PORTLAND, Ore. – Autummn Williams scored 14 points and 7th-ranked Alaska Anchorage got clutch performances from its veterans in the fourth quarter to earn a 67-58 women's basketball victory over Concordia (Ore.) on Saturday at LCEF Court.
The Seawolves (13-1, 6-0 GNAC) also got 11 points, five rebounds and three assists from junior forward Shelby Cloninger as they escaped with their narrowest margin against a fellow NCAA Div. II opponent this season.
The Cavaliers (4-10, 1-5) were led by 16 points from guard Danielle Hartzog and nine points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks from forward Bailey Cartwright, but the 2nd-year league members could not match UAA's depth, getting outscored 28-16 in bench points.
After trailing 20-15 after the first quarter – their largest deficit after 10 minutes in the last two seasons – the Seawolves used a 17-4 run to take the lead. UAA could not stretch a 38-33 halftime lead, however, and was caught at 49-49 on Keesha Sarman's layup with 8:53 left in the game.
That's when UAA's veterans took control, starting with Tara Thompson grabbing an offensive rebound and nailing a three-pointer. Following a layup by Hartzog, senior forward Alysha Devine scored her first field goal and snatched a defensive rebound that led to another Thompson trey.
Devine added another layup at the 5:14 mark to cap a 12-2 run, and the Seawolves led by at least seven points to rest of the way.
Thompson and Devine combined for 11 of their 13 points during the deciding three-minute stretch of the fourth, while junior forward Sierra Afoa also made a big impact in the second half and finished with eight points (4-6 FG), five rebounds, three steals and no turnovers.
Senior point guard Kiki Robertson had eight points, six assists and four steals, and Thompson tied her career high with a game-best seven rebounds.
UAA's victory capped a 7-0 road swing and extended its program-record 15-game road win streak.
The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center on Thursday against Central Washington and Saturday against Northwest Nazarene. Both games tip at 7 p.m. Call 907-786-1562 for tickets or visit GoSeawolves.com for more information.
NOTES: UAA stayed unbeaten in three games against the Cavs since the Concordia joined the GNAC last year … Robertson earned her 110th career starting assignment to move into fourth place on the all-time GNAC list … now with 322 career steals, Robertson needs five to move into second place and 21 to surpass Taylor Simmons (Northwest Nazarene, 2012-16) for the GNAC record; she needs just seven more swipes to tie Robin Graul (1985-89) for UAA's career record as well.
