ANCHORAGE ? Sparked by strong interior play from Ruby Williams and Rebecca Kielpinski, the 8th-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team got back on track Saturday with a 68-55 victory over fellow playoff contender Northwest Nazarene at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
The Seawolves (20-3, 9-2 GNAC) also got double-digit scoring efforts from seniors Kalhie Quinones and Maria Nilsson as they swept the season series and extended their lead to two games over the Crusaders in the battle for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
NNU (14-6, 7-4) got 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds from forward Nichole Schutte, plus 11 points from reserve guard Janee Olds. The Crusaders, who lost for just the second time in eight games, out-rebounded UAA 45-31, but the visitors from Nampa, Idaho, were held to 30.9 percent (17-55) shooting and committed 21 turnovers.
The game was a battle between the teams ranked No. 4 (UAA) and No. 6 (NNU) in the NCAA Div. II West Region rankings, and the underdogs played well early, taking a 38-35 lead into halftime.
UAA took control directly after the break, however, as Williams almost single-handedly led the home team on a 9-0 run in the opening two minutes. The junior forward, who had played sparingly since breaking her left hand Dec. 19, had six points, two rebounds and assisted on Nilsson's three-pointer during the deciding surge. She finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double.
Kielpinski, meanwhile, showed again why she was the 2006-07 GNAC Player of the Year, collecting 19 points ? her second-most this season ? and nine rebounds, along with two assists, two blocks and two steals. The junior center shot 8 of 18 from the floor and 3 of 4 on free throws.
After the Seawolves stretched to a 60-50 lead, the Crusaders answered with a 7-2 run, pulling within five at the 5-minute mark. UAA's league-best defense clamped down from that point, though, holding NNU to 0-of-8 shooting the rest of the night.
The Crusaders also connected on their first 17 free throws but made only 2 of 8 down the stretch.
Quinones finished with 12 points (6-13 FG), three assists and two steals, while Nilsson chipped in 13 points, including 2-of-5 three-point shooting. UAA had a rare game without balanced scoring as the starters accounted for 65 of the 68 points. Junior center Dasha Basova's three-pointer was the only bucket for a Seawolf reserve Saturday.
The victory gives UAA its seventh 20-win season in program history (since 1977-78) and the first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 1987-88 and 1988-89.
UAA will be on the road for four of its last seven regular-season games, starting with Thursday's contest at Western Oregon (6 p.m. AST).
