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Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves put clamps on Clan, clinch 2nd

BURNABY, British Columbia – Kaitlin McBride scored 19 points and the 14th-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team used a record-setting defensive effort Saturday to pull away for a 55-36 victory over Simon Fraser at the West Gymnasium.

UAA (22-6, 13-4 GNAC) clinched at least a tie for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and a home game in the first-round of the inaugural GNAC Tournament, which starts Feb. 28.

SFU (7-14, 4-12) was led by 14 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore forward Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, but the Clan could not hold on to an early 18-11 advantage and were outscored by 20 points after halftime.

The Seawolves, who also got 12 points and six rebounds from sophomore forward Alysa Horn , trailed most of the first half and were down 29-28 early in the second before making their big run.

Junior guard Francesca De Angelis made three straight baskets to start the deciding surge, and the Seawolves – ranked No. 4 in the West Region – stretched the lead to 44-33 on a Tijera Mathews jumper with 7:20 remaining.

McBride took over from there, scoring UAA's final 11 points to seal the victory. The Seawolves outscored the Clan 32-12 over the final 20 minutes, breaking the school record for fewest points allowed in a second half against a Division II team. Simon Fraser's 36 points were also the fewest allowed by a Seawolf team in a GNAC game since the league's founding in 2001-02.

McBride, a senior point guard from Bothell, Wash., shot 5 of 10 from the field and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line, along with four steals and a team-high four assists. UAA won despite getting only two points from leading scorer Hanna Johansson , but Johansson and fellow post player Kaylie Robison both grabbed eight rebounds. De Angelis finished with six points on 3-of-5 shooting and a career-best six steals.

The Seawolves can clinch second place outright with a victory in their regular-season finale against Alaska Fairbanks (1-22, 1-16) at home on Thursday, or a loss by Seattle Pacific in either of its two remaining games. The second-place team will host the seventh-place team on Feb. 28 in the GNAC Tournament first round and would also host a semifinal game on Mar. 2 if it advances.


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Players Mentioned

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
Francesca De Angelis

#33 Francesca De Angelis

G
5' 9"
Junior
Tijera Mathews

#3 Tijera Mathews

G/F
5' 10"
Junior
Kaylie Robison

#24 Kaylie Robison

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

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
Francesca De Angelis

#33 Francesca De Angelis

5' 9"
Junior
G
Tijera Mathews

#3 Tijera Mathews

5' 10"
Junior
G/F
Kaylie Robison

#24 Kaylie Robison

6' 0"
Junior
F