MONMOUTH, Ore. – Senior Kaitlin McBride scored a career-high 24 points Thursday to
lead 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage to a 63-47 victory over Western Oregon
in a key Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball battle at the
New P.E. Building.
UAA (14-3, 5-1 GNAC) also got 14 points apiece from frontcourt teammates Hanna
Johansson and Alysa Horn as the Seawolves delivered their second-best shooting
performance of the season at 46.2 percent.
WOU (6-8, 4-2) was led by 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting from reserve forward Danielle
Bellando, but the rest of the Wolves were held to 34 percent shooting (13 of
38).
The Seawolves' fine offensive showing came despite a 0-of-6 start from the
field as they did not score until Horn's three-pointer at the 15:18 mark. The hosts
led 10-8 a few minutes later before UAA took the lead for good with a 10-0 run.
UAA led 32-25 at halftime and never let WOU closer than six in the second half,
getting 16 points from McBride after the break. The 5-7 point guard from Bothell, Wash.,
shot 7 of 11 from the field and sank all 10 of her free throws to crush her
former career-high of 10 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, dished three
assists and made a game-high four steals.
“Kaitlin was fantastic tonight,” said UAA head coach Tim Moser. “She has been
improving every game recently and it really showed in her poise and the way our
offense functioned. This was a very tough team we beat tonight and we needed
our best effort.”
Johansson shot 7 of 10 and grabbed eight rebounds, and Horn delivered a
game-high nine rebounds as UAA set a school record with its 14th straight
victory over WOU – the most consecutive wins against any opponent.
It was also a historic night for senior guard Nikki Aden, who scored just five
points but equaled her career-high with eight rebounds. Aden,
from just up the road in Portland,
earned her 97th career victory in a Seawolf uniform, tying the school record of
former teammate Rebecca Kielpinski (2005-09).
Aden will have a chance set that record Saturday
when the Seawolves travel north to Lacey, Wash.,
to face Saint Martin's (8-6, 3-3) in another league encounter at 6 p.m. AST.
