Box score, play-by-play
 
SEATTLE – Katie Benson led four Seattle Pacific players in double figures as the Falcons cruised to victory in their women's basketball season-opener on Friday night, 80-54 against Illinois Springfield at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic.
                    
The Falcons improved their record to 23-0 in the 12^th year of their preseason tournament in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Junior forward Benson (Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS) tallied 17 points and barely missed a double-double, pulling down nine rebounds. Senior guard Rachel Murray (Eglington, Australia) added 15 points. Junior guard Mechela Barnes (Tacoma / Bellarmine Prep HS) chipped in 14 and Suzanna Ohlsen had 10 as the Falcons shot 50.9 percent (29 of 57).
 
SPU also was almost perfect from the foul line, draining 17 of 18 for a 94.4 percent clip. The school record, which takes a minimum 20 attempts, is 92.9 percent. The Falcons led the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in free throw shooting last year at 77.5 percent, just shy of the single-season school standard of 77.6.
 
Midway through the first half, Seattle Pacific used a 6-0 scoring run that turned a 12-10 deficit into an 18-12 lead. The Falcons never trailed again, took a 41-25 lead into halftime, and extended the margin from there.
 
Illinois Springfield was paced by junior guard Megan Bergerud's 12 points and another 11 from Carly Goede.
 
The Prairiestars play Central Washington at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and the Falcons face Western State Colorado at 5 p.m. in their final Sodexo game.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sodexo Tip-Off Classic
Friday, November 9, 2012
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 80, Illinois Springfield 54
 
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD (0-1)
Coffey 4-6 0-0 8, Kelly 4-7 0-0 8, Marti 1-3 0-0 2, Palmer 0-4 2-5 2, Bergerud 5-14 0-0 12, Goede 4-6 0-0 11, Collins 1-5 0-0 2, Wolfe 1-4 1-2 3, Beck 1-5 0-1 5, Zehner 2-2 0-2 4. Totals 23-56 3-10 54.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (1-0)
Murray 5-8 4-4 15, Benson 6-11 5-6 17, Teng 3-3 0-0 6, Ohlsen 3-9 2-2 10, Barnes 5-8 2-2 14, Bowen 2-7 0-0 4, Callen 1-3 4-4 6, Lasconia 0-0 0-0 0, Pflaumer 3- 5 0-0 6, Grager 0-0 0-0 0, Stephens 1-2 0-0 2, Butler 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-57 17-18 80.
 
Illinois Springfield               25           29           -- 54
Seattle Pacific                     41           39           -- 80
 
3-point goals – UIS 5-17 (Marti 0-2, Palmer 0-1, Bergerud 2-5, Goede 3-5, Collins 0-3, Wolfe 0-1), SPU 5-12 (Murray 1-2, Benson 0-1, Ohlsen 2-4, Barnes 2-3, Bowen 0-1, Callen 0-1). Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None. Total fouls – UIS 18, SPU 14. Rebounds – UIS 27 (Kelly 8), SPU 40 (Benson 9). Assists – UIS 14 (Palmer 4, Collins 4), SPU 20 (Ohlsen 5). Turnovers – UIS 21, SPU 19. Attendance – 382.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 1-0. Illinois Springfield 0-1.
 
Next game – Western State Colorado at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Brougham Pavilion, 5:00 p.m.