Scoreboard

UAA fends off MSUB in Montana, takes over 1st

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

UAA fends off MSUB in Montana, takes over 1st

BILLINGS, Mont. – Led by huge performances from Jenna Buchanan, Megan Mullings and Alysha Devine, the nationally 2nd-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team earned an 85-73 victory over Montana State Billings at Alterowitz Gymnasium on Saturday, claiming sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

In a battle of GNAC co-leaders and the league's last two regular-season champions, the Seawolves (24-1, 11-1 GNAC) got a career-high-tying 28 points from Buchanan to extend their winning streak to 12 and sweep the season series from the Yellowjackets.

MSUB (14-6, 10-2) got a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds from Marissa Van Atta as its 8-game winning streak was snapped.

In addition to Buchanan's 6-of-9 three-point display, the senior guard went 8 of 8 from the free throw line and grabbed seven rebounds. Devine tallied 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, and Mullings had 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, six rebounds and four blocks as both post players battled through foul trouble.

The Seawolves snapped a 14-14 tie with 11 straight points over the first and second quarters, and they took a 41-29 lead into halftime.

UAA still led 56-46 after three quarters, and Buchanan started the fourth with a trey to seemingly take all the momentum. But the Seawolves went cold following Devine's jumper at the 8:35 mark, and Billings drew within 61-58 when Tiana Hanson drove for a layup three minutes later.

The Seawolves got the answer they needed on their next possession, starting when Mullings converted her layup and was fouled by MSUB's Monica Grimsrud. Mullings missed the free throw, but Devine hustled to save the long rebound to point guard Kiki Robertson, who fed Buchanan for yet another trey and the five-point trip.

After building a 76-62 lead with 3 minutes left, the Seawolves saw it trimmed to 76-70 at the 1:39 mark, before Robertson, Devine and Buchanan combined to make 9 of 10 free throws from that point.

Robertson – playing on the same court where she earned GNAC Tournament MVP honors last March – finished with seven points, six assists and six rebounds, and senior guard Jessica Madison added six points and two steals. UAA also got a big lift from sophomore forward Sierra Afoa, who had two points, three rebounds and a pair of steals while Mullings and Devine sat with four fouls.

Combined with their 70-50 win on New Year's Eve in Anchorage, the Seawolves swept the season series from the Yellowjackets for the second year in a row.

The Seawolves conclude their season-long 4-game road swing next week with GNAC contests against Concordia (Thur., Feb. 4) and Western Oregon (Sat., Feb. 6). Both games tip at 6 p.m. AST and can be followed via live stats and video at portal.stretchinternet.com/uaa.

NOTES: Buchanan moved up two spots to No. 10 on UAA's career scoring list, now with 1,035 points … Buchanan tied her career-high from UAA's Oct. 31 win against Cal State Dominguez Hills in Anaheim … now with 447 career assists, Robertson passed Seawolf Hall of Famer Robin Graul (444 assists, 1985-89) for No. 2 on UAA's all-time list … Buchanan pushed her career total to 211 three-pointers to rise to No. 7 on the GNAC's all-time list … Mullings's four blocks were the most for a Seawolf against a Div. II opponent this season … UAA's 12-game win streak matches the fourth-longest in program history.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Sierra Afoa

#RS Sierra Afoa

F
5' 9"
Freshman
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

Players Mentioned

Jessica Madison

#RS Jessica Madison

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Jenna Buchanan

#12 Jenna Buchanan

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Sierra Afoa

#RS Sierra Afoa

5' 9"
Freshman
F
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