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Dominating 'D' downs Wildcats in Washington

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Dominating 'D' downs Wildcats in Washington

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Seniors Jessica Madison and Megan Mullings spearheaded a huge first-half run Thursday to help No. 2 Alaska Anchorage earn a share of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference race with a 66-42 victory over Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Seawolves (19-1, 6-1) got 14 points from Madison and 12 points and eight rebounds from Mullings as they ran their winning streak to seven games, dominating the matchup of the GNAC's top two defensive teams.

The Wildcats (10-5, 3-4) – who came in at No. 10 in the D2SIDA West Region weekly poll – were led by nine points and eight rebounds from reserve forward Kortney Grattic, but they were outshot .463 to .295 and forced into 20 turnovers.

After handing Western Washington its first GNAC loss in an impressive road performance on Saturday, the Wildcats scored on two of their first three possessions Thursday against the Seawolves, taking a 5-4 edge on Jasmin Edwards's three-pointer. But UAA's defense – which came in 10th nationally at 53.4 ppg allowed – clamped down for the rest of the quarter, and the Seawolves capped a 15-0 run with back-to-back three-pointers by Madison and Jenna Buchanan.

Mullings extended the lead to 33-13 on a feed from Buchanan late in the second quarter, leading to a 35-16 halftime score. UAA held the hosts to 4-of-19 shooting (1 of 11 inside the arc) and turned 10 Central turnovers into an 11-0 scoring edge in opening 20 minutes.

UAA stretched its largest lead to 56-22 on a Buchanan three-pointer with 3:37 left in the third, and took a 59-26 lead into the fourth quarter before cruising to the finish line.

Madison shot 6 of 11 from the field and grabbed four of UAA's 16 steals as the Washington native (Port Angeles) led the team in scoring for the sixth time this year. Buchanan finished with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3FG) and three assists, extending her school record by making at least one trey in her 24th straight game.

Junior forward Alysha Devine keyed the early run as well, accounting for most of her eight points and six rebounds in the opening stanza. Senior guard Keiahnna Engel added nine points, four rebounds and two assists, while fellow senior guard Adriana Dent had five points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG), two assists and three steals.

The Seawolves have now won 17 of the last 18 meetings against Central, extending their current win streak to six overall and nine straight in Ellensburg.

Now in a three-way tie with Western Washington (10-5, 6-1) and Montana State Billings (10-5, 6-1) atop the GNAC standings, UAA heads east to face Northwest Nazarene (5-8, 3-4) on Saturday at 5 p.m. AST in Nampa, Idaho.

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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
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

F
6' 1"
Junior
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
Megan Mullings

#11 Megan Mullings

6' 1"
Junior
F
Keiahnna Engel

#21 Keiahnna Engel

5' 7"
Senior
G