LAURINBURG, N.C. – Senior guard Safiyyah Yasin scored a career-high 22 points and junior forward Tennae Voliva recorded a double-double to lead the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team to a 97-62 victory over St. Andrews on Tuesday at Harris Court.

The Seawolves also got 18 points from freshman guard Rachel Ingram as they won their season opener for the seventh year in a row.

The Knights – an NAIA program – were led by 12 points from starting guard Dominique Cooke. The game counted as an exhibition for the hosts.

"We were sluggish offensively to start the game, which isn't uncommon for the first game of the season," said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy. "I thought our defensive pressure was the key to getting a comfortable cushion there in the second half. Overall, I was pleased with our effort, and especially with Safiyyah, the way she asserted herself and took over the game at certain points."

After being tied 4-4 at the first media timeout, UAA forced a pair of its 23 steals to score easy layups and take a 14-6 edge. The Seawolves slowly expanded their lead to 45-31 at halftime, and continued to pull away throughout the second half.

A Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason all-league selection, Yasin shot 8 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 5 from deep, along with three assists and four steals. Voliva tied her career scoring high with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and earned her first double-double with a career-best 12 rebounds. The East Anchorage High School product also snagged a career-high six steals.

Ingram, a true freshman from Colorado, nailed four three-pointers in her debut, while junior forward Sala Langi totaled six points and seven rebounds.

UAA got a lift from two players returning from season-ending injuries last year, with sophomore guard Nicole Pinckney dishing a team-high five assists, and senior guard Victoria Langi accounting for 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in less than seven minutes.

The Seawolves play a Sunday (10 a.m. AST) exhibition game at Div. I power Duke, before returning for their home premiere Nov. 9 against Chaminade. Surf to GoDuke.com for links to live audio and live stats for Sunday's contest.