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UAA tops Bridgeport in Disney opener By: Nathan Sagan Nov 11, 2005 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Nov. 11) - Senior Kemmy Burgess blistered the nets for 28 points and sophomore Carl Arts came off the bench with an impressive effort to help Alaska Anchorage defeat Bridgeport, 71-61, Friday in the first round of Disney's Division II Men's Tip-Off Classic.
The victory puts UAA (3-0) into the tournament's semifinals against Columbus (Ga.) State on Saturday.
Bridgeport (0-1) got double-figure scoring from four starters, but the Connecticut school could muster only 11 points from its bench players. The Seawolves outshot the Purple Knights 49 percent to 42 percent, including a significant advantage from three-point land, where UAA made 10 of 24, and UB just 3 of 9.
The Seawolf offense started slow, resulting in a 15-10 deficit after 12 minutes of play. Junior guard Eric Draper sparked a run with his second three-pointer at the 7:59 mark, and UAA went ahead on a Brian Hills dunk, 21-20, with 3:31 to play. The Purple Knights, who are coming off a 21-9 campaign, got a bucket from Mark Price to regain the lead, but the Seawolves ended the half with three straight treys - a pair from Burgess and a buzzer-beater by senior James Hartman - to go ahead 30-22 at the break.
Price (12 points) nailed a three-pointer to cut UAA's advantage to 35- 30 early in the second half, but the Purple Knight point guard quickly picked up his third and fourth personal fouls in the next minute. With Price off the floor, the Seawolves quickly took control, extending to a 49-39 lead on a pair of Burgess free throws with 11:08 left. UAA would lead by double-digits the rest of the way.
Burgess, who is coming off an injury redshirt season, showed the shooting touch that earned him Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2003-04. The 6-1 guard made 6 of 10 from three- point range, and was perfect from inside the arc (2-2) and the free throw line (6-6).
Meanwhile, Arts scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, and tied with fellow reserve Luke Cooper for a team-high five rebounds. Arts was 4 of 8 from the field, 5 of 6 from the free throw line, and had a blocked shot in 20 minutes.
Senior forward Brian Hills had a pair of dunks, going 3-for-3 from the field and blocking four shots, while Hartman scored eight points, and Joe Davis scored seven.
Kevin Jefferys also scored 12 points for UB, which will face Philadelphia University in a consolation game Saturday.
The UAA-Columbus State game tips off at 2 p.m. AST on Saturday, and can be heard live in Anchorage on AM-550 KTZN "The Zone," or on the internet at GoSeawolves.com.
Nate Sagan Sports Information Director
University of Alaska Anchorage
Ph: 907-786-1295 Fax: 907-563-4565
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