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#1 'Wolves survive Vikes, clinch outright title

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

#1 'Wolves survive Vikes, clinch outright title

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Sophomore point guard Kiki Robertson had 13 points and eight assists Saturday as nationally top-ranked Alaska Anchorage survived an upset bid by Western Washington and clinched the outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title with an 81-78 win at Carver Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (25-1, 15-1 GNAC) got a team-high 16 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting from junior guard Jessica Madison to win their 13th in a row and set a program record with their ninth consecutive road victory.

The Vikings (18-8, 12-5), ranked No. 10 in the NCAA Div. II West Region, got game-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds from center Kayla Bernsen, who shot 8 of 9 from the field. WWU guard Jenni White scored 19 points and had a chance for a game-tying three-pointer, but her shot bounced high off the rim at the final horn.

UAA shot a season-high 56.6 percent (30 of 53) to overcome 21 turnovers and 17 offensive rebounds by the Vikings. Senior forward KeKe Wright came up with several key baskets to stem Viking runs, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, seven rebounds and two steals.

The Seawolves led 39-30 at halftime and 46-34 early in the second half before the hosts roared back to tie it 56-56 on Bernsen's jumper with 11:20 left. UAA answered with an 8-0 run of its own, though, with Robertson and Megan Mullings (12 points, 5-7 FG, 4 blocks) accounting for all the scoring.

A midrange jumper by Jenna Buchanan (9 pts) pushed the lead to 71-61 with 5:37 remaining before the Vikings made a final surge. UAA responded with buckets twice after WWU cut the lead to three points in the final three minutes, but Bernsen made a layup to slice it to 79-78 with 27 seconds left.

After Robertson made one of two free throws, Mullings delivered the defensive play of the game by stuffing Taylor Peacocke's layup attempt. Peacocke grabbed her own rebound but Wright ripped the ball away and was fouled with 5.3 seconds on the clock. The Las Vegas native swished the first charity and missed the second, which was grabbed by WWU's Kiana Gandy. Gandy fed White for a difficult look from 25 feet, which was just off-line.

Sophomore forward Alysha Devine was the fifth Seawolf in double figures with 10 points, along with six rebounds, and senior wing Alli Madison added seven points, five rebounds and two assists.

Saturday's victory and Thursday's 63-59 win at Simon Fraser were the first to Seawolf games this season to be decided by less than five points.

UAA's GNAC title is its third in the 14-year-old league, along with the 2009 and 2012 crowns.

The Seawolves finish the regular season with games against nationally ranked Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 26 (5:15 p.m.) and Montana State Billings on Saturday, Feb. 28 (1 p.m.) at the Alaska Airlines Center.


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Players Mentioned

Alli Madison

#10 Alli Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

F
6' 0"
Freshman
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

G
5' 7"
Freshman
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

F
6' 0"
Junior
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

F
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Alli Madison

#10 Alli Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Alysha Devine

#15 Alysha Devine

6' 0"
Freshman
F
Kiki Robertson

#23 Kiki Robertson

5' 7"
Freshman
G
KeKe Wright

#13 KeKe Wright

6' 0"
Junior
F
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

6' 1"
Junior
F