A new lineup, a second-half comeback and some big 3-pointers from Malik Clements carried the UAA men's basketball team to victory Thursday over longtime rival Seattle Pacific.
Clements poured in 18 points to spark the Seawolves' 67-62 road win in Seattle. He hit two straight 3-pointers in the first 82 seconds of the second half to put UAA in the lead for good and was one of nine players to reach the scoring column.
The win puts UAA one win away from the .500 mark. The Seawolves, who lost their leading scorer and rebounder to a season-ending injury in December, moved to 10-11 overall and 6-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
D.J. Ursey came off the bench to score 12 points for the Seawolves, whose starting lineup included freshman Eric Jenkins, who had only started one previous game.
UAA trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and were down 40-36 at intermission before seizing the lead for good on the back-to-back bombs by Clements.
"We overcame a slow start where we were playing hard but not competing hard," UAA coach Rusty Osborne said. "We went with a couple of lineups that had practiced together all week and I think that gave us some cohesion.
"All 10 guys contributed at some point which was a key. We defended extremely well over the last 26 minutes and rebounded late just enough. Malik hit some big shots to get us started in the second half and D.J. made baskets late to hold off their comeback."
Clements hit 3 of 4 shots from 3-point range. Ursery added a team-high eight rebounds and four assists, and Josiah Wood was good for nine points and six rebounds. Wood hit two big free throws in the final 10 seconds to hold off the Falcons (12-8, 7-6).
The Seawolves return to acton Saturday against Saint Martin's in Lacey, Washington.