Feb. 16, 2008

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Reserve center David Brittinen (Jr., Hoquiam) scored a game and career-high 22 points on 7-of-8 field-goal shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds as Western Washington University defeated University of Alaska Fairbanks, 82-71, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, who snapped a three-game losing streak, improved to 13-9 overall and 6-7 in the GNAC. Western, which is 9-2 at home this season, also got 18 points off the bench from forward Steve Alford (Jr., Bakersfield, CA/South).

UAF fell to 4-17 overall and 1-11 in the GNAC with its 16th loss in the last 17 games. Forward Kevin Atkins led the Nanooks with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

UAF took an 11-4 lead a little less than five minutes into the game, and held a 17-13 advantage with nine minutes left in the first half. But Western ran off 12 straight points, seven of them by Alford, in a 2:40 span, to take a 25-17 lead with 6:18 remaining in the period and the Vikings led the rest of the way, leading 38-27 at halftime.

The Nanooks used a run of six straight points to close to within eight, 48-40, with 14:48 to play, but then Western put the game out of reach.

The Vikings went on a 12-2 run to take a 60-42 lead with 12:31 remaining. Guard Harold McAllister (So., Vancouver/Mountain View) had the last 10 points in the charge, hitting a trio of 3-pointers and adding a free throw in a 69-second span.

McAllister, who finished with 12 points, was one of five Vikings in double figures, as forward Calin Schell (Jr., Chelan) had 11 points, and center Steve Severin (So., Richland/Hanford) had 10 points and five of Western's 10 blocked shots.

Western shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field, and overcame its recent free-throw shooting woes by hitting 73.1 percent (19-of-26) at the line.

Guard Ira Graham (Jr., Fontana, CA), who entered game averaging a GNAC-leading 19.7 points a game, had just five, but did have a game-high five assists.

Forward Mladen Begojevic and guard Keven Campbell each had 12 points for UAF. Center Colin Matteson and reserve forward Nashorn Maynard each added 10.

Western completes its three-game home stand Saturday (Feb. 23 - 7 p.m.), meeting arch-rival Central Washington University in a GNAC counter.