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BELLINGHAM, Wash. – That wasn't just anyone the Seattle Pacific Falcons beat on Friday night.
 
That was the 17th-ranked women's basketball team in the country.
 
Erica Pagano scored a career-high 14 points, Courtney Hollander set a career-high with 14 rebounds, and SPU kept high-scoring UC San Diego 40 points below its scoring average in a 62-45 victory at the West Region Crossover Classic.
 
The victory in the Whatcom Community College Pavilion gave Seattle Pacific a 3-0 start and was its first against a ranked team since downing Humboldt State in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA West Regionals in Anchorage, 77-62.
 
Junior forward Pagano (Happy Valley, Ore.) topped her previous career high of 11 points, set this past Jan. 30 at home against Central Washington. Having earned a starting role for the first time in her career, it was her second double-figure scoring performance in the first three games. She hit 6 of 9 from the floor and both of her foul shots on Friday.

 

Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden Christian HS), another junior forward, added 13 points for her first double-double of the season. She is now in double-digits for career double-doubles, as that was her 10th. Hollander's previous career best for rebounds was 13, a total she reached three times, most recently last Feb. 20 against Alaska Anchorage.
 
Junior guard Jordan McPhee (Normandy Park, Wash. / Mount Rainier HS) chipped in 10 points, and led the way with four steals. Senior guard Brianne Lasconia (Seattle / Shorecrest HS) dished a team-high four assists.
 
The Tritons (2-1), were averaging 85 points a game, having topped 80 points in both of their contests at last weekend's season-opening San Marcos Classic: 88-64 against Montana State Billings, and then 82-74 in an upset of No. 2-ranked Cal Baptist.
 
"We just did a good job of understanding our (defensive) assignments," Falcons coach Julie Heisey said. "Jordan and Stacey (Lukasiewicz) were fantastic on defense, and Julia (Haining) did a great job.

 

"This is just a great team win," she added. "We told them that we have to out-work them, because San Diego is very, very good. We out-worked them on defense and rebounding, ran the floor hard, and just did the little things well."
 
SPU concludes the tournament on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against Azusa Pacific.
 
UC San Diego jumped to a 7-2 lead. But the Falcons responded with 10 straight points in a span of exactly two minutes: two free throws and a 3-pointer by Hollander to tie it at 7-7, a 3-pointer by senior guard Brianne Lasconia for a 10-7 lead, and a bucket by Haining to make it 12-7.
 
Seattle Pacific never trailed again, building the lead to 39-25 by halftime. The margin was back down to single digits entering the fourth quarter at 47-39,
 
The Tritons cut it to six at 47-41 with 8:00 to play. The Falcons answered with a 15-2 burst during the next six minutes to put the game out of reach.
 
UC San Diego came into the tournament with a 51.2 percent shooting mark, but hit just 34 percent (17 of 50) against the Falcons.
 
SPU hit 37. 3 percent (23 of 62), but also was 35 percent (7 of 20) from downtown. It had a season-low 10 turnovers, and forced the Tritons into 22 – nearly twice their average of 11.5.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Crossover Classic
Friday, Nov. 18, 2016
Whatcom CC Pavilion / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 62, (No. 17) UC San Diego 45
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (3-0)
Erica Pagano 6-9 2-2 14, Courtney Hollander 4-18 4-4 13, Jordan McPhee 4-12 2-4 10, Lindsay Lee 2-2 0-0 6, Brianne Lasconia 2-7 0-0 6, Rachel Shim 2-5 0-0 6, Hannah Rodrigues 2-4 1-1 5, Julia Haining 1-1 0-0 2, Jaylee Albert 0-1 0-0 0, Stacey Lukasiewicz 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 9-11 62.
 
UC SAN DIEGO (2-1)
Taylor Tanita 3-10 2-2 10, Joleen Yang 3-10 0-0 8, Mikayla Williams 34- 2-2 8, Dalayna Sampton 3-3 2-2 2, Paige Song 2-5 0-0 5, Beth Mounier 1-4 0-0 2, Stephanie Moore 1-2 0-0 2, Gigi Olelewe 1-1 0-0 2, Haley Anderson 0-4 0-0 0, Sydney Sharp 0-1 0-0 0, Cassie MacLeod 0-6 0-0 0, Marcella Hughes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-50 6-6 45.
 
Seattle Pacific     14           15             8           15           -- 62       
UC San Diego      15           10           14             6           -- 45
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-20 (Shim 2-4, Lasconia 2-5, Lee 2-2, Hollander 1-6, Lukasiewicz 0-2, McPhee 0-1), UCSD 5-22 (Yang 2-6, Tanita 2-5, Song 1-3, Mounier 0-1, Moore 0-1, Anderson 0-3, Sharp 0-1, MacLeod 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 36 (Hollander 14), UCSD 34 (Williams 11). Assists – SPU 19 (Lasconia 4), UCSD 12 (Taylor 4). Turnovers – SPU 10, UCSD 22. Total fouls – SPU 12, UCSD 14. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 118.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific vs. Azusa Pacific
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Whatcom CC Pavilion / Bellingham, Wash.