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SEATTLE – Despite a game-high 19-point performance from Riley Evans and a furious second-half comeback attempt, Seattle Pacific fell short, 75-74, in a women's basketball exhibition game Saturday versus George Fox in Mike Simonson's first home appearance at Brougham Pavilion as the Falcons head coach.
 
SPU trailed by as many as 16 points before rallying for a 68-64 lead with 5:28 left to play after Evans nailed consecutive 3-point baskets.
 
The visiting Bruins responded by scoring the next six points to re-claim the lead for good.
 
Trailing 73-71, Cici West twice had an opportunity to bring the Falcons even. She missed two free throws with 1:20 showing on the clock. With 6.3 seconds remaining, West drove into the lane and spun before putting up a shot that rimmed off.
 
Hailey Hartney rebounded for the Bruins and, after being fouled immediately, converted two free throws to seal the win.
 
Jaylee Albert drained a buzzer-beating trey for SPU to set the final score at 75-74.

 

Simonson is in his third year at Seattle Pacific, but his first two were served as an assistant on the staff. He took over the head coaching duties from Julie Heisey, who retired in June.
 
A senior guard, Evans was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team by the league's coaches. She made 6 of 8 shots from the field Saturday, including 4-for-6 accuracy behind the 3-point arc.
 
West contributed 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Falcons, who also got 11 points from Carly Rataushk. They won the shooting battle, hitting 60 percent from the field (25 of 42) to 43 percent for GFU (25 of 58).
 
But 25 turnovers proved too difficult for SPU to overcome. Twelve of those miscues came during the second quarter when the Bruins built their 16-point lead.
 
Hartney led four George Fox players in double figures with 14 points. Emily Spencer had 13, Matney Jamieson 12 and Haylee Hutzler 11.
 
Hartney was credited with four of her team's 18 steals.
 
The tight first quarter featured three ties and four lead changes.
 
The largest lead in the initial 10-minute session was the five-point bulge SPU compiled after the opening tip-off. West put back her own miss 46 seconds into the contest and Hailee Bennett nailed a 3-pointer with 1:13 expired to forge the 5-0 margin.
 
The Bruins scored eight of the next 10 points to capture their first lead, 8-7, with 5:33 left in the quarter.
 
A back-door layup by Rataushk off a feed from Bennett with 35 seconds left provided the final points of the quarter and a 20-18 SPU edge.
 
That margin doubled, to 22-18 after Rataushk hit a jumper just 21 seconds into the second quarter.
 
George Fox then reeled off nine unanswered points to take the lead. Five different players scored during that run the produced a 27-22 advantage.
 
A driving layup by SPU's Evans only slowed that surge as the visitors continued to stretch their spree into a 28-8 run. A driving layup by Spencer capped that stretch with the Bruins up 46-30 and 1:52 left in the second quarter.
 
Evans scored on a drive to the basket, sinking a layup just before time expired, to make the halftime score 50-36 in favor of George Fox.
 
SPU cut the 14-point halftime deficit in half during the third quarter, outscoring the Bruins 17-10 in that span.
 
The pivotal three-minute stretch came midway through the period when the Falcons forced six straight misses and two turnovers. They parlayed that increased defensive pressure into five straight points, igniting an 11-3 run.
 
Two free throws from West drew SPU within 58-52 with 51.4 seconds left in the third period that ended with the Bruins ahead, 60-53 and set up the dramatic fourth quarter.
 
The SPU women start the regular season on the road next weekend at the Western Washington West Region Crossover Classic. They open with Fresno Pacific on Friday, Nov. 9 before meeting Humboldt State on Saturday, Nov. 10. Both games are slated for 5 p.m. at Carver Gymnasium in Bellingham, Wash.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (Exhibition)
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
George Fox 75, at Seattle Pacific 74
 
GEORGE FOX
Hutzler 3-10 3-4 11, Hartney 4-7 4-4 14, Strowbridge 2-7 0-0 4, Jamieson 6-12 0-0 12, Spencer 4-7 5-6 13, Collman 2-2 4-5 9, Headings 1-6 2-2 5, Hull 2-5 1-2 5, Holder 1-1 0-0 2, Posey 0-0 0-0 0, Huegenin 0-1 0-2 0, Doutt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 19-25 75.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC
West 6-12 2-4 14, Rataushk 4-5 3-6 11, Evans 6-8 3-4 19, Albert 2-5 4-5 9, Bennett 1-2 0-0 3, Skidmore 3-5 0-1 6, Hoff 1-1 4-6 6, Hingston 2-3 0-0 6, Boston 0-1 0-2 0, Berg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-42 16-28 74.
 
George Fox         18  32  10  15  --  75
Seattle Pacific    20  16  17  21  --  74
 
3-point goals--GFU 6-17 (Hutzler 2-7, Hartney 2-3, Headings 1-4, Collman 1-1, Strowbridge 0-2), SPU 8-13 (Evans 4-6, Hingston 2-2, Albert 1-3, Bennett 1-1, Boston 0-1). Fouled out--GFU-Hutzler, Holder, SPU-None. Rebounds—GFU 31 (Jamieson, Hartney 7), SPU 25 (West 8). Assists--GFU 12 (Spencer 5), SPU 12 (Skidmore, Albert 3). Total fouls--GFU 25, SPU 25. Technical fouls--GFU-None, SPU-None. A-272.
 
 
Next SPU Women's Basketball Game
Western Washington Crossover Classic
Seattle Pacific vs. Fresno Pacific
Friday, Nov. 9, 5:00 p.m. PST
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.