ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Jan. 29) – Senior guard Taylor Searcey had 23 points and six rebounds Thursday, spearheading a game-ending 15-0 run for the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team in a 60-50 upset of No. 9 Central Washington at Nicholson Pavilion.

The Seawolves (12-7, 4-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 12 points from sophomore forward Mahaila Harrison and 15 rebounds from junior center Lillee Duffin as they snapped Central's 11-game winning streak and handed the league leaders their first home loss.

The Wildcats (18-2, 9-1) were led by 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting from senior star Asher Cai, who became the GNAC's all-time scoring leader and surpassed 2,000 career points in the fourth quarter.

"After what we went through last week and the challenge we were facing tonight – a nationally top 10-ranked team in a tough road environment – I could not be any prouder of this group," said UAA head coach Matt Thune, whose team was coming off 101-98 and 92-91 (double OT) home losses. "Even with our leading scorer having to sit most of the first half, everyone else stepped up and kept us within striking distance, and our defensive effort in the second half was incredible. With our full lineup finally healthy and playing together, this shows our potential as we battle into the final month."

Looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the Seawolves kept it close at halftime, trailing 32-25 despite getting just three minutes from Harrison due to foul trouble. Searcey, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, had nine points in the opening half.

Central forward Fiona Shashall capped an 8-0 run with a three-pointer to give her team a 42-29 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter, before the Seawolves began their comeback.

Harrison got things started with a steal and a layup, and Kimberly Carrada Sanchez got the shooter's roll on a three-pointer for her only field goal of the game. UAA cut it to a one-point deficit twice around the six-minute mark before Cai pushed it back to 50-45 on a 17-foot jumper with 4:48 left.

Following the final media timeout, Harrison and Searcey combined for six points, two steals and an assist in a 30-second onslaught, taking the lead when Harrison intercepted a pass and sailed in for the layup.

Searcey made it 53-50 on a swipe-n-score at the 2:05 mark, and the Seawolves clinched it with a final flurry when Searcey's fastbreak layup was followed by another steal and basket from freshman guard Mylee Anderson.

Returning from a two-game injury absence, Duffin helped UAA control the boards down the stretch and hold the Wildcats to six turnovers and 0-of-8 shooting in the final 4:15. It was Duffin's 10th double-digit rebound game and her fourth time going for 15 or more.

Coming off a triple-double five days ago, Searcey shot 9 of 15 from the floor and 5 of 6 on free throws, along with six rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Anderson finished with seven points, two assists and two steals, while Elaina Mack had five points and seven rebounds. Faith Mersburgh chipped in five points off the bench for UAA, which achieved a pair of top-10 program marks.

UAA's six turnovers tied for sixth-fewest on the single-game list, while the 24-6 fourth quarter was UAA's 10th-best differential in the final quarter and its best in a GNAC road game since women's college basketball went to quarters in 2015-16.

The Seawolves travel next to Nampa, Idaho, to face Northwest Nazarene (12-6, 7-3) on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. AST. Find live video and stats links at GoSeawolves.com.