SEATTLE (Mar. 8) - In her final regular season game as a Falcon,
Jackie Hollands scored a game high 12 points to lead the No. 2 Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team to their 27th consecutive victory, a 62-54 win over GNAC rival Saint Martin's University Saturday night at Brougham Pavilion.
The final test before post-season play, the Falcons (27-0 overall, 18-0 GNAC) dug out a gritty win over the visiting Saints (17-10 overall, 10-8 GNAC), who may have seen their post-season hopes disappear with the loss.
Taking the lead for good 12 minutes into the first half via a
Daesha Henderson trey, SPU used a 15-5 run to establish a seven-point advantage, eventually leading by five at halftime.
Out of halftime,
Beth Christensen, one of four seniors on the SPU squad, drained a pair of three-pointers in the opening four minutes of play, propelling the Falcons to an 11 point lead, which rose to as many as 13 in the final period.
SMU pulled within six under a minute to play, but Henderson sank two free throws with 29 seconds left to put SPU up by eight. When Michelle Short's trey attempt missed on the other end, and Sade Smith grabbed the offensive board, the Saints had one last chance to rally. Kassie Ludeman, who leads the in points per game (10.0ppg), put up a jumper, but to no avail, as
Kelsey Hill grabbed the board and ran out the remaining 18 seconds on the clock for the win.
SPU's four seniors, Hollands, Christensen,
Libby Magnuson, and
Jessie Christensen, combined for 31 points, 17 boards, and 11 assists in their final regular season game. Hollands and
Beth Christensen had 11 and 10 points each, while Magnuson led all players with five assists. Hollands also had a game high six steals.
Beth Christensen, who stands at 5' 5”, out rebounded her taller teammates (6'2” Hill, 6'2”
Melissa Reich, and 6'4”
Lexi Schaar), recording a team high seven rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end. Sade Smith, a junior at SMU, owned the boards Saturday night though, grabbing an even 10, eight of which came on the offensive end. Smith paired them with 10 points for a double double,
Henderson came off the bench for 10 points and two steals, as well for the Falcons, rounding out the double-digit scorers.
Now back-to-back GNAC champions for the first time since their three-peat between the 2003-05 seasons, SPU is set to host the NCAA DII West Region Tournament next weekend beginning Friday March 14th. First round games will be played at 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30p.m., and 7:30p.m.
The top eight teams in the region will be selected tomorrow night (Sunday), at 7:30p.m., as tournament brackets are released via the NCAA selection committee. With the No. 1 ranking in the region, SPU is poised to be the host team for the West Regional and is most likely play the No. 8 seed at 7:30 inn Friday's nightcap.
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