It's no secret that the UAA men's basketball team goes up against Division I teams perceived to be bigger, faster and stronger every year in the Great Alaska Shootout.
One way to combat that? Getting to the free-throw line.
Take away the final minute and the Buffalo Bulls only shot five free throws in its 85-79 win over UAA on Wednesday. They had zero attempts in the first half.
UAA attempted 38 and sank 28, and its ability to get to the line kept the Seawolves in the game.
"That's what we do," UAA coach Rusty Osborne said. "We are leading the nation in free throws. We've got Suki (Wiggs) who can get to the basket, we've got Corey (Hammell) who get rebounds and gets fouled … so we expect that every game."
Wiggs made 7 of 8 free throws, Hammell made 5 of 6, point guard Diante Mitchell made 6 of 8 and guard Gus Simmers made 5 of 5.
UAA leads NCAA Division II in free-throw attempts (221) and free-throws made (160). The Seawolves have made 20 more foul shots than the next best team.
"It's our goal to make more free throws than our opponent takes," Osborne said.
Last season, the Seawolves finished sixth in Division II with 874 free-throw attempts in 33 games, but a new rule change this season could allow them to improve on that number.
The NCAA implemented the verticality/cylinder rule, which "now provides for a minimum amount of cylinder space in the front of an offensive or defensive player as measured by the hands of each player when the arms are bent at the elbows," according to an NCAA explanation of the rule. If a defender makes illegal contact inside the cylinder, it's a foul.
High-volume free-throw shooting teams like UAA should benefit from the rule this season. Wednesday's game against Buffalo was a prime example.
"You can't really hand-check, you really gotta emphasis moving your feet and doing that stuff as a team with team defense, help defense," Buffalo guard Blake Hamilton said. "It's gonna be tough this year."
UAA not only shoots a lot from the line, it makes its shots. The Seawolves shot 80.4 percent from the charity stripe last season to rank No. 2 in Division II.
This season the number is down to 72.1 percent (73.7 against Buffalo), but Osborne said the goal is to get back to 80 percent.
"It might have been different (against Buffalo) if we could have knocked them down at our 80 percent, which I think (is where) we're going to be at the end of the year, but that's basketball," he said. "That's our identity — tough, and getting to the basket and getting to the foul line."