The 34th annual Great Alaska Shootout ended last weekend. The Murray State University men and University of Miami women have emerged as champions in 2011.
According to a recap by the Anchorage Daily News, The Murray State Racers on Saturday downed Southern Mississippi to claim the title, 90-81. Southern Mississippi nearly won in regulation on a buzzer-beater, but the tie persisted through two overtimes.
Murray State ended up on winning the first multiple-overtime championship game in Shootout history, largely on the strength of Isaiah Canaan and Stacy Wilson, who combined to score 18 of Murray's 21 overtime points.
The University of Miami Hurricanes women, ranked #7 in NCAA Division I, claimed the women's tournament title by beating South Florida 92-72.
The Daily News recap notes the Hurricanes were firmly in the lead at halftime, but they dominated the second half, starting off with a 15-2 run. Anchorage's own Sylvia Bullock, a South graduate, wound up the Hurricanes' third leading scorer, with 10 points. Bullock also chipped in four rebounds, two blocks and three assists.
For a more local perspective from the champions' hometown papers, visit the Miami Herald, here, and read the Murray (Ky.) Ledger and Times, here. Notably, both championship teams have had brutal travel schedules lately.