Sharp shooting carried the UAA men’s basketball team to its third straight victory Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center
The Seawolves sank half of their shots in a 77-48 romp over Hawaii Pacific at the Alaska-Hawaii Challenge, a performance that landed nine players in the scoring column.
Leading the way were senior forward Niko Bevens and junior center Oggie Pantovic, who scored 15 points apiece. Junior guard Tobin Karlberg came off the bench to add 13 points.
Ahead 43-23 at the half, UAA led by double digits the entire second half. The Sharks shot 33 percent, were outrebounded 36-25 and were guilty of 20 turnovers in their first game of the season.
“Our guys did a terrific job of not letting up the pressure and continuing to grind out tough defensive possessions, even as our lead continued to grow,” UAA coach Rusty Osborne said in a press release from the school. “Tonight was another big step forward for a team that is just getting used to playing together.”
Pantovic connected on 7 of 9 shots and added seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Karlberg hit 5 of 8 shots, including 3 of 5 from long range.
Bevens followed a record-setting performance Friday — he was 8 of 9 to set a school record for 3-point accuracy — by hitting 5 of 11 shots from behind the arc. He also handed out four assists, as did Tyrus Hosley and DeAndre Osuigwe.
The Seawolves play their third game in three days Sunday when they meet Chaminade at 7:15 p.m. It will be the final game of the Alaska-Hawaii Challenge, a four-team, round-robin tournament that started Saturday with Chaminade’s 90-64 blowout of UAF.