ANCHORAGE (Feb. 4) - Rebecca Kielpinski notched another double-double and the short-handed UAA women's basketball team scored a gutsy 67-61 win over arch-rival Alaska Fairbanks at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex tonight.
The Seawolves (9-10, 2-8 GNAC) snapped their 7-game losing streak despite having just seven players in uniform, including one who had never played in a college game. UAF (5-13, 2-8) was led by 15 points from guard Sheena Brown.
Things looked bleak early for UAA, with UAF jumping to a 12-0 lead. Coach Jody Hensen then called a full timeout that seemed to stop the bleeding, and the Seawolves jumped right back in with a 10-0 run of their own. UAA took a 39-38 lead into the locker room.
The Seawolves seemed to have all the momentum early in the second half, going up 52-42 on a three-pointer by Limor Pelleg (13 points, 3-6 3FG, 4-4 FT, 3 assists) with 12:35 to play.
The Nanooks would hold UAA without a field goal for the next seven minutes, however, creeping within 52-51 before Kielpinski made perhaps the biggest play of the game. Up 53-51 with 5:33 to go and all the momentum on UAF's side, UAA's leading scorer stepped to the line for a one-and-one. Kielpinski badly missed the free throw, but everyone on the lane froze inexplicably and the 6-2 center swooped in for her own rebound and an easy putback.
From that point, but the Seawolves wouldn't need another field goal as they sank 12 of 14 free throws to end the game.
The final few moments weren't stress-free, however, as the Seawolves played the last 3-plus minutes with four players having four fouls, and Pelleg already fouled out. The only player left on the bench was junior forward Chelsey Glines, a Seawolf volleyball player who hadn't played a competitive basketball game since high school. She had one rebound in five minutes in her hoops debut.
Kielpinski tallied 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-8 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks as she recorded her Great Northwest Athletic Conference-best eighth double-double this year.
Meanwhile, junior Mari Riser turned her personal rough start into a positive, bouncing back to get 14 points and seven rebounds despite picking up three quick fouls. Freshman guard Kim Brady (9 points, 6-6 FT, 3 steals) and senior forward Kelsey Larsen (9 points, 8 rebounds) also played key roles down the stretch, as did junior post Tenecia Macon (3 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block).
UAA was without three injured players - freshman guard Tristan Burnett (out six weeks, broken hand); freshman forward Sarah Jones (concussion, day-to-day); and junior guard Erin Cunningham (out all season, knee).
The win also stopped a three-game losing streak against the Nanooks.
UAA returns to action with another home game Thursday (5:30 p.m.) against league-leading and top-10 ranked Western Washington.
