Box Score

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SEATTLE – As a nationally ranked women's basketball team the Seattle Pacific Falcons know they're going to get every opponent's best effort.
 
They certainly got it from Northwest Nazarene on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Crusaders shot 57 percent in the second half, which included hitting 5 of 6 during a third-quarter scoring run, and handed No. 13 SPU its first loss of the year, 73-66, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest.
 
The result in Brougham Pavilion halted Seattle Pacific's season-opening win streak at 11, the fourth-best start in school history. The Falcons will bring an 11-1 overall record (3-1 GNAC) into Tuesday's home game against Saint Martin's.
 
"The bottom line is NNU out-worked us," head coach Julie Heisey said. "It's a disappointing outcome. We knew they could score a lot of points (the Crusaders came in averaging 77.9 a game), and they scored a lot of lay-ups. And they were more aggressive and got more free throws than we did (13 of 17; the Falcons were just 5 of 7).
 
"But it's not the last game of the season," Heisey added. "We all have things to work on. NNU did a great job, and we've gotta find a way to get better."

 

Senior guard Rachel Shim (Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline HS) led SPU with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Junior guard Lindsay Lee came off the bench to add a career-high 11, hitting 4 of 7 from the floor (3 of 6 from 3-point range).
 
Seattle Pacific built a pair of 10-point leads during the second quarter, the last of them at 25-15. But Northwest Nazarene (6-4, 4-0 GNAC), in its first year under the guidance of former Falcons assistant coach Steve Steele, went on a 19-9 scoring run to pull into a 34-34 tie by halftime.
 
The Falcons got the first two baskets coming out of the break – one by Shim, the other by junior guard Jordan McPhee – to take a 38-34 lead. During the next 4 minutes, 41 seconds, NNU went on a 13-1 run to go up, 47-39.
 
That margin grew to 11 points by the end of the third quarter at 56-45. SPU got it back down to seven at 56-49 with 9:19 remaining in the game. The Crusaders responded with eight points in a row, expanding it to 15 at the 6:13 mark, and never let the Falcons get closer than five.
 
Northwest Nazarene hit just 15 percent from the field in the first quarter – 3 of 20 – but then hit 55 percent through the final three quarters (25 of 45), winding up at 43 percent for the game (28 of 65).
 
Seattle Pacific hit a season-low 36.1 percent (26 of 72).
 
Junior forward Courtney Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden Christian HS) had a team-high eight rebounds, but the team's leading scorer at 12.8 per game was limited to a season-low five points. McPhee grabbed seven boards. Sophomore guard Jaylee Albert (Hamilton, Mont.) handed out a team-leading four assists.
 
Northwest Nazarene had the edge on the boards, 44-38, just the second time this season an opponent has out-rebounded SPU. The Crusaders got 15 at the offensive end, converting those into 10 points. SPU had 17 offensive board, but managed just nine points from them.
 
NNU also had a big advantage in paint points, 32-24.
 
"We knew rebounding would be a key to the game, and offensive were huge," Heisey said. "The other thing was, who was going to win points in the paint – and their shot chart was way different than our shot chart."
 
"But it's still early in the year, and it's a great opportunity for learning."
 
Led by Lee's 11 points, SPU got 30 points, along with 13 rebounds and nine assists from its reserves.
 
"I'm really proud of our kids coming off the bench – we got a great effort from them," Heisey said.
 
Ellie Logan led Northwest Nazarene with 12 points, one of four Crusaders in double figures.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2016
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Northwest Nazarene 73, (No. 13) Seattle Pacific 66
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (6-4, 4-0 GNAC)
Danielle Jardine 0-2 1-2 1, Lexi Tubbs 5-10 0-0 11, Elli Logan 4-14 4-6 12, Kaitlyn Merritt 3-4 0-0 6, Carly Parker 3-5 1-2 9, Marina Valles 1-8 2-2 4, McKenna Walker 0-2 0-0 0, Maya Rodgers 1-2 0-0 2, Colette Gall 3-7 1-1 7, Raquel Jardine 4-6 2-2 10, Kate Cryderman 4-5 2-2 11. Totals 28-65 13-17 73.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-1, 3-1 GNAC)
Erica Pagano 3-6 0-0 7, Stacey Lukasiewicz 2-6 0-0 4, Rachel Shim 5-9 0-1 12, Jordan McPHee 3-9 2-2 8, Courtney Hollander 2-10 0-0 5, Jaylee Albert 1-4 0-0 3, Julia Haining 0-3 0-0 0, Brianne Lasconia 3-102-2 9, Lindsay Lee 4-7 0-0 11, Hannah Rodrigues 3-8 1-2 7. Totals 26-72 5-7 66.,
 
Northwest Nazarene         10           24           22           17           -- 73
Seattle Pacific                     17           17           11           21           -- 66
 
3-point goals – NNU 4-10 (Tubbs 1-3, Logan 0-1, Parker 2-4, Walker 0-1, Cryderman 1-1), SPU 9-28 (Pagano 1-1, Lukasiewicz 0-1, Shim 2-6, Hollander 1-3, Albert 1-4, Lasconia 1-5, Lee 3-6, Rodrigues 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – NNU 44 (Tubbs 8), SPU 38 (Hollander 8). Assists – NNU 15 (Logan 6), SPU 18 (Albert 4). Turnovers – NNU 17, SPU 17. Total fouls – NNU NNU 13, SPU 21. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 143.
 
 
Next game
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
Tuesday, Jan. 3     7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion