Scoreboard

Hoosiers outrace Seawolves in 2nd half

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#23 Falcons edge #11 'Wolves, 71-67

SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific guard Nyesha Sims scored 15 points, including a tie-breaking three-pointer with 83 seconds remaining, to lift her 23rd-ranked Falcons to a 71-67 victory over 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage in a battle of NCAA Division II West Region women's basketball heavyweights at Brougham Pavilion on Monday.

The Seawolves (11-3, 2-1 GNAC) got 15 points and seven rebounds from junior center Hanna Johansson but could never take the lead in the matchup between the teams picked to finish first (SPU) and second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll.

The Falcons (9-2, 3-0) also used 13 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Caitlyn Rohrbach as they shot 51 percent from the field – including 7 of 17 three-pointers (.412) – and 84 percent (16 of 19) at the free-throw stripe. It marked just the sixth time in 142 games under 5th-year head coach Tim Moser that UAA has allowed 50 percent shooting.

UAA, which had been outrebounded only once this season, was beaten 34-28 on the boards to see its six-game winning streak came to an end.

SPU – which dethroned the Seawolves' from their two-year run as West Region champions last year – ran its winning streak to seven, also getting a lift from guard Rachel Murray's 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

The Falcons led by eight points on three different occasions but could never extend their advantage. Jordan Harazin's layup gave SPU a 62-54 lead with 6:57 remaining before the Seawolves answered with an 8-0 surge, tying it on two Johansson free throws at the 4:44 mark.

Two more charities by Johansson – who was 9 of 12 at the stripe – made it 65-65 with 2:05 on the clock for the final deadlock. On its next possession, SPU's Maddie Maloney missed a three-point but Rohrbach grabbed an offensive rebound that led shortly to Sims' dramatic fall-away trey.

UAA's Alysa Horn missed a three-pointer on the other end and the Seawolves did not get another chance to tie or take the lead as the Falcons made three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds.

Senior guard Nikki Aden was the only other Seawolf to score in double figures, tallying 12 points on 3-of-4 long-range shooting. Senior point guard Kaitlin McBride scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with three assists and three steals, but the Washington native played only 23 minutes before fouling out. Horn led UAA with nine rebounds.

Despite the loss, the Seawolves now get nine of their final 15 GNAC games at home at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, where they will return Thursday to face Northwest Nazarene (7 p.m. AST).


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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

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