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Sea Lions stun #1 Seawolves in NCAA 1st Rd.

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Sea Lions stun #1 Seawolves in NCAA 1st Rd.

ANCHORAGE – Freshman forward Roya Rustamzada banked in a layup with 2.1 seconds remaining as 8th-seeded Point Loma ended a day of upsets at the Alaska Airlines Center by stunning nationally top-ranked Alaska Anchorage 64-63 in the first round of the NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships on Friday night.

The Sea Lions (20-11) – playing their first-ever NCAA Tournament game – were led by 17 points and six rebounds from sophomore forward Madison West and 13 points, five rebounds and five assists from sophomore forward Jessica Escorza.

The Seawolves (29-2) got 12 points apiece from juniors Jenna Buchanan and Megan Mullings, but the hosts were stung by 32.9 percent shooting as their 17-game winning streak came to an end.

UAA – the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion – fell into a 14-0 hole to start Friday's contest and trailed 31-12 with 6 minutes left in the first half.

The Seawolves drew within 38-33 at the 16:17 mark before the Sea Lions regrouped and pushed their advantage back to double digits. Point Loma still led 60-49 with 3:04 remaining when the hosts made a furious comeback, hitting their next four shots and slicing it to 62-58 at the 1:24 mark. UAA forward KeKe Wright sank a layup with 45 seconds left, and Escorza was called for a charge on the other end.

UAA took its only lead of the game with 9.1 seconds showing when Buchanan sank a three-pointer from the wing to make it 63-62, sending the crowd of 2,518 into a frenzy.

Following a timeout, Rustamzada dribbled the length of the court and spun in the lane for the winning shot. The Seawolves called a timeout of their own, but senior Alli Madison's half-court heave at the buzzer was off-line.

Buchanan also dished a career-high seven assists, while sophomore point guard Kiki Robertson had five assists and six steals. Wright scored eight points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in her final collegiate game, while reserve forward Sierra Afoa kept the Seawolves within striking distance with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and six rebounds.

The Sea Lions move on to face Pacific West Conference rival Cal Baptist (25-6) in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. regional semifinal at the Alaska Airlines Center.


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Players Mentioned

Alli Madison

#10 Alli Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Sierra Afoa

#RS Sierra Afoa

F
5' 9"
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
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Sierra Afoa

#RS Sierra Afoa

5' 9"
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