(From left to right) senior forward Walker Timme, senior guard Mack Keighran, senior forward Sylas Williams, senior guard Tarrance Warren and junior guard Karim Elgizawy heading onto the court during the second set. Photo by Eve Kedem.
UAA’s Seawolves played Evergreen State’s Geoducks in their home opener during Slam Dunk Into Higher Education on Nov. 6.
The game was not only the Seawolves’ season opener but also a field trip for thousands of Anchorage School District fifth-grade students, who filled the Alaska Airlines Center (AAC) with loud cheers.
The game event allowed elementary school students to visit the UAA campus and attend a college basketball game.
According to Associate Media Relations Director Nate Sagan’s game recap, 3,874 people attended the event, which made it the AAC’s second-largest crowd in 12 years of operation.
This game marked the debut of head coach Cameron Turner, who guided the Seawolves to their first win of the season. In an interview with Sagan, Turner said he loved the electric atmosphere of the AAC and was happy that young students could experience a University of Alaska Anchorage game.
Despite UAA’s win, Turner said he was satisfied with the team’s current standing but believes the team could improve its performance by working through remaining issues.
The Seawolves outshot the Geoducks at .533% and defeated them 94-65.
With the most time on the court, senior forward Sylas Williams led the team with 17 points, secured a career-high of 16 rebounds and achieved his 12th career double-double. A double-double is achieved when a player receives double-digit totals in at least two statistical categories in a game.
Last October, Williams was named the 2026-2027 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Player of the Year.
This season, the Seawolves’ refreshed lineup includes nine transfer students from Australia, California, Egypt, Florida, Oregon and Texas.
Newcomer and senior guard Mack Keighran led the team with five assists and secured 16 points and four rebounds.
According to the Seawolf Athletics box scores, Karim Elgizaway recorded Seawolves’ only block, along with 14 points, seven rebounds and one assist.
Senior forward Walker Timme obtained 13 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Senior guard Joseph Mayberry earned three assists and four points.
According to Sagan, senior guard Tarrance Warren displayed an impressive midrange jumper, a shot made from a short-to-medium distance within the three-point line. Warren finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
Junior forward RJ Foreman led the team in steals as he matched Elgizawy with six rebounds. Foremen also scored four points and four assists.
With UAA maintaining a significant lead, the Geoducks remained behind during the game. According to Sagan, Evergreen State did not get closer than 73-55 points during the final eight minutes.
The Seawolves achieved a staggering 56 of 94 points in the paint, the rectangular area of the basketball court located underneath the basketball hoop.
That statistic accounted for nearly 60% of their points.
According to the box scores, junior guard Will Kuykendall matched Warren's seven points and earned one assist during his 15 minutes on the court.
Sophomore guard Quincy Byas recorded two rebounds and scored five points while freshman guard Sam Quebedeaux gained three points and one assist.
Returning senior forward and center Lyman Simmons secured four points, one assist and one rebound, including a dunk.
Seawolves who took the court to represent Alaska included freshman guard and forward Amelio Ambrosio, sophomore guard Marek Hajdukovich, senior guard Luke Johnston and sophomore guard Muhammed Sabally.
Ambrosio recorded four rebounds, Johnston followed with two and Sabally obtained one assist.
The Seawolves will next play Sul Ross State at the Alaska Airlines Center on Dec. 11.
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