Box Score
        Box score, play-by-play
 
SEATTLE – It started with a couple of free throws and ended with a driving lay-in.
 
Those four points – and the 19 in between – were more than enough for the Seattle Pacific Falcons to start the women's basketball season in the win column on Friday.
 
Suzanna Ohlsen scored 14 points, and Aubree Callen added 13 as Seattle Pacific ran off 23 straight points during the second half to open the women's basketball sesaon with a 78-45 romp past Fresno Pacific in the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic.
 
"I was really impressed with our team. I thought we set the tone early defensively," head coach Julie Heisey said. "We did a good job rebounding (SPU had a 45-32 advantage, with 19 at the offensive end), and we had good shot selection."
 
The Falcons, who have never lost in the Sodexo (they're now 27-0) take on Humboldt State in Saturday's 5:00 p.m. game. The Lumberjacks got everyone's attention on Friday afternoon as they fell just two points short of the century mark in beating No. 21-ranked Western Washington, 98-88. The Vikings face Fresno Pacific in the 1:00 p.m. contest.
 
Seattle Pacific started off as if it was going to run away from Fresno Pacific before the season was even 10 minutes old. The Falcons hit nine of their first 16 shots and bolted to a 23-7 lead.
 
But Fresno Pacific (0-1) started to chip away. Late in the half, the Sunbirds got as close as six at 38-32. Senior point guard Ohlsen (Monroe, Wash. / Monroe HS) then swiped the ball in backcourt and went coast-to-coast just before the halftime buzzer for a 40-32 advantage.





The Sunbirds then came out and put up the first four points of the second half, as the Falcons missed their first nine shots from the field. The one-time 16-point lead was down to four at 40-36 with 16:35 still left in the game.
 
It was than the SPU found its offense. They started quietly enough, as sophomore forward / guard Hannah Rodrigues (Eugene, Ore.) drained a pair of free throws for the team's first points of the half, with 16:20 on the clock. The first field goal finally fell through at the 14:54 mark, a 10-footer from the left of the lane by junior center Molly Grager (Kirkland, Wash. / Juanita HS) to make it 44-36.
 
By the time the last of those 23 straight points were on the board, nine different Seattle Pacific players had contributed to the run. Even two of the Falcons' freshmen playing their first official college game – guards Courtney Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden HS) and Jordan McPhee (Des Moines, Wash. / Mount Rainier HS) got into the scoring act.
 
The Falcons committed just 10 turnovers, and forced Fresno Pacific into 17. Of those, 11 were Seattle Pacific steals. Fresno Pacific hit just 12 field goals for the game and scored a mere 13 points after halftime – only nine of those in the final 16 ½ minutes.
 
"Our goal was to have 15 or fewer turnovers and force 18," Heisey said. "I thought it was great that we had 11 steals. We took care of the controllables, and we got to play everybody. I was really pleased with our subs that they came in and were able to extend leads in the second half."
 
Friday's game was far different than last year's against the Sunbirds on their home court. That one came down to a last-second shot by Callen to pull out a 56-55 victory.
 
SPU is now 31-9 all-time in season openers and has won 14 of its last 15.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sodexo Tip-Off Classic
Friday, November 14, 2014
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 78, Fresno Pacific 45
 
FRESNO PACIFIC (0-1)
Charde Stevens 3-8 2-2 8, Jasmine Shedrick 0-2 4-4 4, Jenay Herring 3-13 6-6 12, Dakota McLarnan 2-7 0-0 5, Erisha Talley 1-4 0-0 2, Daeja Gilmer 0-0 0-0 0, Megan Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Erin Pallesi 0-2 2-2 2, Abrina Salas 0-1 2-2 2, Taylor Caspers 3-11 4-7 10, Danielle Bender 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-48 20-23 45.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (1-0)
Maddey Pflaumer 2-6 5-6 9, Hannah Rodrigues 1-5 4-6 6, Suzanna Ohlsen7-13 0-0 14, Aubree Callen 4-14 3-4 13, Betsy Kingma 2-10 0-0 6, Stacey Lukasiewicz 2-2 3-3 8, Rachel Shim 1-1 2-2 4, Caitlin Heinly 0-0 0-0 0, Molly Grager 2-2 0-0 4, Courtney Hollander 3-3 0-0 7, Erica Pagano 1-2 0-0 3, Jordan McPhee 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 26-62 20-25 78.
 
Fresno Pacific     32           13           -- 45
Seattle Pacific     40           38           -- 78
 
3-point goals – FPU 1-7 (Herring 0-2, McLarnan 1-5), SPU 6-20 (Ohlsen 0-4, Callen 2-5, Kingma 2-7, Lukasiewicz 1-1, Hollander 1-1, McPhee 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – FPU 32 (Caspers 7), SPU 45 (Grager 7). Assists – FPU 5 (5 players with 1), SPU 13 (Callen 4). Turnovers – FPU 17, SPU 10. Total fouls – FPU 19, SPU 20. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 280.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 1-0, 0-0 GNAC. Fresno Pacific 0-1, 0-0 Pacific West.
 
Next game – Humboldt State at Seattle Pacific, Brougham Pavilion, Saturday, 5:00 p.m.