Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play
 
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Katie Benson scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her first double-double in the past eight games, as the Seattle Pacific Falcons came from six points down early in the second half to beat Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon, 76-64.
 
The victory in WOU's New P.E. Building clinched a spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament for SPU (17-7, 10-6 GNAC). The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 5, at Saint Martin's.
 
Suzanna Ohlsen and Betsy Kingma added 12 points apiece for Seattle Pacific, and senior guard Mechela Barnes chipped in 11 off the bench. Barnes (Tacoma, Wash. / Bellarmine Prep HS) nailed a 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 45-44 lead with 15:02 left, then hit a lay-in at the 13:41 mark to snap the game's final tie. SPU led the rest of the way, building it to as large as 13 at 63-50 with 7:03 remaining.
 
Benson's last double-double prior to Saturday was at 16-point, 14-rebound effort on Jan. 23 in Brougham Pavilion as the Falcons beat Western Oregon, 72-56. She was coming off of a season-low nine points in Thursday's 54-44 victory at Saint Martin's. Benson (Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS) hit 11 of 14 from the field on Saturday and also handed out three assists.
 
Seattle Pacific now has matched its win total from the past two seasons (17-11 last year, 17-10 in 2011-12), and is 10 games above the .500 mark for the first time since the end of the 2010-11.
 
Western Oregon (6-18, 3-13 GNAC) was still within striking distance, down 68-60 with 1:32 left when Falcons freshman Hannah Rodrigues (Eugene, Ore.) launched an 18-footer from the left of the lane in a desperate attempt to beat the shot clock buzzer. It hit the rim, rolled around, and dropped through for a 70-60 advantage.
 
SPU topped 50 percent shooting for the second game in a row, hitting 28 of 55 (50.9 percent).
 
Dana Goularte, the No. 3 scorer in the GNAC (one spot behind Benson) led Western Oregon with 24 points.
 
The Falcons, ranked No. 4 in the West Region rankings this week and well positioned to qualify for their first NCAA tournament since 2011, wrap up the regular season at home next week, playing host to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, both at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
               
Seattle Pacific 76, at Western Oregon 64
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (17-7, 10-6 GNAC)
Pflaumer 3-6 1-2 7, Rodrigues 2-5 2-4 6, Benson 11-14 3-4 26, Ohlsen 4-12 2-2 12, Kingma 4-13 0-0 12, Barnes 3-3 4-6 11, Grager 1-1 0-0 2, Butler 0-0 0-0 0, Shim 0-1 0-0 0, Lukasiewicz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-55 12-18 76.
 
WESTERN OREGON (6-18, 3-13 GNAC)
Fowler 0-4 0-1 0, Goularte 8-14 6-6 24, Divilbiss 3-9 3-4 9, Mottershaw 3-6 3-4 11, Miller 2-5 0-0 5, Henry 5-7 2-2 13, Titus 0-1 2-2 2, Nicklason 0-0 0-0 0, Reade 0-0 0-0 0, Steiger 0-0 0-0 0, Akins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 16-19 64
 
Seattle Pacific                      29           47           -- 76
Western Oregon                  31           33           -- 64
 
3-point goals--SPU 8-21 (Kingma 4-11, Ohlsen 2-5, Barnes 1-1, Benson 1-1, Rodrigues 0-3), WOU 6-11 (Mottershaw 2-4, Goularte 2-2, Henry 1-1, Miller 1-1, Divilbiss 0-3). Fouled out – None. Rebounds--SPU 35 (Benson 12), WOU 25 (Fowler 7). Assists--SPU 18 (Ohlsen 5), WOU 10 (Divilbiss, Goularte 3). Turnovers – SPU 15, WOU 16. Total fouls--SPU 14, WOU 15. Technical fouls – None. A-327.
 
Next game – Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, Thursday, Feb. 27, Brougham Pavilion, 7:00 p.m.