ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 18) – Tori Hollingshead and Vishe' Rabb posted double-doubles as Alaska Anchorage dominated the interior Thursday to claim a 68-62 women's basketball victory over Central Washington in a battle of playoff contenders at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Seawolves (10-5, 4-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds from Hollingshead, while Rabb delivered 14 points and 10 boards. Junior center Kate Robertson added eight points and six rebounds, helping UAA outscore the hosts 38-22 in the paint.

The Wildcats were led by 21 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks from do-it-all wing Asher Cai, along with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four assists from guard Sunshine Huerta.

"We were extremely sharp offensively for most of the first half, and even when we fell into a couple lulls in the second half, our defense was able to bail us out with stops and get some hard-fought defensive boards," said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy, whose team leapfrogged their opponent for third place in the GNAC standings. "Kate got us going early with her energy, and they didn't have an answer for Tori once she got rolling offensively. Vishe' also started to recognize what the defense was giving her, and that resulted in some big buckets, including the final three-pointer."

After losing their last three games against the Wildcats by at least 15 points, the Seawolves established an early foothold and led throughout. Mia Ross scored all seven of her points in the first quarter, including a three-pointer that made it 14-6, and a midrange floater just five seconds before the break.

Malia Smith nailed a three-pointer to bring Central Washington within 24-23, but the Seawolves got baskets from four different players on their next four possessions, capped by a three-point play from Robertson.

Rabb scored in the final seconds for a 40-34 halftime advantage, and the lead stretched to 48-36 before Huerta responded with a trey at the 5:17 mark of the third quarter.

Hollingshead gave UAA its largest lead on a layup with 1:23 showing, and the Seawolves produced just enough scoring in the final quarter to hold on.

The Wildcats took advantage of the UAA drought to pull within 65-57 with 3:52 left, but the hosts committed a shot clock violation and missed two free throws on their ensuing possessions. Rabb then provided the clincher with 2:13 remaining, nailing a three-pointer from the wing after UAA burned 29 seconds of shot clock.

A 6-2 center from Orem, Utah, and Umpqua (Ore.) Community College, Hollingshead shot 8 of 13 from the field, along with six offensive rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks, recording her second double-double as a Seawolf.

Meanwhile, Rabb picked up her fourth double-double as a Seawolf in just her fourth game of the season, having returned from an ACL injury on Jan. 4. The former Augustana (S.D.) transfer and 2022-23 First Team All-GNAC pick shot 6 of 12 from the field (2-3 3FGs) and snagged a pair of steals.

UAA won despite leading scorer Senya Rabouin going 0 of 6 from the field, but the junior point guard came through with five assists, two steals, three rebounds and no turnovers in 25 minutes.

Elaina Mack added eight points on 3-of-3 shooting (2-2 3FGs) and four rebounds, Jazzpher Evans had eight points, and junior forward Jaisa Gamble had a timely three points, four rebounds, no turnovers and a key steal late in the fourth quarter.

UAA takes winning streaks of eight games overall and four in the GNAC into its Saturday (5 p.m.) contest against Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. Find links to live video and stats at GoSeawolves.com.