UAA’s All-GNAC senior Tyson Gilbert led the way with 14 points. Photo by Jacob Thompson
There’s a Storms brewing in Ellensburg, Wash., where UAA’s Saywer Storms helped the Seawolves weather a rough patch early before making it rain late.
The senior guard splashed three 3-pointers in the second half, including back-to-back treys inside the final three minutes, to highlight a 64-63 victory over Northwest Nazarene in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament.
Anchorage native Jaron Williams’ driving layup with 54 seconds left gave the Seawolves a 64-59 lead before they hung on for dear life after two missed free throws and two turnovers opened the door for the Crusaders to nearly pull off a crazy comeback.
Northwest Nazarene pulled within 64-63 with 3 seconds to play and then stole the inbounds pass and called timeout with 0.4 seconds left. A hurried shot attempt at the buzzer went wide left and the sixth seeded Seawolves (22-9) survived and advanced to Saturday’s title game.
This will be the fourth time UAA has played in the GNAC Tournament title game, the first since 2020. The team moved to 4-1 in the GNAC semifinals under coach Rusty Osborne.
After knocking off third seeded Saint Martin’s in Thursday’s quarterfinals and second seeded Northwest Nazarene in the semifinals, UAA will next face fourth seeded Central Washington, which upset top-seeded Montana State Billings 81-80 in the late semifinal.
The winner earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
UAA got this far by playing its trademark 3-and D style as the Seawolves hit 12 3-pointers and held Northwest Nazarene to 32% shooting in the second half, helping them erase a 10-point deficit.
Making comebacks is another UAA characteristic as Friday marked the team’s eighth come-from-behind win this season.
“It speaks to our resilience as a group,” UAA senior Tyson Gilbert said in a press conference. “One through 12, we have confidence in each other and even when somebody is struggling a little bit, we never lose confidence in that guy. Just staying together. We got a really connected group and it’s just fun playing with these guys.”
Northwest Nazarene’s Ryzin Bergersen on the move. Photo by Jacob Thompson
Northwest Nazarene (18-10) scored the game’s first eight points and led 21-11 at the 10-minute mark. In need of a spark, the Seawolves got it from Hasaan Herrington and Caleb Larsen off the bench. Herrington, of Anchorage, chased down his own miss for an offensive rebound putback and Larsen scored five quick points, including a deep 3 against a packed-in zone.
Gilbert’s 3 got UAA within 25-21 but the deficit was back to double figures shortly after as the Crusaders of Nampa, Idaho, pounded the glass and turned offensive rebounds into second-chance points.
Gilbert led UAA with 14 points while Storms and Dillon Barrientos each scored a dozen. Williams finished with seven points and six assists, and Anchorage native Sloan Lentfer ripped down 10 rebounds.
Trailing 38-29, the Seawolves went on a 12-2 run thanks to two post buckets by Lentfer in addition to a 3 from Dathan Satchell, an offensive rebound putback by Williams and a top-of-the-key 3 by Storms, who set it up with a nice pump fake to create an open look.
“I had hit (a 3) earlier in the half and I think I just needed to see one fall because in the first half I was on the bench the whole time,” Storms said.
It was UAA’s first lead of the game, and it lasted 16 seconds.
The Crusaders have a dominating inside attack led by 6-foot-9 Gabriel Murphy and his 6-foot-7 brother Aaron. Both big guys got dunks in a 3-minute span as Northwest Nazarene built a 49-46 cushion.
Storms helped tie the game when he found Herrington on a weave cut and then took a feed from Herrington on the next possession for a layup that put the Seawolves ahead 51-49.
Meanwhile, Williams was doing his thing on defense. He drew two charges and made a steal that led to a layup after his tough finish off glass. Then he made a diving tip pass to Barrientos, who found Gilbert in the corner for a 3 that put the Seawolves ahead 56-54 in the fifth lead change.
UAA’s Sawyer Storms goes strong to the rack. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
That’s when Storms dominated for the next two minutes, taking a charge, burying two 3s and making an emphatic blocked shot.
“My teammates give me all the confidence in the world. They trust me to take those shots and my teammates were finding me,” Storm said. “Last night wasn’t me. Every other night it could be someone different on our team.”
Storms’ third 3 of the half put the Seawolves in front 62-56 with 2:20 to play as it looked like they would pull away.
Not so fast. This is March Madness, remember.
Northwest Nazarene converted its 13th offensive rebound into a three-point play that got the Crusaders within 62-59 with 1:15 remaining.
Just like he did the night before, Williams scored a huge crunch-time bucket for UAA as his driving layup made it 64-59 with 54 seconds left.
For the rest of the game the Seawolves managed to step on a rake, stub their toe and shoot themselves in the foot to nearly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
They twice missed the front end of a one-plus-one free throw situation and twice turned the ball over in Northwest Nazarene territory.
UAA was lucky to survive. But in March, winning is all that matters.