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Burns, Buchanan rally UAA past Cameron

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Burns, Buchanan rally UAA past Cameron

ANCHORAGE – Senior Kylie Burns had 22 points and 12 rebounds Friday to spark host Alaska Anchorage to an 86-70 victory over Cameron in the first round of the AT&T Hoops Classic at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

With the victory, the Seawolves (8-1) set up a 7 p.m. Saturday showdown against Saint Leo (10-0) for the championship of the fifth annual tournament. UAA also got 16 points from sophomore guard Jenna Buchanan, plus 13 points and three blocks from junior center Emily Craft to keep the visitors at arm's length throughout the second half.

The Aggies (7-2) got 13 points apiece from guards Jazzmine Robinson and Ali Brown, but the Lawton, Okla., squad was forced into 28 turnovers and outrebounded 43-34.

Following a 12-day layoff, the Seawolves never trailed Friday, although Cameron sliced a 14-point deficit down to 35-32 with 2:23 left in the first half. UAA responded immediately out of the timeout with a 10-2 spurt of its own – getting a layup and a three-pointer from Buchanan – and took a 48-37 lead into halftime.

Cameron pulled within eight points on three occasions early in the second half, but never any closer. UAA enjoyed its largest lead on a layup by Buchanan that made it 74-53 with 7:55 on the clock.

The Seawolves' pressure defense resulted in an 84-51 edge in field-goal attempts, taking advantage of 15 steals and 24 offensive rebounds. Junior guard Alli Madison finished with 12 points and a career-high seven steals, equaling the most swipes by a Seawolf in the last three seasons.

Starting forward KeKe Wright added nine points for UAA despite foul trouble, while point guards Kiki Robertson and Christina Davis dished six assists apiece.  The Seawolves shot just 41.7 percent despite good marksmanship by Buchanan (7 of 10), Craft (6 of 11) and Burns (8 of 15), earning a 29-2 advantage in second-chance points.

The Aggies, who were off to their best start in over a decade, will play for third place against Brevard – a 69-42 loser against Saint Leo earlier Friday – in the consolation game at 5 p.m. AST Saturday.

NOTES: Burns came one point shy of her career high of 23 points, set twice … Madison eclipsed her previous best of five steals and has scored at least a dozen points in every game this season … Craft has scored double figures in three straight games … UAA held a 50-24 edge in shots attempted at halftime Friday … UAA improved to 3-0 all-time against Cameron, with the teams meeting for the first time since Nov. 1998 … Saturday's title game will mark the first-ever meeting between UAA and Saint Leo, a Sunshine State Conference school that hails from just north of Tampa.

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Players Mentioned

Kylie Burns

#43 Kylie Burns

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Alli Madison

#10 Alli Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Emily Craft

#41 Emily Craft

C
6' 2"
Junior
Christina Davis

#5 Christina Davis

G
5' 6"
Junior
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

G
5' 7"
Freshman
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Kylie Burns

#43 Kylie Burns

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Alli Madison

#10 Alli Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Emily Craft

#41 Emily Craft

6' 2"
Junior
C
Christina Davis

#5 Christina Davis

5' 6"
Junior
G
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

5' 7"
Freshman
G
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

6' 0"
Junior
F