ANCHORAGE – Senior forward Sala Langi scored 15 points and fellow veteran Nicole Pinckney had 12 points and five assists to lead the nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team to a 69-61 victory over Hillsdale in its regular-season home opener Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (2-0) – ranked No. 2 in the national top 25 media poll and No. 12 in the coaches' poll – also got 10 points apiece from forwards Tennae Voliva and Kimani Fernandez as they extended their home winning streak to 29 and made it 58 wins in their last 60 regular-season meetings against NCAA Div. II non-conference opponents.

The Chargers (0-3) were led by 18 points, six assists and six rebounds from guard Grace Touchette and 12 points and 13 rebounds from forward Sydney Mills as the visitors from Michigan nearly erased a 16-point second-half deficit.

"That was an inconsistent performance overall, but we managed to get the job done nonetheless," said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy, whose team was playing its first game against an NCAA Div. II foe since beating Western Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament title game on Mar. 7, 2020. "Luckily we got a win and a good learning experience for our newcomers about what it takes to play with these expectations."

Despite falling behind 9-2 early, the Seawolves called timeout and responded immediately, taking a 18-15 lead after one quarter and building it to 38-32 at halftime.

Langi delivered a three-point play on the opening possession of the second half to spark a big Seawolf run, which she capped with free throws to make it 52-36 midway through the third quarter.

The hosts would go cold, however, and the Chargers scored 10 straight points before UAA's Jazzpher Evans converted a turnover into a layup to start the fourth quarter.

Mills scored inside to shave it to a 60-57 game with 4:10 remaining, but the Great Midwest Athletic Conference club could get no closer as UAA got consecutive baskets from senior Stephanie Jackson, Pinckney and Voliva to push it to 66-57 with 50 seconds remaining.

A junior point guard from Chugiak High School, Pinckney shot 5 of 12 from the floor and added five rebounds, three steals and no turnovers.

Langi finished 5 of 8 from the field and grabbed four rebounds, while Jackson contributed seven points and three assists off the bench.

The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday to host Texas Permian Basin (1-2) in a 1:15 AST tip.