ANCHORAGE - Haley Holmstead scored 19 points and Alysa Horn added 10 points off the bench Friday as 10th-ranked Alaska Anchorage used another suffocating defensive effort to earn an 80-44 women's basketball victory over Hawaii-Hilo in the AT&T Hoops Classic at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
The Seawolves (6-2) stayed perfect against fellow Division II opponents this season thanks to season-best 56 percent shooting from the field, including 47 percent from three-point range. On the defensive end, UAA held the Vulcans to 31 percent shooting and forced 28 turnovers.
UHH (1-5) was led by 11 points and seven rebounds from reserve center Hillary Hurley.
UAA, which improved to 17-0 against current D-II schools from Hawaii, used a 7-0 run to start the game and never trailed. The Vulcans pulled within 12-7 on a Hurley layup at the 13:40 mark before the Seawolves erased all doubt with a 15-0 run over the next five minutes.
Holmstead, a 5-7 junior guard, shot 9 of 12 from the field and added a pair of UAA's 25 assists, while Horn did all of her scoring damage in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Kylie Burns equaled her career-high for the fourth time this year with nine points, making all four of her field-goal attempts. The Kansas City native also had four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers. Senior forward Tijera Mathews chipped in with eight points and a pair of blocked shots, while reserve point guard Sasha King tallied a game-high six assists.
Senior center Hanna Johansson had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, leaving her just four points shy of becoming the 11th member of UAA's 1,000-point club. The 6-2 Swede grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists as well Friday.
The Seawolves are back in action Saturday at 5:15 p.m. when they host Academy of Art in the final game of the Classic. Hilo will take on Alaska Fairbanks in Game 3 of the event at 3 p.m. AST.
UAA NOTES: Junior guard Jordan Martin equaled her career-high with six points and set a new personal-best with three rebounds ... with her pair of three-pointers, Horn moved into the top 20 on UAA's career list for treys made, now with 54 ... after grabbing five rebounds, Johansson needs just two more to catch Sonya Welch (1985-89) for No. 10 on UAA's career list with 572.
AT&T Hoops Classic Game 1 - UAF 68, Academy of Art 62
ANCHORAGE - Alaska Fairbanks guard Autumn Greene had 20 points and 15 rebounds Friday to lift her team to a 68-62 neutral-court victory over Academy of Art in the AT&T Hoops Classic at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
The Nanooks (4-6) also got 18 points and nine rebounds from starting center Nicole Bozek as they won for the first time in five all-time outings at the Classic.
The Urban Knights (3-3) were led by 16 points and 14 rebounds from starting forward Alisa Griggs, but the San Francisco squad could not complete a second-half comeback.
After trailing 32-24 at halftime, Art U cut its deficit to one possession on a couple of occasions, however UAF would answer each time.
The Nanooks outscored the Urban Knights 32-11 from the free-throw line and held a 54-48 edge on the boards. Reserve guard Nicole Hartzog added 13 points and three steals for the winners.
