Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – Playoff basketball is still a few weeks away for Seattle Pacific.
 
But on Saturday night against arch-rival Western Washington, the Falcons brought a level of intensity that made it seem as if the postseason was already here.
 
Jordan McPhee poured in 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, and SPU clinched a spot in next month's Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's tournament by beating the Vikings in Brougham Pavilion, 80-62.
 
SPU (18-5, 12-4 GNAC) swept the season series from Western (11-13, 7-9 GNAC) for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The Falcons won last month's game in Bellingham, 75-63.
 
The victory capped a productive week for Seattle Pacific. It bounced back from last week's road losses at Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene to beat Simon Fraser by 19 points on Thursday, and then WWU by 18 on Saturday, ending the Vikings' four-game win streak.

 

"Our conference is so hard, and people don't realize it. There's not an easy game any night," head coach Julie Heisey said. "We played really hard last week and did so many good things and came up on the losing end. So I was just happy tonight that we could come back and be in a big game on our home court.
 
"We gained some momentum and we just showed a lot of grit."
 




Senior guard McPhee also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists, and came up with two steals.

 

Senior forward Courtney Hollander added 17 points and tied her career high with six assists. Junior forward Riley Evans came off the bench for 12 points, getting nine of those from 3-point range.
 
After building an early double-digit lead, the Falcons found themselves down 25-24 late in the first half after Western had put nine points in a row on the board.
 
But SPU closed the half with an 8-0 run to take a 32-25 halftime lead. It grew to 15 in the third quarter, then got as low as five at 60-55 with 7:25 still left in the game.
 
 

The Falcons put it away with 15 of the next 19 points for a 75-59 lead approaching the three-minute mark. McPhee started it with what essentially was a four-point play. She scooped in a lay-up and was fouled, but missed the ensuing free throw. SPU grabbed the offensive rebound – one of its 17 for the night – and ultimately got it to McPhee for another lay-in and a 64-55 advantage.
 
Seattle Pacific then got its next three baskets from downtown: two straight by Hollander, and the last one by Evans, making it 73-59.
 
"This was a total team win," Heisey said. "Jaylee Albert (who got her second straight start in place of injured guard Rachel Shim) played a lot of minutes, Erica Pagano came off the bench and gave us good minutes and contributed on the scoreboard (nine points), and Riley Evans did some good things offensively and defensively."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons have swept four season series: Saint Martin's, Montana State Billings, Simon Fraser, and now Western Washington.
-- SPU shot 61.5 percent during the second half (16 of 26), finishing the night at 46.7 percent (28 of 60). Western was close behind at 45.7 percent, although it hit seven fewer field goals (21 of 46).
-- All three of senior guard Lindsay Lee's field goals came from downtown, pushing her past 100 treys for her career. She now has 101.
-- The Falcons had just eight turnovers, their second-lowest total and third single-digit game of the season. They had forced WWU into eight by the end of the first quarter, and the Vikings finished with 16.
-- Senior center Julia Haining set a career high with five assists. SPU tied its season high with 22, meaning 78 percent of its 28 baskets were assisted.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific takes its final regular-season road trip next week, visiting No. 6-ranked Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska Fairbanks next Saturday, both at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time. The Falcons knocked off Anchorage last month in Brougham Pavilion, 66-48, on a night when the Seawolves came in ranked No. 4. SPU also beat Fairbanks in Seattle, 86-54.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 80, Western Washington 62
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (11-13, 7-9 GNAC)
Gracie Castaneda 7-9 2-2 21, Anna Schwecke 0-1 1-2 1, Hannah Stipanovich 5-8 2-2 12, Lexie Bland 2-5 1-2 7, Dani Iwami 1-7 0-0 3, Amanda Lance 0-1 2-2 2, Emma Duff 1-7 1-2 4, Bobbi Westendorf 0-2 0-0 0, Kelsey Rogers 5-6 2-2 12. Totals 21-46 11-14 62.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (18-5, 12-4 GNAC)
Jordan McPhee 8-11 7-10 24, Courtney Hollander 7-15 0-017, Julia Haining 2-7 0-2 4, Jaylee Albert 1-4 2-2 5, Lindsay Lee 3-7 0-0 9, Riley Evans 4-7 1-2 12, Hailee Bennett 0-2 0-0 0, Erica Pagano 3-7 3-4 9, Carly Rataushk 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 13-20 80.
 
Western Washington          10           15           19            19           -- 62
Seattle Pacific                     17           15           24           24           -- 80
 
3-point goals – WWU 9-20 (Castaneda 5-6, Bland 2-5, Iwami 1-5, Lance 0-1,Duff 1-3), SPU 11-28 (McPhee 1-2, Hollander 3-7, Albert 1-4, Lee 3-7, Evans 3-6, Bennett 0-2). Fouled out – WWU: Bland. Rebounds – WWU 26 (Stipanovich 8), SPU 36 (McPhee 8). Assists – WWU 12 (Castaneda 3), SPU 22 (Hollander 6). Turnovers – WWU 16, SPU 8. Total fouls – WWU 20, SPU 18. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 525.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at No. 6 Alaska Anchorage
Thursday, Feb. 15     8:00 p.m. PST
Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Alaska