SEATTLE -- Some nights, you run away with it. Some nights, you grind it out and hang on.
Thursday night was one of the latter for the Seattle Pacific women's basketball team.
Kelsey Hill poured in a season-high 22 points, and Daesha Henderson was right behind with her own season high of 21 as the 16th-ranked Falcons led for all but the opening few seconds, but got all they could handle from Saint Martin's before securing an 82-76 victory in Brougham Pavilion.
“We would get 11 or 12 points up, then they would hit a big shot,” said SPU coach Julie van Beek, whose team remained unbeaten in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at 3-0 and boosted its overall record to 10-2. “The fortunate part was that even though Kelsey Burns was in foul trouble, we still found a way to win. That says a lot. Jordan Harazin and Caitlyn Rohrbach did a good job of coming off the bench and gave us some solid minutes.”
Hill (Portland, Ore.), a senior center, hit 9 of 10 from the floor and all four of her shots from the foul line. She also pulled down nine rebounds.
Henderson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) buried 8 of 12 from the floor and 4 of 4 from the line. She also had two rebounds, three assists and five steals.
“We went to four-out in the second half just to go to a smaller lineup, just to spread the floor,” van Beek said. “The girls did a good job of attacking the basket. I was pleased that we had 19 assists and only had 13 turnovers.”
Saint Martin's (9-5, 1-2 GNAC) had four players in double figures, led by the 13 points of Megan Busch. Krissy Bassett had 12, Dara Zack added 11, and Roni Jo Mielke chipped in 10.
The only time the Falcons were behind was on the Saints' first basket of the game. SPU ran off the next eight points and gradually built a 14-point advantage before settling for a 37-28 lead at the break.
SAINTS GET CLOSE, FALCONS ANSWER
Seattle Pacific was up 49-38 early in the second half. Saint Martin's then went on a 12-2 run, pulling to 51-50 with 12:24 left in the game.
But Henderson responded with a 3-pointer, and the Falcons gradually pushed their lead back out to nine. Saint Martin's never got closer than four after that, the last time at 78-74 with 1:39 remaining. The Saints didn't score again until just three seconds remained.
“The good thing is we have a lot of things we can come out and work on,” van Beek said. “It's the third game of conference, and we can't just continue to outscore people. We have to find ways to play defense. We're not going to keep outscoring everyone.”
Freshman guard Harazin (Colfax, Wash/Colfax HS) contributed nine points, three assists and two rebounds off the bench. Rohrbach, a sophomore forward (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale HS) had eight points, seven boards and two assists.
Burns (Seattle/Kennedy HS), whose 14.2-point averages leads SPU in scoring and ranks fourth in the conference, got whistled for two quick fouls at the outset of the second half. She wound up playing just seven minutes of the half and only 20 minutes for the game before fouling out with 1:39 left. Burns finished with eight points.
Seattle Pacific had another solid shooting night, hitting 50 percent for the first half (16 of 32) and 48.4 percent for the game (30 of 62). The Falcons, who came into the game as the top-shooting team in the GNAC at 45.2 percent, now have shot 50 percent or better in four of six halves spanning the last three games. They also hit 18 of 23 from the free throw line on Thursday (78.3 percent).
“We were lucky that they only shot 13 free throws (hitting 11) and we shot 23,” van Beek said.
Jamey Gelhar went 2 for 2 at the line for Saint Martin's, running her GNAC record of consecutive free throws made to 39. Gelhar broke the old record in the Saints' victory against Alaska Fairbanks last Saturday.
SPU has won nine straight games from Saint Martin's, and leads the all-time series, 41-11.
The Falcons return to action on their home court Saturday night at 7 against Central Washington.
NCAA Women's Basketball
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Brougham Pavilion, Seattle, Wash.
(No. 16) Seattle Pacific 82, Saint Martin's 76
SAINT MARTIN'S (9-5, 1-2 GNAC)
Zack 5-14 0-2 11, Short 0-4 6-6 6, Bassett 5-7 1-1 12, Mielke 4-7 2-2 10, Gelhar 3-7 2-2 9, Busch 5-8 0-0 13, Lashua 0-0 0-0 0, Teade 3-6 0-0 7,Baker 2-3 0-0 4, Hawkins 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 29-60 11-13 76.
SEATTLE PACIFIC (10-2, 3-0 GNAC)
Burns 4-10 0-0 8, Hoisington 2-6 3-5 7, Hill 9-10 4-4 22, Henderosn 8-12 4-4 21, Maloney 2-6 1-4 5, Harazin 2-6 4-4 9, Sims 0-1 0-0 0, Cannon 0-0 0-0 0, Rohrbach 2-7 2-2 8, Reich 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 30-62 18-23 82.
Saint Martin's......28 48 -- 76
Seattle Pacific.....37 45 -- 82
3-point goals -- SMU 7-16 (Zack 1-2, Bassett 1-2, Gelhar 1-3, Busch 3-5, Teade 1-3), SPU 4-15 Burns 0-3, Henderson 1-2, Maloney 0-2, Harazin 1-4, Sims 0-1, Rohrbach 2-3). Fouled out -- SMU: Zack. SPU: Burns. Rebounds -- SMU 33 (Zack 7), SPU 33 (Hill 9, Rohrbach 7). Assists -- SMU 17 (Mielke 5), SPU 19 (Burns 3, Hill 3, Hendeson 3, Harazin 3). Technical fouls -- None. Total fouls -- SMU 16, SPU 14. A -- 334.
