Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play
 
BURNABY, B.C. – Slow start? So what?
 
For the second time in 48 hours this week, the Seattle Pacific women's basketball team overcame one – both on the road, and both against teams that went to last year's NCAA Tournament.

 

Suzanna Ohlsen scored 19 points on Saturday night, and the 19^th-ranked Falcons got their last 11 points at the free throw line to fend off Simon Fraser in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game, 61-56.
 
Senior guard Aubree Callen added 17 points for SPU (11-1, 3-1 GNAC), which was down 15-4 in the first six minutes of the game, but came back to win its fifth straight and hand the Clan (6-5, 2-1 GNAC) their first conference loss. Simon Fraser had been the last team with a perfect record in GNAC play.
 
"That was a big deal," said coach Julie Heisey, whose team fell into a 16-5 hole at Western Washington on Thursday night, but used a big second-half run to fuel a 74-64 victory. "We played two teams in a row on the road that went to the national tournament. To go in and win back-to-back games is huge."
 
Sophomore guard / forward Hannah Rodrigues chipped in 15 points and a career-high four steals.
 
The Falcons, now tied with Alaska Anchorage for first place, have just one game next week, visiting Montana State Billings on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
 
On Saturday in Simon Fraser's West Gym, Seattle Pacific closed the first half with a 31-10 surge to turn the 15-4 deficit into a 35-25 lead at the break. That grew to 39-25 early in the second half.
 
"We've been able to make comebacks because of our defense," Heisey said. "There were a couple times early when we weren't picking up the ball, and they're really versatile. We turned the ball over and they scored off of that. We went into a press after we got behind and pressed most of the game, and that really changed the game again."
 
But the Clan, who had beaten the Falcons four straight times dating back to the 2012-13 season, steadily climbed back into it. They got as close as one at 52-51 on a basket and ensuing free throw by Erin Chambers with 2:17 remaining.

 

SPU returned it to a three-possession lead at 58-51 on two free throws by Rodrigues (Eugene, Ore.) at the 1:46 mark, two by senior guard Callen (Jerome, Idaho) at 1:09, and two more by Rodrigues at 48.9 seconds.
 
A 3-pointer by Katie Lowen with 39.1 seconds to go – one of just two Simon Fraser treys in 19 attempts – it 58-54. But Ohlsen then hit 1 of 2 from the line, and Callen followed with two more, the latter with just 28.3 seconds left.
 
Rachel Fradgley drained a pair of free throws for the Clan at 16.3 seconds. SPU worked the ball into front court, then ran out the remaining seconds when the Clan elected not to foul.
 
"We did the little things," Heisey said. "We were able to get to the line (hitting 11 of 12 in the final 3:04 and 17 of 19 for the night), and we were able to get shots to keep us ahead. And we were able to hit those."
 
Chambers, the GNAC's leading scorer and the No. 2 scorer in D2 at 24.4 points per game, finished with 21, getting 15 of those during the second half. But thanks in large part to Betsy Kingma's defense, Chambers hit just 9 of 21.
 
Up 4-3, the Falcons saw Simon Fraser ring up 12 straight points to take a 15-4 advantage with 13:46 left in the first half.
 
But Seattle Pacific rallied, finally tying it at 19-19 on a pair of Rodrigues free throws at the 6:49 mark. The Clan went back in front on a Fradgley basket, but Ohlsen drained a 3-pointer to give the Falcons their first lead since the opening moments at 22-21.
 
With the game tied at 24-24, SPU scored 11 of the final 12 points in the half.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, January 3, 2015
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
 
(No. 19) Seattle Pacific 61, Simon Fraser 56
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-1, 3-1 GNAC)
Suzanna Ohlsen 7-14 4-5 19, Aubree Callen 6-11 4-4 17, Betsy Kingma 1-6 2-2 4, Molly Grager 0-3 0-0 0, Hannah Rodrigues 4-6 7-8 15, Stacey Lukasiewicz 1-2 0-0 2, Rachel Shim 1-1 0-0 2, Courtney Hollander 1-4 0-0 2, Jordan McPhee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 17-19 61.
                     
SIMON FRASER (6-5, 2-1 GNAC)
Katie Lowen 4-13 1-2 11, Erin Chamber 9-21 3-3 21, Ellen Kett 1-4 1-3 3, Rachel Fradgley 2-7 3-4 7, Meg Wilson 6-11 2-3 14, Elisa Homer 0-0 0-0 0, Fiona Beales 0-0 0-0 0, Samantha Beauchamp 0-1 0-0 0, Alisha Roberts 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-58 10-15 56.
Seattle Pacific     35           26           -- 61
Simon Fraser      25            31           -- 56       
 
3-point goals – SPU 2-7 (Ohlsen 1-1, Callen 1-3, Kingma 0-3), SFU 2-19 (Lowen 2-9, Chamber 0-6, Kett 0-2, Wilson 0-1, Roberts 0-1). Fouled out – SFU: Wilson. Rebounds – SPU 29 (Hollander 5), SFU 36 (Fradgley 11).  Assists – SPU 4 (Ohlsen 2), SFU 10 (Lowen 3, Wilson 3). Turnovers – SPU 18, SFU 19. Total fouls – SPU 21, SFU 20. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 185.
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Saturday, Jan. 10, 6:00 p.m. PST
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.