ANCHORAGE (Nov. 6) – Junior guard
Amber Kartchner scored 19 points to lead five Alaska Anchorage players in double figures Friday, lifting the hosts to a 95-73 women's basketball victory over College of Idaho at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Seawolves (2-2) also got 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists from guard
Bridgette Tello as they posted the best shooting numbers in second-year head coach
Matt Thune's tenure, connecting on 59 percent (34 of 58) from the floor and 61 percent (11 of 18) from three-point range.
Ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Div. I national poll, the Yotes (1-2) were led by 21 points and three assists from forward Kylie Waltermeyer.
"We played well for three quarters, and it was good to see Amber,
Kyla Momberg (8 points, 3-5 FG, 2 assists) and
Kiara Stone (8 points, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG) find their scoring touch," Thune said.
Playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season, the Seawolves led from the outset with a 7-0 run, getting a pair of early buckets from senior forward
Lillee Duffin. A 21-14 advantage extended with another 7-0 spurt to begin the second quarter, and UAA stretched it to 43-21 on a trey from Stone.
The Seawolves' 48-31 halftime edge would shrink as the Yotes chipped away throughout the third quarter and drew within 63-57 on Rachel Jones's layup to end the period.
The visitors from Caldwell, Idaho, made it 64-59 when Otter Agnew converted a layup at the 8:40 mark of the fourth, but their run would end there. Sophomore guard
Mylee Anderson swished a midrange jumper and fed Kartchner for a traditional three-point play on the fast break, and
Sheridan Liggett connected on a 17-footer to make it 71-61 with 7:25 remaining. Freshman guard
Kinzley Larsen added another three-point play moments later, helping the lead balloon back to 83-63 with five minutes left.
Liggett had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, Anderson had 10 points and five assists, and Larsen – an Idaho native along with Duffin – added 10 points (2-3 FG, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 19 minutes off the bench.
A transfer from Texas A&M-International, Tello reached double figures for the fourth time in as many games, shooting 6 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 3 on three-pointers.
Meanwhile, Kartchner showed the skills that made her a double-figure scorer as a freshman at Div. I Utah Tech, swishing 7 of 8 shots overall and 4 of 5 from long range.
The Seawolves' .611 three-point percentage equaled the fifth-best figure in program history and was their best mark of the 2020s.
Duffin led UAA with eight rebounds and a career-high six assists.
The Seawolves and Yotes meet for a rematch Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Center. Find tickets and live links at GoSeawolves.com.
