ANCHORAGE (Feb. 12) – Senior guard Elaina Mack scored 15 points to lead a hot start, but the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team fell victim to a big disadvantage on the boards Thursday in a 65-53 loss to Western Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (13-9, 5-8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and five assists from freshman guard Mylee Anderson as they were outshot .404 to .317 and outrebounded 46-28.

The Vikings (19-6, 11-3) got 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 17 rebounds from center Olivia Hodges, while fellow post player Aspen Garrison had 14 points and 10 rebounds, helping their team stay one game behind Central Washington for the league lead.

"We did a nice job early of disrupting their offensive flow, but we weren't able to sustain that intensity in the second half," said UAA head coach Matt Thune.

Looking to avenge last month's 81-65 loss in Bellingham, the Seawolves came out of the gate strong, getting two jumpers from Mack to forge an 8-0 lead after 90 seconds. The Vikings answered with nine straight points before UAA took control again, with Anderson scoring twice to earn a 17-13 lead after one quarter.

Taylor Searcey fed Lillee Duffin for a layup to stretch UAA's largest lead to 23-17, before the Vikings claimed a 27-26 advantage at the break.

After Mack tied it 29-29 with two free throws early in the third quarter, WWU guard Demi Dykstra canned a three-pointer to give her team the lead for good. Hodges hit a baseline jumper to make it a two-possession game at 41-36, and the visitors took a 45-37 lead into the final quarter.

The Seawolves stayed within 49-43 at the 7:38 mark, but Libby Stump responded with four straight points as the Vikings led by double figures for the final 6:26.

Mack shot 5 of 11 from the field and 4 of 4 at the foul stripe, while Duffin had eight points (4-7 FG), seven rebounds and two assists.

Searcey added seven points and a team season-high five steals, and sophomore guard Kimberly Carrada Sanchez came off the bench with six points, two assists and two steals.

UAA returns to action Saturday with a 5:15 p.m. tip against Simon Fraser at the Alaska Airlines Center. The game is part of UAA's 'Bounce Back For Charity' doubleheader with the Seawolf men (7:30 vs Alaska Fairbanks), featuring free admission for patrons who donate 'soft items' such as hats, socks, mittens, coats and toilet paper.