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#18 SPU tops #13 UAA for GNAC title

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#18 SPU tops #13 UAA for GNAC title

ANCHORAGE – Junior forward Kelsie Gourdin scored a career-high 26 points to lead a huge second-half comeback Saturday, but the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team could not hang on down the stretch as Seattle Pacific claimed the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title with a 67-60 win at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The Seawolves (23-4, 13-3) could have forged a three-way tie for the GNAC crown with a victory, but the Falcons (24-3, 15-1) outscored their hosts 21-7 in the final seven minutes to claim it outright.

Senior guard Daesha Henderson scored 21 points to lead SPU, including the tie-breaking three-pointer with 3:09 to play.

UAA entered the game ranked No. 13 nationally and No. 4 in the West Region, while SPU came in at No. 18 and No. 2, respectively. The teams had shared last year's title with each other.

The Seawolves shot just 28 percent in opening 20 minutes and found themselves trailing 33-19 after the Falcons closed the first half and opened the second with back-to-back three-pointers.

UAA would answer with a tremendous run, however, and Nikki Aden gave the Seawolves their first lead since the opening minutes, 37-36, with a backdoor layup at the 14:29 mark.

SPU's Nyesha Sims (9 points, 4-6 FG) kept her team close at 48-46 when she nailed a corner jumper, and UAA responded with the next five points to take its largest lead at 53-46.

The Seawolves could not hang on, however, getting shut out for the next five minutes and going without a field goal until Hanna Johansson's layup with 6 seconds remaining.

Gourdin finished with 7-of-21 shooting from the floor but made all 12 of her free throws and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds as well. It the Colorado native's first career double-double.

UAA's loss was just its third in the last four seasons in Anchorage, with one of the others coming against SPU (78-77) in February 2008.

The Falcons extended their winning streak to 11 games and snapped UAA's nine-game win streak.

With the result, Western Washington (23-4, 14-2) claims second place in the final GNAC standings, while UAA finishes third.

The Seawolves will now wait until the NCAA Div. II Tournament selection show to find out their opening playoff opponent. UAA, the two-time defending West Region champion, will likely be seeded No. 4 and face either Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State or GNAC foe Northwest Nazarene in the first round on Friday, Mar. 12 at a site to be announced.
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Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

G/F
5' 8"
Freshman
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

F
5' 10"
Junior
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

F
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

5' 8"
Freshman
G/F
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

5' 10"
Junior
F
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

6' 2"
Freshman
F