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BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Can't beat 'em if you can't score on 'em.
 
For the first two weeks of the women's basketball season, it has been awfully tough to score on the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Erica Pagano had 12 points, leading SPU for the second night in a row, as the Falcons continued their hot start to open the year with a 75-49 rout of Azusa Pacific in the West Region Crossover Classic tournament at Whatcom Community College.
 
SPU (4-0) has won its four games by an average of almost 31 points, and has not allowed any of its four opponents to reach 50. In Friday's Crossover Classic game, the Falcons knocked off 17th-ranked UC San Diego, 62-47.

"Defense is always ahead of offense at this time of year," coach Julie Heisey said. "Our theme has been to try to disrupt with the other team is doing. It's stuff we work on every day. We're used to playing against pressure, and a lot of other teams aren't."
 
Junior forward Courtney Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden Christian HS) added 10 points, and senior guard Brianne Lasconia (Seattle / Shorecrest HS) came off the bench to contribute 10.

 

Pagano (Happy Valley, Ore.), who also led Seattle Pacific in scoring on Friday with 14 against UC San Diego, and Hollander were voted to the all-tournament team. Pagano averaged 13 points for the two games and shot .667 (10 of 15). Hollander averaged a double-double of 11.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.
 
"Erica hit some big shots, even down the stretch last night and tonight," Heisey said. "She has been in the gym a lot and has worked really hard on things."
 
The Falcons, who play host to Evergreen State on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion, scored the first nine points of Saturday's game, were never tied, and never trailed.
 
Up 31-17 at halftime SPU saw Azusa Pacific (2-3) get as close as six on two occasions during the third quarter, the last time at 43-37. But the Falcons went on a 12-1 run spanning the last three minutes of the third and first two minutes of the fourth, building it back up to 17 at 55-38.
 
Hollander, who collected a career-high 14 rebounds on Friday had a team-leading nine on Saturday as Seattle Pacific dominated the glass, 49-27. Of the 13 players who got into the game, 12 had at least one rebound.
 
Junior guard Lindsay Lee (Spokane, Wash. / Lewis & Clark HS) dished a career-high six assists. That was twice as many as her previous career high of three, which she set three times, most recently this past Feb. 20 against Alaska Anchorage. The Falcons had assists on 20 of their 27 baskets.
 
Heisey isn't necessarily surprised by the 4-0 start.
 
"I felt like we were capable of it," she said. "I knew we were playing some good teams.
 
"But being capable of it and doing it are two different things.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Crossover Classic
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016
Whatcom CC Pavilion / Bellingham, Wash.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (4-0)
Erica Pagano 4-6 3-4 12, Brianne Lasconia 3-6 1-2 10, Courtney Hollander 4-17 2-2 10, Jordan McPhee 3-10 1-2 7, Rachel Shim 3-5 0-2 7, Stacey Lukasiewicz 3-3 1-2 7, Julia Haining 2-2 3-4 7, Carly Rataushk 2-3 2-4 6, Hannah Rodrigues 2-5 2-3 6, Madi Hingston 1-1 0-0 3, Lindsay Lee 0-2 0-0 0, Madison Wright 0-1 0-0 0, Jaylee Albert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-61 15-25 75.
 
AZUSA PACIFIC (2-3)
Tara Casey 3-8 4-6 12, Casey Wortley 3-8 0-0 9, Abigail Goodsell 4-11 0-1 8, Zoe March 2-10 3-4 7, Rachel Bozlee 2-6 0-0 6, Samamtha Huddlesont 1-4 2-2 4, Gabrielle Kaiser 0-5 2-4 2, Miria Beckmann 0-0 1-2 1, Meg Van Rijn 0-0 0-1 0, Henriette Gahmig 0-0 0-0 0, Annanya Raghaven 0-1 0-0 0.Totals 15-53 12-20 49.
 
Seattle Pacific     17           14           17           27           -- 75
Azusa Pacific        8             9           20           12           -- 49
 
3-point goals – SPU 6-14 (Lasconia 3-5, HIngston 1-1, Shim 1-1, Pagano 1-1, Rodrigues 0-1, Lee 0-2, McPhee 0-1, Hollander 0-2), APU 7-25 (Wortley 3-7, Bozlee 2-3, Casey 2-6, Huddleson 0-2, March 0-2, Goodsell 0-5). Fouled out – APU: Kaiser. Rebounds – SPU 49 (Hollander 9), APU 27 (March 7). Assists – SPU 20 (Lee 6), APU 8 (March 4). Turnovers – SPU 14, APU 17. Total fouls – SPU 18, APU 20. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 82.
 
 
Next game
Evergreen State at Seattle Pacific
Tuesday, Nov. 22     7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion


ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
MVP - Courtney Peacocke (Western Washington)
Courtney Hollander (Seattle Pacific)
Erica Pagano (Seattle Pacific)
Abigail Goodsell (Azusa Pacific)
Dalayna Sampton (UC San Diego)
Hannah Stipanovich (Western Washington)