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Mullings powers Seawolves past Knights, 87-82

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Mullings powers Seawolves past Knights, 87-82

CARSON, Calif. – Senior forward Megan Mullings tallied career highs of 35 points and 13 rebounds Sunday to help the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball repel an upset bid by Academy of Art for an 87-82 victory on the final day of the CCA Tip-Off Classic at the Torodome.

The Seawolves (3-0) also got 12 points and four assists from junior point guard Kiki Robertson, while junior forward Alysha Devine had nine rebounds.

Predicted to finish third in the 14-team Pacific West Conference, the Urban Knights (0-3) were led by 18 points, five assists and two steals from guard Regina Camera.

The game was a contrast of styles as Art U. knocked down 13 of 32 from long range, compared to UAA's 2-of-11 performance. UAA used its size advantage and a monster effort from Mullings to dominate the interior, though, as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason favorites connected on 29 of 51 shots (.569) inside the arc.

“We did not play our best today, but I'm proud of our team's effort in light of the schedule we've had to play,” said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy, whose team finished an 82-61 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills at 10:30 p.m. Saturday night in Anaheim, then turned around to play Sunday's game at 11:15 a.m., 40 minutes north in Carson. “Megan was incredible, though. She showed today what she's capable of, and she really carried us all day.”

After going into the half with a narrow 41-38 lead, the Seawolves stretched their advantage as high as 11 points on three occasions in third quarter. The opponents from San Francisco refused to fold, however, as guard Sha'Nice Story kept it close with 5-of-9 three-point accuracy.

The Seawolves' fourth-quarter lead wavered between three and eight points for most of the session before a Story trey made it 79-77 at the 2:36 mark. Mullings answered quickly for the Seawolves on a feed from Robertson, and UAA appeared to retake control when Adriana Dent's desperation, 18-foot jumper banked in at the shot-clock buzzer with 1:05 to play.

But Camera answered with a jumper on the other end and then stole Dent's outlet pass before soaring in for a layup to cut the lead to 85-82 with 40 seconds left. The Urban Knights chose not to foul on the ensuing possession, and Robertson drove for a layup with one second left on the shot clock for the clinching bucket.

Mullings shot 14 of 19 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line as she equaled the seventh-best scoring total in program history and the third-most against a fellow NCAA Div. II opponent. It was the most points for a Seawolf since Stephanie Beason's 37 against Eastern Washington on Nov. 24, 2004.

The GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, Mullings grabbed seven of her rebounds on the offensive end to record her first career double-double.

UAA also got a nice boost down the stretch from senior guard Keiahnna Engel, who had nine points and six assists, including a feed to freshman Hannah Wandersee (6 pts, 3-5 FG) for a key basket late in the fourth quarter. The Boise State transfer also picked up three of UAA's nine steals, matching Mullings for game-high honors.

Senior guards Jessica Madison and Jenna Buchanan – UAA's leading scorers in its first two games – both finished with eight points, while Dent chipped in five.

The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center next week for their home openers, hosting New Hope Christian of Eugene, Ore., Nov. 5 and 6. Thursday's game starts at 4 p.m. AST, while Friday's tip is set for 5:15 p.m. For ticket information, visit GoSeawolves.com or call 907-786-1562.


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Players Mentioned

Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Adriana Dent

#RS Adriana Dent

G
5' 9"
Junior
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

F
6' 0"
Freshman
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

F
6' 1"
Junior
Hannah Wandersee

#43 Hannah Wandersee

F/C
6' 1"
Freshman
Keiahnna Engel

#21 Keiahnna Engel

G
5' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Adriana Dent

#RS Adriana Dent

5' 9"
Junior
G
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

6' 0"
Freshman
F
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

6' 1"
Junior
F
Hannah Wandersee

#43 Hannah Wandersee

6' 1"
Freshman
F/C
Keiahnna Engel

#21 Keiahnna Engel

5' 7"
Senior
G