Wiggs bounces back and so do Seawolves for triumphant Shootout finish

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 12

UAA’s Suki Wiggs prepares for a free throw shot during a Shootout game against Drake Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 at the Alaska Airlines Center. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News)

A difficult, draining week for Suki Wiggs and the Seawolves reversed course Saturday with the UAA men's basketball team's 74-69 win over Drake University on the final day of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout.

For the Seawolves, the victory was a salve to close tournament losses Wednesday and Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center. They avoided a winless Shootout — something that has happened seven times in 39 Shootouts — and they can ride the feeling of success into their conference opener Thursday at Central Washington.

For Wiggs, who scored a team-high 24 points, the game was a catharsis after a couple of challenging and rocky days on the basketball court. The 6-foot-4 senior guard, a preseason Division II All-American, struggled mightily through his first two games, shooting a combined 5 of 37 for 23 points — a stark turnaround from a year earlier, when he set the all-time Shootout scoring record with 99 points in three games.

It was an emotional week for Wiggs, who played in front of family that traveled to Alaska for the holiday week.

He sat on the bench for the final four minutes of Saturday's game — punishment for a lackadaisical reaction when Drake's Reed Timmer stole the ball from him — and then joined UAA coach Rusty Osborne for a powerful and poignant post-game press conference.

Osborne began by saying he was pleased his team didn't let a first-half lapse carry into the second half — UAA raced to a 17-6 early lead but was tied with the Bulldogs at the half.

Then he explained why two of his best players — Wiggs and 6-10 senior transfer Connor Devine (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals) — spent the final four minutes on the bench with the the game still undecided.

"We had a turnover," he said, "…and Suki and Connor just watched. They didn't move a step."

"I'm proud of the guys who went in and picked them up, and I know both of them will be back," Osborne continued. "I've only got Connor for a couple months, and Suki …''

He paused briefly before talking again. As he did, his eyes filled with tears and his chin quivered.

"Suki does everything I ask him to do," Osborne said. "I'm really proud — he's been struggling for two days, he has family in town, and for him to have a great day in front of them, I'm really, really happy."

Osborne stopped, trying to hold back tears. "Excuse me," he managed to say. Next to him, a tearful Wiggs leaned over and placed a comforting hand on his coach.

The moment seemed to be about more than basketball, but soon that's what the two men were talking about again.

Asked how he withstood those tough-shooting games to finish the tournament strong, Wiggs credited his teammates and his coach.

"They put a lot of faith in me that I'm gonna come out and contribute," he said.

In the losses to Buffalo and Oakland, "they played wonderful defense, and I've just gotta bounce back. … I'm always a really confident player, I've always kept faith that eventually (the shots are) gonna fall — I have that mindset."

[Former teammates reunite nearly 4,000 miles from home at Shootout]

Wiggs' bounce-back game included a few bad bounces at the start Saturday. His first shot didn't come close, and he was 1 of 5 for the half, although he contributed elsewhere by sinking four of six free throws, handing out four assists and getting two steals.

Wiggs scored 18 points in the second half on 50 percent (6 of 12) shooting. He knocked down three of his seven 3-pointers, including a 30-footer that gave UAA a 46-36 lead.

UAA got terrific guard play the entire game.

Spencer Svejcar, a 6-4 senior, and Diante Mitchell, a 6-1 senior, both buried three triples on their way to 20 and 11 points, respectively. They played their hearts out — each logged 34 minutes, and both contributed in multiple ways. Mitchell supplied six assists and six rebounds, and Svejcar hit all seven of his free throws and added five assists and three assists.

[UAA's Mitchell back in top form after suffering season-ending injury last season]

Corey Hammell, a 6-6 forward, was his usual reliable self with nine points and seven rebounds, and Devine was a factor in the post on both ends of the court.

The UAA bench provided some critical assistance, especially in the final four minutes with Wiggs and Devine out.

Guard Ashton Pomrehn drilled a 3-pointer after coming in for Wiggs, a shot that gave UAA a 67-54 lead and helped the Seawolves survive a late Drake surge.

Drake outscored UAA 8-2 after that to come within seven points, 69-62. The Bulldogs trapped Svejcar near the sideline but were denied the turnover when UAA called a timeout, and then when Pomrehn missed a 3-pointer on the same possession, 6-7 reserve forward Sjur Berg outfought the Bulldogs to get the rebound and keep the ball in UAA's hands.

The long possession ended with a pair of Svejcar free throws that made it 71-62 with two minutes left.

"They denied us and took us out of some things," said Drake coach Ray Giacoletti, whose team is coming off a 7-24 season and is 1-5 after three Shootout losses.

[Oakland outbattles UC Davis for 4th in Shootout]

[Shootout notebook: Dance cam fever, extra games for tourney teams]