FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Feb. 10) –
Senya Rabouin scored 22 points and assisted on
Tori Hollingshead's go-ahead layup in the final minute Saturday to lift the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team to a 78-75 victory over Alaska Fairbanks at the Patty Center.
The Seawolves (14-7, 8-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks from Hollingshead as they outscored the hosts 50-30 in the paint and 21-10 on points off turnovers.
The Nanooks (4-18, 2-10) were led by 21 points and 11 rebounds from center Emma Wass, while Destiny Reimers recorded an unorthodox triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists and 11 turnovers. Wass shot 10 of 16 from the floor as UAF shot 56 percent in the first half and 49 percent for the game, making 8 of 20 three-pointers.
"Credit to UAF – they outcompeted us for the majority of that game," said UAA head coach
Ryan McCarthy, whose team benefited from a plus-12 turnover advantage. "We showed some good poise down the stretch, executed, and got some big-time offensive rebounds."
After pulling away late for an 84-55 win over UAF last month in Anchorage, the Seawolves were tested throughout in the rematch. Neither club led by more than eight points, and there were six ties and 12 lead changes.
UAA recovered from a 39-36 halftime deficit with a 13-2 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter, capped by two free throws from junior forward
Kate Robertson.
Mia Ross scored in the paint for a 62-54 advantage, but the Nanooks responded with a huge surge spanning quarters, going ahead 68-64 on consecutive three-pointers by Reimers.
Jazzpher Evans gave UAA a 70-69 edge on a short jumper with 4:09 left as the teams began trading scores, including a backdoor feed from Hollingshead to
Kya Pearson that made it 74-73 with 2:22 left.
UAF's Kayla Johnson rolled in a baseline jumper at the 1:06 mark, but Rabouin and Hollingshead responded with a perfect exchange as the junior center took the lob pass and converted an easy layup off glass with 43 seconds to play.
Hollingshead grabbed a defensive rebound on a miss by Wass seconds later, but
Jaisa Gamble missed two free throws to leave the door open. Emma McKenney missed another trey with 12 seconds to play, though, and Gamble redeemed herself with a huge defensive rebound. Raboiun swished two free throws with 3.3 seconds left, and a running three-point attempt by Reimers came up well short at the buzzer.
Hollingshead shot 7 of 12 from the field and grabbed seven offensive boards to aid her third double-double, while Rabouin shot 8 of 17 from the field and 5 of 6 on charities as the Central Arizona transfer topped 20 points for the sixth time.
Evans had nine points and five rebounds, Ross had nine points, and Robertson delivered eight points, four rebounds and a pair of steals. Pearson led UAA with four assists and committed no turnovers in 22 minutes, while Gamble snagged six rebounds.
The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center for four of their final six regular-season games, starting Thursday at 7:30 pm against Northwest Nazarene. Find tickets and more at GoSeawolves.com.