ELLENSBURG, Wash.  (Jan. 29) – Senior KeKe Wright delivered seven of her team-high 13 points in the final nine minutes to lift No. 3 Alaska Anchorage to a 58-50 win over Central Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball contest at Nicholson Pavilion on Thursday night.

The Seawolves (19-1, 9-1 GNAC) also got 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from junior Megan Mullings and six assists from sophomore point guard Kiki Robertson as they swept the season series from Central for the second straight year and won here for the eighth consecutive time.

The Wildcats (10-8, 5-5) were led by 12 points from guard Melanie Valdez and seven points, 11 rebounds from center Jasmine Parker in a battle of the two best defensive squads in the GNAC.

UAA took a 32-28 after a first half that featured four ties and five lead changes, extending to a 42-35 advantage on Mullings' layup with 13:29 remaining.

But the Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run to take the lead and held a 47-45 edge on Jasmin Edwards' layup with 8:49 left.

Wright took over from there as the reigning GNAC Player of the Week converted an assist from freshman Jerica Nelson and followed with a traditional three-point play on the next possession to give UAA the lead for good.

Holding on to a 52-50 edge with 5:52 showing, Wright flew in for an offensive rebound and banked in what proved to be the clinching basket. The Wildcats were shut out for the final 5:50 as they shot 0 of 7 with two turnovers in that span.

Senior Alli Madison also came up with several big plays in the late-going, collecting nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, along with seven rebounds. Junior guard Jenna Buchanan added eight points and matched her career high for the third time with five steals.

Up next, the Seawolves travel to Nampa, Idaho, on Saturday for a 3:15 p.m. showdown against a Northwest Nazarene team that handed UAA its only loss this year.