HONOLULU – Senior forward Sala Langi scored a season-high 16 points and junior guard Jahnna Hajdukovich added 11 points Friday to propel another balanced effort for top-ranked Alaska Anchorage in a 69-41 women's basketball victory over Concord at McCabe Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (8-0) also got nine points and two assists from junior point guard Nicole Pinckney as they opened with a 10-2 run and led by as many as 33 points in the first meeting between the programs.

The Mountain Lions (7-4) got 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds from center Riley Fitzwater, but the West Virginia club committed 32 turnovers against UAA's pressure defense.

"We've been showing improvement each time out the last few games, and that continued today," said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy, whose team forced its most turnovers against a fellow NCAA Div. II opponent this season. "We executed our game plan, played smart on both ends, and different players continued to step up – today it was Sala, next time it could be anyone else."

Ranked No. 1 in the D2SIDA media poll and No. 5 in the WBCA coaches' poll, the Seawolves shot 10 of 18 in the opening quarter and held the Mountain Lions to 2-of-6 shooting and 10 turnovers, grabbing a 23-8 lead after 10 minutes.

Concord pulled within 28-16 midway thought the second quarter, but senior wing Lauren Johnson sparked another huge run with a three-pointer. Pinckney swished a jumper at the halftime buzzer to make it 39-18, and the former Chugiak High School star combined with Hajdukovich for the first seven points of the second half.

Langi scored inside to give UAA its largest lead at 57-24 with 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Mountain Lions actually finished with a .400 to .387 edge in field-goal percentage, but on 27 fewer attempts.

Langi shot 4 of 8 from the field and 8 of 10 from the foul stripe, along with a game-high three steals.


UAA also got a big early spark from freshman Jazzpher Evans, who made her first three shots and finished with eight points. Johnson had seven points and a career-high four assists, and Tennae Voliva and Kimani Fernandez grabbed five rebounds apiece.  

The Seawolves conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule with a showdown at West Region foe Hawaii Hilo (4-2) at 2 p.m. AST Sunday.