Seawolves Men’s Basketball, ranked No. 23, fall to Yellow Jackets in first loss of the season

After starting the season undefeated, the Seawolves lost 59-66 to the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Nov. 30.  

After trailing 12-5 early in the game, strong teamwork from the Seawolves helped them get back into the game.

Tyson Gilbert tied the game after drilling his second three-pointer of the night. The teams switched leads five more times throughout the next 15 minutes.

In the last four minutes before halftime, the Yellowjackets pulled away slightly, heading to the locker room with a four-point lead over the Seawolves.

Though they got within one point of the Yellowjackets, UAA wasn’t able to regain a lead for the rest of the game.

They lost 66-59, marking their first defeat of the 2023-24 season.

"We did not defend in the first half like we are capable of," UAA head coach Rusty Osborne told GoSeawolves.com.

"We did defend well in the second half, but we were very poor offensively. Some of it was execution, some of it was them, and a lot of it was missing open shots and layups that we usually make.”

Gilbert led the team with 12 points. Sawyer Storms was the top rebounder with eight.

The Seawolves will take on Central Washington at home on Jan. 11.

You can check out national rankings on the NCAA’s website. The new rankings will be released Dec. 4.