BILLINGS, Mont. – Sophomore guard
Rachel Ingram led a huge comeback with a school-record seven three-pointers in the second half for 19th-ranked Alaska Anchorage, but it wasn't enough in a 74-67 women's basketball loss to Montana State Billings at Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Seawolves (10-4, 3-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got a season-high 18 points from senior center
Tennae Voliva as they suffered they shaved an 18-point deficit down to four in the final minute. The loss marks UAA's first three-game losing streak in regular-season or GNAC games since Jan. 3-10, 2013.
The Yellowjackets (12-8, 5-2 GNAC) were led by a career-high 18 points from guard Danielle Zahn, plus 14 points apiece from Kayla Montague and Cariann Kunkel as they swept the regular-season series from UAA for the first time since joining the GNAC in 2007-08.
"We were hurt again by another slow start offensively, and we lost focus defensively too many times throughout the game," said UAA head coach
Ryan McCarthy. "Obviously it's never easy losing, but fortunately we can take some positives out of this one tonight. I was proud of our fight in the fourth quarter, and it was great to see Rachel finally break out of her shooting slump. Hopefully we can take those things and build some momentum with another pair of tough games coming up in Seattle this weekend."
After falling 72-48 to MSUB on Jan. 17 in Anchorage, the Seawolves jumped to a quick 6-0 lead in the rematch. But the hosts called timeout and answered with a huge run, taking a 18-10 lead after the first quarter. Zahn nailed back-to-back three-pointers and knocked down an off-balance bank shot in the lane right before the halftime buzzer to put the hosts up 33-20, and they stretched it to a 59-42 advantage after three quarters.
Despite missing their first 11 three-pointers, the Seawolves continued to fire away, led by Ingram, who made seven threes in an eight-shot span to keep the game within reach. The Colorado native finished 7 of 12 from long range, tying the school record of seven treys in any half (Maria Nilsson, 1st half vs. Saint Martin's, Feb. 3, 2007). It also tied her for the ninth-most total threes in a game by a Seawolf.
Voliva led the way with seven rebounds and fellow senior
Sala Langi,
Lauren Johnson and
Stephanie Jackson combined for 23 points and six assists.
The Seawolves next play back-to-back 1 p.m. AST tip-offs Saturday and Sunday at Seattle Pacific, with the second game marking a makeup from the originally scheduled Dec. 30 contest in Anchorage.