Scoreboard

#17 'Wolves surge past #25 Falcons

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#17 'Wolves surge past #25 Falcons

ANCHORAGE – Hanna Johansson and Alysa Horn scored 17 points each Thursday to lift Alaska Anchorage to a 68-56 victory over Seattle Pacific in a battle of nationally ranked women's basketball clubs at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The Seawolves (16-5, 7-3 GNAC) also got 12 points and seven assists from senior point guard Kaitlin McBride as they moved ahead of the Falcons (12-5, 6-3) for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

UAA came in ranked No. 17 nationally and No. 4 in this week's initial West Region poll, while SPU entered at No. 25 and No. 8, respectively.

The Falcons were led by 12 points apiece from guard Jordan Harazin, forward Caitlyn Rohrbach and reserve forward Katie Benson but could not hold off a huge surge by the home team in the second half.

SPU, going for the regular-season series sweep, led 29-25 at halftime and 38-33 with 16:08 remaining when UAA made its move, scoring the next eight points. Reserve forward Kaylie Robison, who had six points and six rebounds, started the run with a layup on a backdoor pass from McBride, and Johansson tied it 38-38 on a three-point play moments later. UAA then took the lead for good when Horn hit her second three-pointer in four minutes.

The Falcons remained within a bucket, 47-45, until the 6:13 mark when UAA's Tijera Mathews nailed a trey from the corner – her only field goal of the game – to start a 9-0 run that put it away.

Horn, a 6-foot sophomore from Kodiak, shot 6 of 12 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, while Johansson, a 6-2 junior from Sweden, was 9 of 11 at the free-throw stripe along with four boards. Both players scored 13 points after the break.

McBride helped the Seawolves with 8-of-9 free-throw shooting in the battle between the teams with the last three NCAA Div. II West Region titles (UAA 2008 & '09; SPU 2010), while senior Nikki Aden had nine points (3-8 3FG), six rebounds and three assists.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak against the Falcons since UAA won 54-43 in the regional-title game in March 2009.

UAA finishes its four-game homestand Saturday when it hosts Montana State Billings at 5:15 p.m. at the WFSC.

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Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

G/F
5' 8"
Freshman
Alysa Horn

#RS Alysa Horn

F
5' 11"
Freshman
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

F
6' 2"
Freshman
Kaitlin McBride

#21 Kaitlin McBride

G
5' 7"
Junior
Tijera Mathews

#3 Tijera Mathews

G/F
5' 10"
Junior
Kaylie Robison

#24 Kaylie Robison

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Nikki Aden

#25 Nikki Aden

5' 8"
Freshman
G/F
Alysa Horn

#RS Alysa Horn

5' 11"
Freshman
F
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

6' 2"
Freshman
F
Kaitlin McBride

#21 Kaitlin McBride

5' 7"
Junior
G
Tijera Mathews

#3 Tijera Mathews

5' 10"
Junior
G/F
Kaylie Robison

#24 Kaylie Robison

6' 0"
Junior
F