Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Courtney Hollander knew she wouldn't pass this way again.
 
So the Seattle Pacific senior made it night to remember.
 
Hollander poured in 20 points, and the Falcons broke things open in the second quarter, then turned aside a Western Washington second-half comeback to beat the Vikings in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Thursday night, 75-63.
 
SPU (11-3, 5-2 GNAC) had lost five straight to the Vikings (6-9, 2-5 GNAC), dating back to the semifinals of the 2015 GNAC Tournament.
 
But the Falcons prevailed for the third straight time in Carver Gymnasium. They had won their last two against Western in the venerable building (2014 and 2015) before it underwent a two-year renovation, reopening this past fall.
 
 

Hollander, who starred at nearby Lynden Christian High school and had seen many games in Carver before she ever set foot on the Seattle Pacific campus. Her only previous game against Western in the gym was as a freshman. On New Year's night in 2015, she had three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 20 minutes of play as Seattle Pacific won, 74-64.
 
"We had said before the game that we hadn't beaten Western since freshman year in this gym," Hollander said. "Just coming out here, we knew we weren't going to play on this floor again. So getting a big road win was a big deal."
 
Rachel Shim added 11 points for SPU, the most crucial of which were back-to-back 3-pointers midway through to fourth quarter to double a six-point lead to 12 at 67-55 with 4:57 to play.

 

"I told our kids it was going to be a dogfight, and we would have to battle on every possession," coach Julie Heisey said. "I didn't realize we'd go into the half up by 21 points, but we knew they were going to battle back. Give them credit – they hit shots, hit some big 3s, drove to the rim, and they played to win."
 
Up by seven at 20-13 early in the second quarter, the Falcons went on a 10-2 run that made it 30-15. Later in the quarter, they went on an even bigger run – this one a 13-pointer – expanding their advantage to 45-21.
 
SPU took a 47-26 lead into the locker room at halftime – its second-largest lead of the season through the first 20 minutes, and Western Washington's largest deficit of the season through the first half.
 
A cold-shooting third quarter (just 4 of 15 from the field) allowed Western Washington to climb back into the game, as the Vikings, seeking their 1,000^th win in program history, went on a 25-7 run to get within five at 56-51 entering the fourth.
 
But Seattle Pacific kept WWU scoreless through its first six possessions of the final quarter, forcing four missed shots and two turnovers. The Vikings finally got back onto the board with 6:37 left, cutting the margin to 61-53. They got even closer at 61-55 at the 5:59 mark, then the Falcons rang up nine straight points – including those two treys by Shim – to make it 70-55 with only 3:28 remaining.
 
"We had to rally, and I challenged our kids to play better defense, and they did," Heisey said. "We were able to get back to that same defensive intensity, and the next thing you know, (the lead) was back to 11."
 
The 20-point night for Hollander also included four rebounds, three assists, and one blocked shot. She hit 7 of 12 from the field.
 
"She's a great player, and she has been doing a lot of the blue-collar stuff," Heisey said. "Just to see her hit some shots and make some aggressive moves to the basket, and be really solid at the free throw line (5 of 6), that was great."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

-- Junior guard Riley Evans added a career-high nine points for SPU, all in the first half. That was more than double her previous career high of four, which she got at Western Washington on Feb. 11, 2016.
-- Senior center Julia Haining collected a team-high eight rebounds. That's the third straight game she has led the Falcons on the boards.
-- The Falcons had their second-highest shooting percentage of the season at 48.1 (26 of 54). That included 58.6 percent (17 of 29) during the first half.
-- For the 13th time in 14 games, SPU kept an opponent below its season scoring average. Western came in averaging 66.5 points per game.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific visits Simon Fraser on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The Clan won both games last year, the first of which was a 71-61 decision in Burnaby. Simon beat Saint Martin's on Thursday in Canada, 71-52.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 75, Western Washington 63
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-3, 5-2 GNAC)
Courtney Hollander 7-12 5-6 20, Julia Haining 2-4 2-2 6, Rachel Shim 3-4, 3-4 11, Jordan McPhee 1-5 0-0 2, Lindsay Lee 2-6 0-0 5, Riley Evans 3-5 2-2 9, Jaylee Albert 2-4 0-0 6, Madi Hingston 0-0 0-0 0, Hailee Bennett 3-5 0-0 6, Erica Pagano 2-6 4-6 8, Carly Rataushk 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 16-22 75.
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (6-9, 2-5 GNAC)
Hannah Stipanovich 1-2 0-0 2, Anne Schwecke 1-5 2-2 4, Lexie Bland 4-12 1-2 11, Dani Iwami 7-22 1-2 21, Emma Duff 1-2 0-0 2, Amanda Lance 0-0 0-0 0, Gracie Castaneda 3-5 6-7 12, Nikki Corbett 2-5 0-0 4, Bobbi Westendorf 1-2 1-2 34, Kelsey Rogers 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 22-58 11-15 63.
 
Seattle Pacific                     20           27             9           19           -- 75
Western Washington           10           16           25           12           -- 63
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-21 (Hollander 1-3, Shim 2-3, McPhee 0-2, Lee 1-5, Evans 1-3, Albert 2-4, Bennett 0-1), WWU 8-26 (Bland 2-7, Iwami 6-16, Duff 0-1, Castaneda 0-1, Westendorf 0-1).  Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 30 (Haining 8), WWU 33 (Schwecke 9). Assists – SPU 16 (Shim 4, Lee 4), WWU 14 (Castaneda 4).  Turnovers – SPU 16, WWU 21. Total fouls – SPU 16, WWU 18. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 547.
 

Next game
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.