MONMOUTH, Ore. ? Kalhie Quinones scored 17 points and Rebecca Kielpinski recorded another double-double as the 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team escaped with a 66-63 victory over Western Oregon at the New PE Building on Thursday night.
The Seawolves (21-3, 10-2 GNAC) also got 13 points from Maria Nilsson and 10 points apiece from Ruby Williams and Kielpinski as they captured their fourth straight road win.
WOU (5-15, 1-10) was led by a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds from all-league senior guard Leada Berkey. Forward Whitney Chase had 14 points as the last-place Wolves never folded despite a 12-point second-half deficit.
UAA stretched a 24-23 halftime lead to a seemingly comfortable 51-39 advantage with 9:21 remaining, and still led by double digits with 5 minutes to play.
But a pair of quick three-pointers by Berkey changed the momentum as the lead shrank to 64-61 in the final minute. After Quinones (6-10 FG, 5-7 FT), who also dished three assists, connected on a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left, WOU's Alison Crumb scored a layup a few seconds later and immediately fouled Quinones.
The senior guard, who had made five of six charities to that point, missed the front end of the one-and-one, leaving the Wolves one last chance. Sophomore forward Katie Torland was able to get off a 25-foot attempt, but it was blocked by Williams as the final second ticked away.
Kielpinski, who also had 13 rebounds, earned her seventh double-double of the season, including four in the last six games. The junior All-America candidate from Mandan, N.D., recorded three blocks and shot 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Williams scored in double figures for the second straight game, converting a pair of buckets late in the game to keep the Wolves at bay. The junior forward shot 5 of 11 from the field with a pair of assists.
Nilsson helped UAA build its cushion with 5-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 5 from three-point range. The Swede has now knocked down multiple treys in eight straight games.
UAA, ranked No. 4 in the playoff-determining West Region rankings, faces a key test Saturday night when it travels to Lacey, Wash., to play regionally 8th-ranked Saint Martin's. That game tips off at 6 p.m. AST.
