ANCHORAGE – Utah State point guard Devyn
Christensen scored 32 points and dished four assists Wednesday to lead her team
to a 67-57 victory over host Alaska Anchorage in the title game of the women's
Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.
The Aggies (2-3) also got five rebounds and five steals from the tourney's Most
Outstanding Player as they captured their first Shootout title in three tries.
The Div. II Seawolves (3-2), playing in their eighth title game, were led by 14
points and eight rebounds from all-tourney selection Kylie Burns.
Burns also had a pair of steals and two assists as she led a second-half
comeback that fell short for the home team.
The Aggies jumped to a 26-8 lead midway through the first half and led 35-25 at
halftime. UAA trailed by as many as 23 in the second half before slicing it to
a single-digit deficit with under three minutes remaining. But the visitors
from the Western Athletic Conference hit six of their seven free throws in the final
two minutes to end it.
Freshman guard Jessica Madison scored a career-high 12 points – all on
three-pointers – for UAA, while senior forward Alysa Horn grabbed a game-high
10 rebounds. Horn, who had 25 points in UAA's 73-47 win over North Dakota State
on Tuesday, also made the All-Tournament Team.
Senior Sasha King finished with eight points and five assists for UAA, and
freshman guard Jenna Buchanan tallied eight points, nine rebounds and five
assists in the loss.
Utah State center Franny Vaaulu had six points on 3-of-5 shooting, plus five rebounds
as she made the all-tourney team, too.
NOTES: Utah State earned the victory in its third trip to Anchorage, having
finished fifth in 1982 and eighth in 1986 when it was an 8-team tournament … the
Seawolves are now 6-2 all-time in Shootout title games … UAA broke the 4-team
tournament Shootout records for three-pointers made (24) and attempted (68),
easily surpassing the previous marks of 17 and 49.
2012 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
Women's All-Tournament Team
Katie Birkel, North Dakota State
Kylie Burns, Alaska Anchorage
Alysa Horn, Alaska Anchorage
Franny Vaaulu, Utah State
Latia Williams, Prairie View A&M
Most Outstanding Player: Devyn Christensen, Utah State
