Seawolves men's basketball falls to Western Oregon in overtime

After a close 40 minute battle featuring ten ties and eight lead changes, the Seawolves had a heartbreaking loss to the Western Oregon University Wolves at home on Feb. 18. The men fell 74-69 despite four Seawolves scoring in the double digits. 

The opposing team set the tone for the game, sinking a shot only 18 seconds after the tipoff. UAA responded though, with AJ Garrity drilling a shot of his own. 

Trailing 8-2, the Seawolves pushed the ball down the court, and Garrity found Sawyer Storms in the paint for a dunk.

The Seawolves took their first lead of the game with a little under 14 minutes left in the half after Garrity drilled a three pointer. However, Oregon took the lead back one minute later with a layup. 

The teams continued the trade leads until Oregon gained momentum, scoring a three pointer and layup back-to-back to lead 24-19. The Seawolves pushed their way back to a tie game after a three pointer by Jaedon Bradley. 

Trailing by four points with 55 seconds until halftime, Jaron Williams used his ball handling skills to push his way into the key and score a layup. The Seawolves trailed 36-34 entering the locker room. 

The Seawolves took the lead back three minutes into the second half with a three pointer by Dathan Satchell. 

The next four minutes featured three ties, but the Seawolves prevented Oregon from taking the lead. Both teams entered a dry-spell with just under 12 minutes left in the game, with neither team scoring for three minutes.

Bradley broke this dry-spell for UAA with a layup and the Seawolves extended their lead to 52-47. Two made free throws by Storms and another three pointer by Bradley helped UAA gain an eight point lead, their largest of the night. 

The Wolves fought their way back into the game, though, and teams were tied 63-63 with 50 seconds left until the final buzzer. 

Neither team was able to score in the final 50 seconds, and the Seawolves headed into a five-minute overtime period.

Oregon scored six straight points in the first three minutes of overtime. Trailing 69-65, Lachlan Viney worked to get the Seawolves back into the game with a layup. Garrity then drilled a three pointer to get UAA within one point.

The Seawolves were unable to combat Oregons’s sharp-shooting, though, and they fell 74-69. 

Tyson Gilbert and Viney led the Seawolves with 13 points a piece, and Bradley racked in 10 points of his own. Storms led the team defensively with seven rebounds.

The Seawolves head to Bellingham, Washington soon to compete in Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships from March 2 to 4. Visit. GoSeawolves.com for more information about the tournament.