#10 Vikings knock off #15 Seawolves

ANCHORAGE – Amanda Dunbar scored 25 points and 10th-ranked Western Washington used a huge second-half effort Saturday to earn an 81-61 victory over 15th-ranked Alaska Anchorage in a key Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball showdown at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The Seawolves (15-5, 6-3 GNAC) were led by 15 points and eight rebounds from junior center Hanna Johansson but it wasn't enough to keep UAA perfect in 10 outings on their primary home court this season.

The Vikings (15-1, 8-0 GNAC) also got 10 points and eight rebounds from forward Gabby Wade and 12 points from center Lauren Hefflin as they shot 59 percent (16 of 27) after the break to overcome an early deficit.

UAA came out hot as junior forward Tijera Mathews scored eight of her 10 points in the first half to stake the Seawolves to a 30-23 advantage with 4:18 on the clock. But the Vikings ended the half with a 12-6 run, taking momentum into the locker room despite trailing 36-35.

Johansson converted a three-point play to tie the game 39-39 at the 18:16 mark for the final deadlock of the night, however WWU answered with a 9-0 spurt, keyed by two midrange jumpers from Hefflin.

The Seawolves, who suffered just their fifth loss at the WFSC in the past five seasons, never got closer than eight the rest of the way. The final margin marked UAA's first double-digit home loss since a 67-34 setback to Seattle Pacific on Feb. 23, 2006 – prior to the arrival of current head coach Tim Moser.

Three-point shooting was the major difference in Saturday's contest as the Vikings nailed 8 of 15 (53.3 percent) to the Seawolves' 2 of 16 (12.5 percent).

The Seawolves continue their four-game homestand next week with a Thursday contest against currently 22nd-ranked Seattle Pacific at 5:15 p.m. at the WFSC.

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Players Mentioned

#50 Hanna Johansson: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

#3 Tijera Mathews: G/F; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#50 Hanna Johansson
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F

#3 Tijera Mathews
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G/F

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#50 Hanna Johansson

#3 Tijera Mathews

Players Mentioned

#50 Hanna Johansson

#3 Tijera Mathews