ANCHORAGE - Hanna Johansson had another huge performance with 19 points and 16 rebounds Thursday to lead the 12th-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team to a 79-39 victory over Northwest Nazarene at the Wells Fargo Sport Complex.
The Seawolves (18-3, 9-1 GNAC) also got 19 points and four steals from junior guard Haley Holmstead as they swept the season series from NNU and maintained a two-game lead over Seattle Pacific in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
The Crusaders (11-7, 5-5) were led by nine points from senior forward Briaunna King as the visitors were held to 24 percent (12 of 50) shooting and outrebounded 50-32, suffering NNU's worst loss since the 2004-05 campaign. The margin of victory was also the widest for either team in 26 all-time meetings, with UAA running its series winning streak to eight.
After going scoreless for the first five minutes, NNU went on a 12-2 spurt to take a 12-8 lead at the 11:56 mark. But Holmstead scored on an assist from Johansson and Kylie Burns (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) nailed a three-pointer to start a 16-1 Seawolf run. UAA took just a 32-23 lead into the locker room despite holding NNU to one field goal over the final 11-plus minutes.
Holmstead, who shot 8 of 15 from the field, scored four quick points to start the second half, and the lead quickly grew to 45-25 on a Johansson layup at the 13:2 mark.
Johansson - who had a monster effort in UAA's 79-71 win at NNU on Dec. 31 - delivered again Thursday as the senior center finished with her eighth double-double, shooting 8 of 13 and adding four assists, three blocks and two steals. Combined, the Swede posted 40 points on 16-of-21 shooting, 27 rebounds, 12 assists, five blocks and five steals against the Crusaders this year.
The Seawolves shot 46.5 percent from the field despite a 3-of-17 three-point performance, getting at least two points from all 12 players who saw action. Senior forward Kaylie Robison had eight points and five rebounds, while Horn and Burns added seven points apiece off the bench. Junior point guard Sasha King dished a game-high six assists, and freshman guard Gritt Ryder had five assists and no turnovers.
UAA, which posted its sixth 40-plus victory margin this season, finishes its four-game homestand Saturday when its hosts Central Washington (6-11, 3-7) in a GNAC encounter at 7 p.m. at the WFSC.
NOTES: Johansson became just the second Seawolf woman to record 100 career wins, joining former teammate Nikki Aden, who played in 110 victories from 2007-11 ... Johansson posted her second-most career rebounds, grabbing at least 14 boards for the third time in the last six games ... Johansson also moved into the No. 8 spot on UAA's career blocks list, now with 60 ... Burns equaled her career-high with three steals ... the 40-point margin was the most lopsided in 26 all-time meetings with NNU, topping UAA's 68-39 home win in Feb. 2006 ... the loss was NNU's worst since a 43-point decision against Seattle Pacific in 2004-05.
