Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
LOS ANGELES – Back to action for the first time in 16 days, the Seattle Pacific Falcons needed some time to get in stride.
 
Back in action for the second time in 24 hours, Cal State Los Angeles needed hardly any time at all.
 
Carly Rataushk recorded her second straight career scoring high, tallying 18 points, but CSULA took control with three first-half scoring runs and beat the Falcons a non-conference women's basketball game on Monday night, 68-54.
 
The result snapped a three-game winning streak for the Falcons (3-5), whose last outing was a 73-68 victory against Western Oregon on Dec. 1 in Seattle. (Last Wednesday's scheduled non-conference home game against Academy of Art was canceled because of numerous injuries and illnesses affecting Urban Knights players.)
 
"We had a huge amount of rust," SPU head coach Mike Simonson said. "We hadn't played for so long, they just played yesterday (winning at Cal State Monterey Bay, 62-42), and we just didn't respond the way we had hoped and prepared for.
 
"But I loved how we didn't quit, even when we were down 20 in the first half," he added. "I loved our energy and ability to keep fighting and keep being positive even though things weren't going our way."
 
Senior center Rataushk put 17 points on the board in that win against WOU. Her 18^th point in Monday's contest came on a free throw with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter. She moved past 300 career points, now with 302.
 
The Falcons led just twice, both in the opening minutes of the game at 2-0 and 4-2. With the scored tied at 6-6, Cal State L.A. (5-3) put the next eight points on the board. Then, up 16-10, the Golden Eagles put together another 8-0 run to build a 14-point bulge.
 
Seattle Pacific cut that deficit in half to seven at 26-19 early in the second quarter. CSULA responded with 10 straight points, pushing it out to 17 at 36-29.
 
"We knew that starting fast was going to be a really important piece of this game," Simonson said. "They started really well. We didn't execute well defensively, and they got into a rhythm., and unfortunately, we didn't shoot the ball well at all. The game got away from us, and we had to play catch-up the entire way."
 
Although the Cal State L.A. maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game, the Falcons got as close as 11 at 57-46 with 7:19 still to play. But they didn't score again until the 3:24 mark, during which time the Golden Eagles put another five points on the board.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Rataushk was the only SPU player in double figures. Senior guard Jaylee Albert and sophomore guard Hailee Bennett added nine points apiece.
 

-- Albert dished a career-high seven assists. Her previous best was five, achieved three times, most recently in the season-opener against Fresno Pacific on Nov. 9.
-- Senior guard Riley Evans, who leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at 18.9 points per game and came in with four straight performances of 20 points or more, was kept scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting.
-- Seattle Pacific's 7-0 run bridging the first and second quarters included a dramatic 3-pointer from just on the other side of the midcourt line by Bennett. It beat the first-quarter buzzer and brought the Falcons within nine at 24-15.
 

-- Redshirt senior Cici West had seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of action, leading Seattle Pacific for the seventh time in eight games.
-- The Golden Eagles had one more field goal than Seattle Pacific (25-24) and a 53-52 scoring edge from the floor. They essentially won the game at the free throw line, draining 15 of 20. The Falcons were just 2 of 7.
 
UP NEXT
SPU concludes non-conference play and the 2018 calendar year on Wednesday at Concordia Irvine, tipping off at 1:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Monday, Dec. 17, 2018
Cal State L.A. Gymnasium / Los Angeles, Calif.
 
Cal State Los Angeles 68, Seattle Pacific 54
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (3-5)
Evans 0-7 0-4 0, Albert 4-7 0-0 9, Hingston 2-8 0-0 6, West 2-7 0-0 4, Rataushk 8-11 2-5 18, Skidmore 1-4 0-0 2, Alter 2-6 0-0 4, Bennett 4-13 0-2 9, Hoff 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-61 2-7 54.
 
CAL STATE LOS ANGELES (5-3)
Rachel DiRegolo 3-5 0-0 6, Barnes 4-9 2-4 10, Delapina 1-7 2-4 4, Uzuwuru 8-16 7-8 23, Fisher 5-11 2-2 13, J Adams 0-0 0-0 0, M. Adams 2-4 2-2 8, Rebeccah DiRegolo 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 25-54 15-20 68.
 
Seattle Pacific                     15           12           14           13           -- 54
Cal State Los Angeles      24           18           13           12           -- 68
 
3-point goals – SPU 4-22 (Evans 0-4, Albert 1-4, Hingston 2-7, Skidmore 0-1, Alter 0-1, Bennett 1-5), CSULA 3-13 (Barns 0-2, Delapina 0-3, Uzuwuru 0-1, Fisher 1-4, M. Adams 2-3). Fouled out – SPU: Alter. Rebounds – SPU 31 (West 7), CSULA 39 (Barnes 9, Uzowuru 9). Assists – SPU 15 (Albert 7), CSULA 14 (Barnes 5). Turnovers – SPU 16, CSULA 17. Total fouls – SPU 11, CSULA 6. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 110.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Concordia Irvine
Wednesday, Dec. 19     1:00 p.m.
Eagle Arena / Irvine, Calif.