Men's basketball ends season with loss to top-seeded Western
March 12, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
Top-seeded Western Washington used a strong defensive effort and controlled just about every facet of the game to down Alaska 61-43 in the semifinal round of the 2013 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Friday night at Marcus Pavilion.
The Vikings (27-1) avenged their only loss of the 2012-13 season against the Nanooks (16-12) and will now advance to the GNAC title game Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. against second-seeded Seattle Pacific.
Western shot 43.8 percent (21-48) from the floor while limiting Alaska to just 30.8 percent (16-52), its second-lowest field goal percentage of the season. WWU dominated the glass by a 43-27 margin in a game that saw three ties and six lead changes. Both teams struggled from outside as the two combined for 26 percent (7-27) shooting from beyond the arc. The Vikings shot well from the line, converting 94 percent (15-16) from the charity stripe while the Nanooks never found a rhythm from the free throw line with a 47 percent (8-17) mark.
Paul Jones led all scorers with 12 points and tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds. John Allen had 11 points and six assists while Cameron Severson had 11 points and nine boards off the bench. Richard Woodworth also contributed nine points and seven rebounds while Anye Turner made three blocks.
The Nanooks were led by senior guard Dominique Brinson (Juneau, Alaska/Accounting) and junior guard Pat Voeut (Bellingham, Wash./Communication), who each tallied 10 points. Voeut had seven rebounds and four assists while Brinson and junior forward Andrew Kelly (Gilbert, Ariz./Justice) brought down six boards apiece.
The game was close for much of the first half and Alaska led 20-19 but a 7-0 run in 1:46 gave WWU a 26-20 advantage with 6:10 left. Alaska got back to within a point with five in a row but the Vikings answered with a 12-0 surge, holding the Nanooks scoreless for over five minutes and the higher seed led 38-27 at halftime.
WWU opened the second with six straight to lead 44-27 with 18:07 to play. Leading 50-35, Western opened up the game with a 9-0 run to go up 59-35 with 5:38 left. Alaska never drew closer than 18 down the stretch.