 win at the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
GNAC-leading scorer Suki Wiggs scored 28 points and added nine rebounds, while the conference's leading rebounder, Corey Hammell, had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double for UAA (19-5, 13-3 GNAC).
 
MSUB (13-11, 8-8 GNAC) got within two possessions on two different occasions down the stretch, but couldn't get over the hump in their third loss in the last four games. Anderson matched his season high with 22 points, as he made 6 of 11 shots including 5 of 7 threes and 5 of 6 free throws to carry the 'Jackets.
 
"I was so pleased with how hard our guys played tonight against one of the best teams in the west region," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "It was just a case where we couldn't make enough plays down the stretch against a really well-coached team."
 
The 'Jackets slipped into a three-way tie for third place in the GNAC standings, and are now even with Saint Martin's and Northwest Nazarene with four games to play. UAA and Western Washington have each clinched a spot in the 2016-17 GNAC Championships, leaving four spots open for seven teams that are all separated by three games or less.
 
Marc Matthews contributed 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting, and also had five rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal. Junior Jordan Perry was the other MSUB player in double figures with a dozen points, and also grabbed four rebounds and added two assists in 27 minutes. MSUB leading scorer Preston Beverly was held scoreless for the first time this season, and grabbed three rebounds and blocked three shots before fouling out in 20 minutes. 

The Seawolves started the game on a 10-2 run, as MSUB's first points of the evening didn't come until a pair of free throws by Perry nearly five minutes into the action.
 
MSUB held its own defensively in the opening half however, and got back into the game by holding UAA scoreless for nearly four minutes from the 10:29 mark to the 6:35 mark. Matthews scored 11 quick

points on three 3-pointers and a jumper, his second trey giving the Yellowjackets their first lead of the game up 22-20 with 4:33 to play before the break.
 
The Seawolves closed the half on a 10-0 run however, and carried a 30-22 advantage into the locker rooms. Beverly got off to a great start with three rebounds and two blocks defensively, but picked up two fouls and was limited to just six minutes of action in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Wiggs drilled UAA's first trey of the game to start the second half, as seven straight Seawolf points extended the run to 17-0 and made the score 37-22. Anderson single-handedly got MSUB back into the game, scoring the next nine points with a pair of threes and a three-point play to help cut the deficit to 42-31.
 
A layup by Perry with 7:50 to play cut the deficit to 56-50, but it was as close as the 'Jackets got to pulling even down the stretch.
 
The No. 2 rebounding team in all of the NCAA proved to be too much for the 'Jackets to handle however, as the Seawolves blew MSUB away on the boards 46-24 with 17 of those coming on the offensive end. Spencer Svejcar had a big night for the hosts, scoring 17 points and just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. Diante Mitchell was also in double figures for UAA with 10 points, and had three rebounds and three assists.
 
The 'Jackets shot just 27.6 percent (8-for-29) in the opening half, and finished the game well below their season average of 44.1 percent at 33.3 percent (18-for-54). Despite the low field-goal percentage, MSUB shot the ball well from the arc at 43.5 percent for the game (10-for-23), and made 12 of 14 foul shots.
 
UAA meanwhile shot 43.3 percent from the field (26-for-60), and capitalized on 21 free-throw attempts by making 19 of them (90.5 percent). Much how the Seawolves struggled from the perimeter in their 69-68 loss to MSUB in Billings on Jan. 12, the team was again cold from long range at just 3-for-9 including 0-for-4 in the opening half.
 
"Moving forward, we cannot wait for the last two weeks of the GNAC season," Stevens said. "So much can still happen and we are looking forward to getting home and going back to work."
 
THE BUZZ: Anderson was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…his other game this year with 22 points came on Nov. 25, 2016 at Colorado Mesa…two of Beverly's four lowest scoring games in his career have come in Anchorage, as he scored just three points at Alaska Airlines Center last season…it was the first time this season he was held to under 11 points in a game and the first time he was held scoreless since Nov. 27, 2015 at the University of Mary…UAA leads the all-time series 43-31 and is 32-5 in games played in Anchorage.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB returns home next week for its final two games at Alterowitz Gym of the 2016-17 season. The Yellowjackets host Seattle Pacific on Thursday in a 5:15 p.m. tipoff, before taking on Saint Martin's on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. tip. Matthews and Anderson will be honored in a pregame ceremony on Senior Night Saturday. Both games will be played as doubleheaders in conjunction with MSUB's women's basketball team, and live video and live statistics will be available through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.