Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – The defense that played so well on Thursday night played even better on Saturday.
 
But this time, the offense put enough on the board for the win.
 
Jordan McPhee scored 14 points and had seven rebounds, and Seattle Pacific limited Central Washington to just 13 first-half points on the way to a 62-43 rout of the Wildcats in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game.
 
The last time SPU (10-3, 4-2 GNAC) yielded that few points was 13 in the second half of a 78-45 blowout of Frenso Pacific on Nov. 14, 2014, also in Brougham Pavilion. The last time the Falcons gave up fewer than that was 11 in the first half on Nov. 16, 2013, when they rolled past Point Loma Nazarene in Seattle, 62-28.
 
In Thursday's game against Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific kept the Crusaders 25 points below their conference-leading 83.3-point scoring average, but still fell short, 58-57.
 
On Saturday, the Falcons allowed Central Washington 28 fewer points than its 71.2 average.
 
"Both of those teams (NNU and Central), their offenses really do best against our kind of defense because they're always attacking the basket and looking for cuts," head coach Julie Heisey said. "We're denying hard, looking for help, and rotating hard. We did a good job tonight of just playing solid."
 
 

Senior guard McPhee was the only Seattle Pacific player in double figures, but 10 of the 12 Falcons who played scored. Rachel Shim, Courtney Hollander, and Hailee Bennett added nine points apiece. Those same 10 players also had at least two rebounds each.
 
"I'm really proud of our depth," Heisey said. "We were able to tag-team in, we played a lot of kids, and we were able to finish strong."
 
SPU kept the Wildcats (7-7, 3-3 GNAC) off the scoreboard until just 5:21 remained in the first quarter – but also had just two points of its own. The Falcons snapped that 2-2 tie with a 15-0 run. It was 13-2 by the end of the quarter, and 17-2 with 8:22 left in the half.
 
They took a 33-13 lead into the locker room at the intermission, and Central Washington never got closer than 17 after that.
 
 

"I think we understand that we have to be ready every night and play for 40 minutes," Heisey said. "Central is a good team, probably better than their record, and they're averaging 70-plus points. I think we were able to affect their rhythm.
 
"As much as I'm thrilled that we won," Heisey added, "it's January, and we can still get better."
 
Jasmin Edward had 11 points for the Wildcats, who shot just 24.2 percent from the field (15 of 62), including 5 percent (1 of 20) from 3-point range. Seattle Pacific hit 35.4 percent (23 of 65), and 25 percent (5 of 20) behind the arc.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Seattle Pacific has bounced back from each of its three losses with a win in the next game.
-- Saturday was the second time this season the Falcons have kept an opponent below 50 points.
-- Hailee Bennett's nine-point output was a career high. Her previous best was eight in the season-opener against Humboldt State on Nov. 10.
-- With eight rebounds, senior center Julia Haining led the Falcons in that department for the second time this week and sixth time this season. She was the co-leader (with Courtney Hollander) in one other game.
-- SPU had three players hit statistical milestones on Saturday: Jordan McPhee hit her 300^th field goal (she has 302), Hollander grabbed her 600^th rebound (604), and Jaylee Albert scored her 200^th point (202).
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are on the road next week, visiting Western Washington in Bellingham on Thursday and Simon Fraser in Canada on Saturday, both at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 62, Central Washington 43
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON (7-7, 3-3 GNAC)
Taylor Baird 2-6 1-2 5, Kaelie Flores 0-6 0-0 0, Jasmin Edwards 2-12 5-7 11, Sadie Mensing 2-11 2-2 6, Alexis Pana 1-4 2-2 5, Rachel Lorentson 1-7 1-2 3, Beverly Berduin 2-6 0-0 4, Taylor Shaw 1-3 0-0 2, Kassidy Malcolm 2-5 0-0 4, Qua'Shaya Hammon 1-2 1-1 3, Anna Matz 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-62 12-16 43.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (10-3, 4-2 GNAC)
Julia Haining 1-7 1-1 3, Rachel Shim 3-6 1-4 9, Jordan McPhee 5-11 4-8 14, Courtney Hollander 3-8 3-3 9, Lindsay Lee 2-9 1-2 6, Riley Evans 1-4 0-0 2, Jaylee Albert 1-3 0-0 3, Madi Hingston 0-0 0-0 0, Hailee Bennett 4-7 0-0 9, Erica Pagano 2-5 1-2 5, Jane Grisley 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Rataushk 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 23-65 11-20 62.
 
Central Washington             2            11           14           16           -- 43
Seattle Pacific                     13           20           15           14           -- 62
 
3-point goals – CWU 1-20 (Flores 0-2, Edwards 0-5, Mensing 0-1, Pana 1-4, Lorentson 0-5, Verduin 0-2, Shas 0-1), SPU 5-20 (Shim 2-3, McPHee 0-1, Hollander 0-3, Lee 1-7, Evans 0-2, Albert 1-2, Bennett 1-1, Pagano 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – CWU 44 (Baird 9), SPU 46 (Haining 8). Assists – CWU 4 (Edwards 2), SPU 14 (McPhee 4, Lee 4). Turnovers – CWU 18, SPU 13. Total fouls – CWU 15, SPU 21. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 317.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
Thursday, Jan. 11     7:00 p.m.
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.