SEATTLE ? Led by 21 points and 13 rebounds from senior center Kelsey Hill, 14th-ranked Seattle Pacific jumped to an early lead and never trailed Thursday as the host Falcons snapped top-ranked Alaska Anchorage's 22-game winning streak, 54-42, at Royal Brougham Pavilion.
UAA (24-2, 11-1 GNAC) suffered its first loss since Nov. 1 in the matchup of the NCAA Div. II West Region's top two women's basketball squads. The Seawolves were led by nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists from senior center Rebecca Kielpinski, but shot just 36 percent as a team and committed 20 turnovers.
The Falcons (17-4, 10-2) jumped out to a 19-4 advantage in the first eight minutes and held on for a 27-23 halftime lead after a Seawolf rally. But UAA would not get any closer in the second half, with SPU getting 13 points and eight assists from forward Megan Hoisington to keep the visitors at bay.
Junior guard Tamar Gruwell had eight points (2-3 3FG), while juniors Kiki Taylor and Nicci Miller tallied seven points apiece in the losing effort.
The Falcons improved to 9-0 at home this year, having not lost since the 2008 regional final against UAA last March.
UAA faces yet another stiff road test Saturday when it takes on regionally 9th-ranked Northwest Nazarene, which is also unbeaten at home. That game tips off at 5 p.m. AST in Nampa, Idaho.
