Associated Press
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Erroll Knight came off the bench to score 23 points and Washington beat Alaska Fairbanks 82-70 Thursday night in the opening round of the Top of the World Classic.
The Huskies (1-0) led 41-37 at the end of the first half on the strength of 16 points by Knight, who underwent knee surgery Nov. 2 and returned to practice Monday.
The Huskies led by as many as nine in the first half but could not pull away from Division II Alaska Fairbanks (0-3) which outrebounded Washington 18-16.
After halftime, the Huskies began pounding the ball inside to center David Dixon, who muscled through the smaller Nanooks for 12 second-half points and a double-digit Washington lead. Dixon finished with 16.
Alaska Fairbanks closed to 69-61 with 4:49 left on a basket by Steve Early. But Josh Barnard hit a 3-point shot and started a fast break to blunt the comeback.
Early led Alaska Fairbanks with 24 points and six rebounds. Steve Towne had 16 and Joe Jones 15 for the Nanooks.
Washington was without the services of head coach Bob Bender, who slipped and fell outside his home Monday and was diagnosed with a bruised rib. He was scheduled to fly to Fairbanks today. Associate head coach Byron Boudreaux replaced Bender.
Washington will meet the winner of Mississippi and Bowling Green in semifinal action Saturday. Alaska Fairbanks takes on the loser.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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