Rusty Osborne saw it coming. The UAA men’s basketball head coach knew the newcomer with long blonde hair would be good if he could stay healthy. First it was a pulled groin that kept him off the court, then a slightly separated shoulder.
But McCade Olsen has been worth the wait.
Two days after his promising debut in a loss, Olsen proved he’s no one-hit wonder by shouldering the scoring load down the stretch to help provide a 77-70 victory over Missouri-Kansas City in Friday afternoon’s consolation bracket of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.
The 6-foot-8 junior transfer came to UAA this season with a big-time reputation after a stellar junior college career in which he was an All-American candidate. He had yet to show off that potential in Alaska, though, in large part because he had been injured. Some people might have wondered what all the fuss was about.
Nobody is asking that anymore, not after Olsen scored nine of his 19 points late in the second half to lift the 5-1 Seawolves into today’s fourth-place game against Hofstra (N.Y.). He delivered the dagger when he swished a step-back three-pointer to put UAA ahead 69-58 with 2:41 to play.
“I think people thought it might have been a little conjecture on our part when we were talking earlier in the year about him being good,” Osborne said. “I think people are seeing that’s he’s a special player. Boy is he talented.”
Olsen was hardly the only hero for UAA, which won its 28th Shootout game in 29 years. Junior Luke Cooper set a Shootout single-game record and matched the school record with 16 assists. Senior Eric Draper bounced back from Wednesday’s six-point effort to score 19. And freshman Trenton Millar of Anchorage came off the bench to deliver the most important 11 points of his college career.
Together, they helped the Seawolves control the tempo and earn a wire-to-wire victory, sending the 3-4 Kangaroos of the Mid-Continent Conference to today’s dreaded seventh-place game. Draper and Millar scored early, Olsen scored late and Cooper had perhaps his best game in green and gold.
“Hats off to Anchorage, they were ready to go from the opening tip,” said Missouri-Kansas City coach Rich Zvosec. “They’ve got a good ballclub and they will won a lot of games.”
Olsen was at his best when UAA needed him most - at the end of the game. The Seawolves nursed a six-point lead with 5:25 to play and Missouri-Kansas City star Quinton Day (29 points) heating up. It was sink or swim for UAA.
Somebody needed to step forward and that person was Olsen, who scored nine points over the next three minutes. First he drained a 15-foot jumper in the lane. Then he hit the same shot on back-to-back possessions. He ended his personal scoring run with a 23-footer with the shot clock winding down, propelling UAA’s lead to 11 points.
Even Olsen said he’s a little taken aback by his instant success, in large part because he was cleared to play just four days ago. He missed all of early season practice because of a groin injury and then slipped on ice a week before the season opening, delaying his return to the court even more.
“I’m pretty pleased with the performance overall,” said Olsen, who scored 17 points in his debut against Loyola Marymount. “I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just so full of energy and just so happy I’ve been contribute.”
Cooper, who earlier this season became UAA’s career assist leader, added another record to his resume. His 16 assists broke a 10-year-old Shootout record of 13 set by current NBA player Brevin Knight of Stanford in 1996. He also matched former UAA point guard Bryson Vaughan’s school record set against Western Oregon in 2002.
“I’m still a bit mad because I didn’t break it,” Cooper said. “I don’t like sharing stuff, but I’m just happy we got the win. That’s what’s important.”
The Seawolves had a feeding frenzy early on, eating up Missouri-Kansas City’s zone defense like a Thanksgiving dinner. Cooper was able to get into the seams and spot open shooters. What’s more, the lack of pressure allowed him to relax and make smart decisions seemingly every pass.
“You don’t see too many games where a guy has 16 assists and one turnover,” Osborne said. “He made the right pass at the right time. What you’re looking for is meaningful assists and all of his were meaningful.”
It also helped that the Seawolves shot the ball accurately - 51 percent, including 49 percent on three-pointers. Draper, 30, who struggled to get his shot off Wednesday night against Loyola Marymount, looked more like his normal self on Friday. He finished 5 of 12 from beyond the arc, sinking three of them in the first eight minutes. More than just that, though, Draper matched career highs in rebounds (eight) and steals (three).
But arguably the biggest surprise for UAA was the play of Millar, who had scored just 18 points in his first four college games. The former Heritage Christian all-state player notched double figures for the second time in six games, although doing it against Lancaster Bible College doesn’t carry the same significance as doing it during the Shootout.
“I think he surprised everybody with his shooting,” Olsen said. “It was incredible.”
Millar made 3 of 4 three-pointers and scored 10 points in 10 minutes of the first half, filling in for starting small forward Allen McFarland because Millar is a better outside shooter against a zone defense, Osborne said, forcing the coach to stick with the freshman longer than expected.
“He probably won us the game tonight,” Cooper said of Millar.
Contact reporter Van Williams at vwilliams@adn.com or (907) 257-4335.
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY (70) Day 10-22 2-2 28; Stephens 4-9 4-4 12; Blackwell 3-6 0-0 6; Crawford 3-4 0-0 6; Johnson 2-8 0-0 5; Gettinger 1-2 2-2 4; Brumagin 1-7 0-1 3; Spears 1-1 0-1 2; Hartsock 1-2 0-0 2; Pledger 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-62 8-10 70.
UAA (77) Draper 6-16 2-4 19; Olsen 9-11 0-2 19; Millar 3-6 2-3 11; Arts 3-7 2-2 9; Bailey 1-1 5-6 8; Platenik 1-3 6-6 8; McFarland 1-1 0-0 2; Cooper 0-2 1-3 1; Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-47 18-26 77.
Three-point goals--Missouri-Kansas City 8-28 (Day 6-12; Brumagin 1-6; Johnson 1-4; Gettinger 0-1; Blackwell 0-2; Stephens 0-3), UAA 11-23 (Draper 5-12; Millar 3-4; Arts 1-2; Olsen 1-2; Bailey 1-1; Cooper 0-2). Fouled out--Brumagin. Rebounds--Missouri-Kansas City 33 (Crawford 8), UAA 31 (Arts 8; Draper 8). Assists--Missouri-Kansas City 9 (Blackwell 3), UAA 21 (Cooper 16). Total fouls--Missouri-Kansas City 21, UAA 13. Technical fouls--Missouri-Kansas City-bench. A-5,729.
Missouri-Kansas City 29 41 - 70
UAA 42 35 - 77
