Box score, play-by-play
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SEATTLE – After four games in six days, the Seattle Pacific Falcons were going to get a day off on Tuesday no matter what.

But now, they'll get to enjoy that day off just a little bit more.

Nyesha Sims scored 15 points, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:18 left in the game, and Caitlyn Rohrbach added 13, draining a pair of clinching free throws with 7.9 seconds left, as 23rd-ranked SPU knocked off 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball showdown on Monday night, 71-67.

The Falcons (9-2, 3-0 GNAC) won their seventh straight game – with four of those since just last Wednesday -- and climbed into a tie with idle Western Oregon atop the conference standings.





Anchorage (11-3, 2-1 GNAC) had a six-game winning streak snapped.

“It was a good challenge to have this tough schedule,” said senior forward Rohrbach (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale HS). “We're excited to have a day off tomorrow, and then go back at it again.”

Falcons coach Julie Heisey also is looking forward to a brief – and enjoyable – respite.

“We ran the gauntlet of four games in six days after having seven days off, and our kids responded in an awesome way,” she said. “One of the things we really challenged them on tonight was whoever could play hard every possession and whoever could control the boards could win. I'm really proud of them because we did both of those.

“Even though we got tired, we continued to play hard.”

Monday's game in Brougham Pavilion was tied seven times, but SPU – which now has beaten the Seawolves four straight times -- never trailed.

The last deadlock was at 65-65 with 2:05 left after Alaska Anchorage's Hanna Johansson drained two free throws.

Senior guard Maddie Maloney (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS) missed a 3-pointer on Seattle Pacific's next trip downcourt, but Rohrbach corralled the rebound, giving the Falcons a second chance. Sims made good on it, burying a 3-pointer from 23 feet away on the right side of the lane for a 68-65 lead.

Maloney hit one of her two free throws with 19 seconds left to make it 69-65. Nikki Aden came right back down and cut it to 69-67 on a turnaround five-foot bank shot from the right side with 12.7 seconds remaining.

Rohrbach – who missed Saturday's 80-64 victory over Alaska Fairbanks after getting seven stitches in her chin from a hard fall to the floor last Thursday against St. Edward's -- was fouled at the 7.9-second mark. She swished her first free throw. Anchorage called its final timeout, and Rohrbach came back and bounced her next one in for a 71-67 lead, making it a two-possession game.

Rohrbach said she was ready to go in the pressure situation.

“I love it. I really focus on making free throws in practice,” she said. “My grandparents have a cabin at Birch Bay. I love going there. So when I get up (to the line), I say 'Birch Bay' and that calms me down.”

The Seawolves had two more long-range tries, but both bounced away.





Sophomore guard Rachel Murray added 12 points for the Falcons, hitting 5 of 6 from the floor. She got nine of those points during the first 12 minutes of the game as SPU built an early 26-18 lead.

“My goal coming into the game was just to go out and play as hard as possible,” said Murray, who dropped in a career-high 13 on Saturday when she got the start in place of Rohrbach against Alaska Fairbanks. “I just took the opportunity to score when I saw it and just give a boost to our team.”

Added Heisey, “Rachel is finally breaking free. She has been watching more film and kind of relaxing and understanding the game. Those fast nine points gave us a huge spark.”

Johansson led Anchorage with 15 points, getting nine of those at the line. Aden added 12.

Seattle Pacific enjoyed its second straight game of shooting better than 50 percent, hitting 51.1 (24 of 47). The Falcons also were solid at the line, shooting 84.2 percent (16 of 19), and hit their first 13 in a row on Monday.

“We've been working hard the last few weeks, especially during Christmas break, working on our shooting and trying to get our percentage back up,” Murray said. “All of our hard work has paid off.”

The Seawolves shot 39.7 percent from the floor (23 of 58) and was 13 of 18 from the line (72.2 percent).

SPU won the battle of the boards, 34-28, with Rohrbach pulling down seven. 
 

 

NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Monday, January 3, 2011
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.

(No. 23) Seattle Pacific 71, (No. 11) Alaska Anchorage 67

ALASKA ANCHORAGE (11-3, 2-1 GNAC)
Johansson,Hanna 3-8 9-12 15; Aden,Nikki 4-6 1-2 12; McBride,Kaitlin 4-5 1-2
9; Herrin,Sarah 3-7 0-0 8; De Angelis,Francesca 4-9 0-0 8; Mathews,Tijera
1-4 2-2 5; Horn,Alysa 2-11 0-0 5; Burns,Kylie 1-1 0-0 3; Robison,Kaylie 1-6
0-0 2; Denson-Griffin,Tanee 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 13-18 67. 

SEATTLE PACIFIC (9-2, 3-0 GNAC)
Sims,Nyesha 5-10 4-6 15; Rohrbach,Caitlyn 3-7 6-6 13; Murray,Rachel 5-6 1-1
12; Benson,Katie 2-4 2-2 8; Reich,Melissa 4-8 0-0 8; Gorman, McKayla 2-4 2-2
8; Harazin,Jordan 2-4 0-0 4; Maloney,Maddie 1-4 1-2 3; Reimer,Joani 0-0 0-0
0; Callen,Aubree 0-0 0-0 0; Thralls,Katie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-47 16-19 71. 

Alaska Anchorage.............. 34 33 - 67
Seattle Pacific..................... 37 34 - 71 

3-point goals--Alaska Anchorage 8-22 (Aden,Nikki 3-4; Herrin,Sarah 2-4;
Mathews,Tijera 1-3; Horn,Alysa 1-7; Burns,Kylie 1-1; De Angelis,Francesca
0-3), Seattle Pacific 7-17 (Gorman, McKayla 2-4; Benson,Katie 2-4;
Sims,Nyesha 1-2; Rohrbach,Caitlyn 1-3; Murray,Rachel 1-1; Maloney,Maddie
0-2; Harazin,Jordan 0-1). Fouled out--Alaska Anchorage-McBride,Kaitlin,
Seattle Pacific-None. Rebounds--Alaska Anchorage 28 (Horn,Alysa 9), Seattle
Pacific 34 (Rohrbach,Caitlyn 7). Assists--Alaska Anchorage 8
(McBride,Kaitlin 3), Seattle Pacific 16 (Maloney,Maddie 4). Total
fouls--Alaska Anchorage 18, Seattle Pacific 14. Technical fouls--Alaska
Anchorage-None, Seattle Pacific-None. A-294.