By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Cole Johnson hit one of the biggest shots of his basketball career on Friday night at Sam Carver Gym, connecting on a game-winning 3-pointer to give No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage an 87-86, double-overtime win over No. 6 seed Alaska in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championships semifinals.
 
Johnson’s three went in with 14 seconds left on the clock in double overtime, giving the Nanooks one final possession with a chance to tie or win the game. A three by Mike Miller and an ensuing putback by Davis Crilly were both off the mark, as the final buzzer signaled the end of the second-longest conference tournament game in GNAC history.
 
The Seawolves improved to 21-9 with the win and advanced to Saturday’s championship game, where they’ll face the winner of No. 1 seed Saint Martin’s and No. 4 seed Central Washington who play in Saturday’s second semifinal contest. Tipoff time for the championship contest is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). In search of its first-ever GNAC tournament title, UAA will play in the championship game for the fifth time with the most recent appearance being as the No. 6 seed in 2024.
 
GNAC Newcomer of the Year Sylas Williams led the Seawolves with a season-high 30 points, making 11 of 18 field goals including 5 of 8 threes in 46 minutes on the floor. The junior also completed his 10th double-double of the year, grabbing 11 rebounds, before fouling out 90 seconds into the second overtime period.
 
Alaska’s Tyriq Luke completed a three-point play at the 10:50 mark in the second half and then drained a three to put the Nanooks ahead 50-48. That came during a scoreless spell of 6:13 by UAA in which it went 0-for-7 with four turnovers and opened the door for the Nanooks to make their move. The teams traded buckets into the final minutes of regulation, with tough takes by UAA’s Bishop Tosi and Alaska’s Crilly keeping the score close at 57-56 in favor of the Seawolves. Jalai O’Keith and Luke each hit huge triples inside of four minutes to go, giving the Nanooks their largest lead to that point in the game up 66-61.
 
Johnson let a three fly at the end of regulation with the score tied at 67-67, but that attempt was off the mark as the game went to overtime. Alaska’s Tariq Weiser then made a huge game-tying layup with 12 seconds left in the first overtime period to even the score at 80-80. Weiser had a last-ditch three at the buzzer, but it was no good to extend the contest for five more minutes.
 
Luke had his second straight phenomenal performance at the tournament, leading all players with 32 points on 13-for-20 shooting including 4-for-8 from long distance. Luke made shot after shot down the stretch in the second half to help the Nanooks slowly overcome a deficit that was as much as nine points at the 14:49 mark in the second. Luke added eight rebounds, two steals and two assists while playing 45 minutes.
 
Williams had his team’s first eight points of the game, knocking down a pair of threes and making two free throws in the first six minutes of action to signal the start of his big night. After a back-and-forth start, the Seawolves muscled command into their favor and built a game-high 14-point advantage on a Hasaan Herrington jumper with 7:35 to go before halftime. The Nanooks gained momentum in the waning minutes of the first half, with Luke drilling a corner three and O’Keith converting a layup that narrowed the deficit to 28-22. UAA finished the opening half strong however and led 34-27 at the break.
 
Johnson finished the night with a dozen points, four boards, three assists and a pair of steals, while Herrington chipped in 16 points and three assists. John McFadden was instrumental for the victors as well, turning in his first double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. UAA shot 42.4% (28-for-66) overall, 29.6% (8-for-27) from long range and made 23 of 27 free throws (85.2%). The Seawolves also posted a 40-37 edge in rebounding.
 
Crilly made 7 of 14 shots on his way to 20 points, adding six boards, four assists and a pair of steals for the Nanooks. Miller and Weiser finished with 10 points apiece, and O’Keith led the team with 10 rebounds while adding eight points. The Nanooks shot 47.9% (34-for-71) overall, 24.2% (8-for-33) from 3-point range and made 10 of 17 free throws (58.8%).
 
GAME NOTES: O’Keith posted his third-highest rebound total in a game this season, and was two off his high of 12…Friday’s narrow margin was inconsistent with the regular-season results between the in-state rivals, with Alaska winning by 15 points (91-76) on Jan. 17 in Fairbanks and UAA returning the favor by 16 points (70-54) on Feb. 14 in Anchorage…it was the second time that the teams met at the conference tournament, with Alaska winning the other game 63-58 in the semifinals of the 2022 GNAC Championships…UAA is making its 12th GNAC Championships tournament appearance and is 9-11 all-time in conference tournament games…the Nanooks moved to 9-12 all-time at the conference tournament, and earned a spot in the event for the seventh time in program history…UAA was also involved in the only GNAC Championships game that was longer than Friday’s, falling 91-84 to Western Oregon in triple overtime in the semifinal round of the 2017 conference tournament.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Seawolves were ranked fifth in the latest NCAA regional rankings which came out on Wednesday. The Nanooks were not included in the regional top-10. The top-eight teams in the final rankings, which are announced on Sunday, will earn spots in next week’s NCAA West Region Championships hosted by the No. 1 overall seed.