Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Not quite the season opener the Seattle Pacific Falcons had in mind.
 
Cici West and Jade Skidmore scored 10 points apiece, but Fresno Pacific closed the third quarter with a12-0 run and beat SPU in the first game of the Western Washington West Region Crossover Classic women's basketball tournament on Friday night, 80-69.
 
Redshirt senior forward West also grabbed nine rebounds for the Falcons (0-1), and shot 5 of 6 from the floor.
 
But Seattle Pacific was not able to put the defensive clamps on Sunbirds guard Jessica Malazarte. The 5-foot-2 sophomore poured in 32 points, getting 21 of those from downtown, as she hit 7 of 13 from behind the arc, 10 of 18 overall.
 
Fresno Pacific also got double-digit scoring from Cassie Pisik (13), Ashley Cross (13), and Bree Alvarez (11).
 




After a rough first quarter when they committed eight turnovers but were still within 21-17, the Falcons got into sync during the second. They it 10 of 17 from the floor, including 3 of 7 from long range, and poured in 25 points on the way to a 42-37 halftime lead.
 
"We were just doing what we've seen in practice and what we've been working on," West said. "We were continuing to execute and give each other some confidence, so that was great."
 
That advantage grew to seven early in the third at 46-39. SPU still had a 52-48 lead with 3:18 left in the period when the Sunbirds found their shooting eye. They hit four of their last five shots to close the quarter and took a 60-52 into the fourth.
 
"I think we need to respond to runs a little better," Mike Simonson said after his debut game as Seattle Pacific's head coach. "We had a great second quarter. We fought all the way back and took the lead. But in the third quarter, we had a couple bad breaks – fouls, turnovers, maybe a missed rotation on defense – and it took the wind out of our sails. The whole time, we were trying to fight momentum to get back into the game."
 
The Falcons got as close as three at 63-60 with 8:12 still on the clock. But Fresno Pacific went on a 7-1 run to push it up to nine at 70-61 and stayed in command the rest of the way.





BY THE NUMBERS
--Seattle Pacific hit just 3 of its 20 attempts from 3-point range. Fresno Pacific, which had just one more overall field goal than the Falcons (27-26) drained 10 of 27 from distance.
--The result snapped SPU's streak of six straight season-opening victories. The last time an opener went the other direction was in 2011 when UC San Diego prevailed, 68-47.
-- The Falcons are now 34-10 in season openers.
-- Sophomore starting guard Hailee Bennett tied her career high with five rebounds and handed out a career-high five assists.
-- The reserves supplied nearly half of Seattle Pacific's points on Friday, as the six players off the bench pumped in 34 points, led by Skidmore's 10. That group shot a collective 12 of 22 (55.6 percent) and also collected 18 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
SPU returns to Western's Carver Gymnasium on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. to take on Humboldt State. The Falcons have beaten the Lumberjacks 29 straight times, including 69-49 in last year's West Region Crossover at Fresno Pacific.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
WWU West Region Crossover Classic
Friday, Nov. 9, 2018
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Fresno Pacific 80, Seattle Pacific 69
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (0-1)
West 5-6 0-1 10, Rataushk 3-8 1-3 7, Evans 2-7 5-6 9, Albert 0-6 0-0 0, Bennett 4-12 0-0 9, Berg 0-0 2-2 2, Hingston 0-1 2-2 2, Skidmore 4-7 2-2 10, Boston 2-3 1-2 5, Alter 2-3 0-0 6, Hoff 4-8 1-2 9. Totals 26-61 14-20 69.
 
FRESNO PACIFIC (1-0)
Pisik 5-12 3-4 13, Locastro 2-3 0-1 4, Alvarez 3-14 3-4 11, Malazarte 10-18 5-8 32, Cross 4-6 4-5 13, McClard 0-3 0-0 0, Keomany 2-3 0-0 4, Berry 0-2 0-0 0, Sheret 0-0 0-0 0, Faber 1-3 1-2 3, Bock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-64 16-24 80.
 
Seattle Pacific     17           25           10           17           -- 69
Fresno Pacific     21           16           23           20           -- 80
 
3-point goals – SPU 3-20 (Rataushk 0-1, Evans 0-4, Albert 0-6, Bennett 1-5, Skidmore 0-1, Boston 0-1, Alter 2-2), FPU 10-27 (Pisik 0-1, Alvarez 2-3, Malazarte 7-13, Cross 1-2, McClard 0-2, Keomany 0-1). Fouled out – SPU: West. Rebounds – SPU 42 (West 9), FPU 35 (Locastro 8). Assists – SPU 15 (Albert 5, Bennett 5), FPU 14 (Malazarte 5). Turnovers – SPU 20, FPU 14. Total fouls – SPU 21, FPU 18. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 103.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific vs. Humboldt State
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.