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'Wolves topple Falcons, move into 2nd

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

'Wolves topple Falcons, move into 2nd

SEATTLE – Senior forward Kylie Burns poured in 17 of her 19 points in the second half Thursday to power Alaska Anchorage to a 76-65 victory over Seattle Pacific in a battle of regionally ranked NCAA Div. II women's basketball teams at Brougham Pavilion.

The Seawolves (19-6, 12-5 GNAC) also got a career-high 13 points from junior guard Christina Davis as they moved into a tie for second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with one game remaining.

The Falcons (17-8, 10-7) were paced by 19 points and eight rebounds from senior Katie Benson, but the all-league center sat much of the second half with foul trouble and picked up her fifth with 5 minutes to play.

UAA – ranked No. 8 in the West Region – opened an early lead before the Falcons used a 9-2 run to tie it 30-30 late in the first half. But Davis drove the length of the court for a layup and moments later stole the ball and fed Jessica Madison for an NBA-range three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 35-30.

SPU – No. 4 in the West – answered with a strong surge after the break and tied it 46-46 on a three-pointer by Micaela Barnes, only to see the Seawolves take over for good. Burns stretched UAA's advantage to 62-54 on a three-pointer with 7:31 left, and KeKe Wright got free inside for a layup and a 68-54 edge with 5:46 left.

The Falcons used a late 8-0 run to slice their deficit to 70-65 with 2:41 on the clock, but the Seawolves forced their hosts into 0-of-6 shooting with two turnovers to close it.

UAA also got several key plays from freshman forward Alysha Devine, whose 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-6 FT) marked her first double-digit performance in a GNAC game. The Wasilla product also added two blocks and two steals without a turnover in 22 minutes.

Madison finished with 12 points and Wright added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench for UAA, which earned its fifth straight win and third straight against regionally ranked opponents.

UAA also swept SPU for the second year in a row, marking the Seawolves' first 4-game win streak in the 55-game history of the rivalry.

The Seawolves close the regular season Saturday (5 p.m. AST) at GNAC regular-season champ and regionally 2nd-ranked Montana State Billings. A win over the Yellowjackets would further improve UAA's playoff chances and clinch a first-round bye in the upcoming GNAC Tournament. The Seawolves own the tiebreaker against both Simon Fraser and Western Washington – both 12-5 in league play – which play each other Saturday.


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Players Mentioned

Kylie Burns

#43 Kylie Burns

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Christina Davis

#5 Christina Davis

G
5' 6"
Junior
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

F
6' 0"
Freshman
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Kylie Burns

#43 Kylie Burns

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Christina Davis

#5 Christina Davis

5' 6"
Junior
G
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

6' 0"
Freshman
F
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

6' 0"
Junior
F