ANCHORAGE (Nov. 7) –
Bridgette Tello scored 16 points and the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team got late heroics from
Mylee Anderson and
Lillee Duffin to earn a 71-70 victory Saturday over College of Idaho at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Seawolves (3-2) got 14 points, five rebounds and four assists from Anderson, who scored eight points during the fourth-quarter comeback, while freshman
Kinzley Larsen totaled 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.
The Yotes (1-2), ranked No. 22 in the NAIA national poll, were led by 19 points and 10 rebounds from Kylie Waltermeyer.
"That was a terrific test from a team that will have an extremely good season in its league, and I'm proud of the way we executed down the stretch," said UAA head coach
Matt Thune. "Games like this will help us identify our weaknesses and make us much better in the long run."
After leading from start to finish in Friday night's 95-73 victory over the same team, the Seawolves played catch-up for the bulk of the rematch. The Yotes led 26-14 midway through the second quarter before UAA got rolling offensively, getting baskets from five different players for a 10-0 run.
The Seawolves' 29-28 halftime advantage would not last, though, as Waltermeyer canned a three-pointer to put the Yotes ahead 40-33 at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter, and College of Idaho held a 52-49 at the final quarter break.
The game stayed within one possession for a nine-minute stretch until Tello converted a three-point play and Duffin fed Anderson for a layup, giving UAA its largest lead at 67-60 with just 2:51 remaining. College of Idaho took just 69 seconds to tie it with a 7-0 run, but Duffin was up to the challenge again, drawing a foul and hitting two go-ahead free throws at the 1:13 mark. After a defensive stop, Duffin converted a pass from Anderson for critical breathing room with 32 seconds left, and the Seawolves hung on as the Yotes swished a harmless three-pointer from the corner as time expired.
An Idaho native, Duffin scored all seven of her points in the final 5:31, along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Tello continued her hot start to the season as the Texas A&M-International transfer shot 6 of 9 from the field and nabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Junior guard
Amber Kartchner added nine points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks, and
Jayden Smallwood contributed a key four points and four assists off the bench.
UAA heads to the Hawaiian Islands for its next three games, facing fellow NCAA Div. II opponents Chaminade (Nov. 13, 6 pm AST), Hawaii Pacific (Nov. 14, 2 pm) and Hawaii Hilo (Nov. 17, 4 pm), before returning home for the ASRC/Conoco Phillips Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 21-22.
