ANCHORAGE – Nicole Pinckney and Tennae Voliva scored 10 points apiece to lead a second-half comeback for Alaska Anchorage, but visiting Western Washington responded with a game-ending 15-7 run to earn a 53-45 victory in a battle of nationally ranked women's basketball teams at the Alaska Airlines Center on Thursday.

Ranked No. 8 in the top-25 coaches' poll and No. 5 in the media poll, the Seawolves (10-3, 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got a career-high-tying 10 rebounds from junior forward Kimani Fernandez as they suffered their first back-to-back losses since the final two games of the 2013-14 season.

Ranked No. 11 by the coaches and No. 13 by the media, the Vikings (11-1, 3-1 GNAC) were led by 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds from wing Emma Duff as they won despite committing 25 turnovers and attempting 31 fewer shots. Forward Brooke Walling added 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks to help the visitors outshoot UAA .444 (16 of 36) to .250 (17 of 68) overall, including a .412 (7 of 17) to .111 (2 of 18) advantage on three-pointers.

"I was really proud of our defensive effort tonight," said UAA's Ryan McCarthy, who coached his 300th collegiate game. "We showed a lot of character digging out of that (30-20) halftime deficit, but we just could not buy a basket, and Western executed very well down the stretch."

Coming off Monday's 72-48 home loss to Montana State Billings, the Seawolves grabbed an early 4-0 lead, however Western Washington responded with a 14-2 run to take command.

Facing their largest halftime deficit of the season, the Seawolves locked down defensively in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 12-4 to draw within a basket with 10 minutes remaining. Pinckney and senior forward Sala Langi scored back-to-back baskets to tie it 38-38 with 6:39 on the fourth-quarter clock, but Duff answered on the ensuing three possessions with two free throws, a block on the defensive end, and a three-pointer to give her team the lead for good.

The Seawolves had a chance to shave a 49-43 deficit in half with 1:14 left, but Rachel Ingram's three-pointer missed, and the Vikings closed the game at the free-throw line, claiming their first win in seven tries at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Langi finished with eight points and three steals, while Fernandez collected eight of her rebounds on the offensive glass.

The setback also marked UAA's first back-to-back home losses since falling to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington on Jan. 17 and Jan. 19, 2013, at the old UAA Sports Complex. Thursday's game was UAA's 100th regular-season contest at the Alaska Airlines Center.

With Saturday's home game against Simon Fraser now postponed, the Seawolves next take the court Jan. 27 (3:15 p.m. AST) for a rematch with MSU Billings in Montana. Surf to GoSeawolves.com for links to live video and stats.