Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
NAMPA, Idaho – The Seattle Pacific Falcons knew they could be in for a tough week.
 
Now, they just want to put it behind them.
 
SPU cut a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit all the way down to four, but could come no closer as Northwest Nazarene hung on for a 77-70 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon.
 
Senior forward Erica Pagano came off the bench with 15 points to lead SPU (16-5, 10-4 GNAC), which lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. On Thursday, the Falcons came up short at Central Washington, 70-68.
 
"NNU played really well. They hit big shots, and they ended pretty well," Falcons coach Julie Heisey said. "As much as I hate to lose, if we're going to lose, we have to learn now. We have to be able to make lay-ups, and we have to be able to get to the line."
 
Senior guard Lindsay Lee chipped in 13 points, and fellow senior guard Jordan McPhee, after being kept scoreless first 27 minutes, finished with 12 points, including nine during the fourth quarter to spark the Falcons' rally.

 

That pushed McPhee up to 998 points for her career. Senior forward Courtney Hollander added 12 and is now at 989. Senior center Julia Haining tallied 10.
 
NNU (16-3, 12-2 GNAC), which has won six straight and is now two games ahead of Seattle Pacific in second place after starting the week deadlocked with the Falcons, went up 66-54 early in the fourth. SPU chipped away, with McPhee personally accounting for seven straight points to make it 71-67 with 1:44 still showing.
 
But the Nighthawks, who didn't score a field goal in the final 3:21 of the game, stayed on top by hitting 9 of 12 free throws during that same span. For the game, they drained 19 of 22 from the line on the way scoring the most points of any team against SPU this season. The Falcons went just 11 times and hit seven.
 
"We played well at times," Heisey said. "We forced 25 turnovers, which is amazing. We had five people in double figures, and Julia (Haining), Courtney and Erica all shot over 50 percent – that's great."
 
The teams were tied 39-39 at halftime, and once more at 42-42 early in the third quarter. The Nighthawks (16-3, 12-2 GNAC) closed the third on a 13-6 run to take their largest lead of the night at 61-52 heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
"NNU got the lead, and they weren't going to let up," Heisey said. "Our conference is hard. We want to be the best team in March, and right now, that means learning from our mistakes in February."
 
During the first half, the lead changed hands six times as the teams traded scoring runs. The Falcons had an early 7-0 spurt to go up 11-4. NNU answered with a 10-2 run for a 14-13 lead, then Seattle Pacific closed the first quarter with an 8-2 run for a 21-16 lead.
 
Northwest Nazarene scored the first seven points of the second quarter to go back on top, 23-21, and later had a 12-2 burst to turn a 30-25 deficit into a 37-32 advantage. The Falcons seven of the final nine points to close the half for the 39-39 tie at the break.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Pagano's 15 points pushed her past 500 for her career, now with 514. She hit 7 of 10 from the floor, with the seven makes being a career high.
-- SPU had four more field goals and outscored the Nighthawks from the field, 63-58. That included a 36-26 advantage in the paint.
-- Even so, Northwest Nazarene shot 51.1 percent from the field (24 of 47), after Central Washington hit 58 percent (29 of 50) on Thursday. The Falcons wound up at a respectable 45.2 percent on Saturday (28 of 62), but were just 6 of 21 in the fourth quarter.
-- Along with her 12 points, Hollander had six rebounds (as did McPhee) and a team-high five assists. McPhee added three assists and four steals.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific is back home next week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday, both at 7:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons beat both teams on the road in January, winning 75-63 at Western, and 74-63 at Simon.
 
  
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018
Johnson Sports Center / Nampa, Idaho
 
Northwest Nazarene 77, Seattle Pacific 70
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (16-5, 10-4 GNAC)
Erica Pagano 7-10 1-2 15, Lindsay Lee 5-9 0-0 13, Jordan McPhee 3-12 5-6 12, Courtney Hollander 5-8 0-0 12, Julia Haining 5-11 0-0 10, Jaylee Albert 1-2 0-0 3, Rachel Shim 1-4 1-3 3-, Carly Rataushk 1-3 0-0 2, Hailee Bennett 0-1 0-0 0, Riley Evans 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-61 7-11 70.
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (16-3, 12-2 GNAC)
Lexi Tubbs 6-13 4-4 20, Coco Gall 4-5 9-10 17, McKenna Walker 3-8 2-2 11, Kaitlyn Merritt 3-4 2-4 10, Carly Parker 3-5 0-0 6, Avery Albrecht 2-5 2-2 6, Danielle Jardine 2-3 0-05, Raquel Jardine 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 24-47 19-22 77.
 
Seattle Pacific                     21           18           13           18           -- 70
Northwest Nazarene          15           23           22           16           -- 77
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-16 (Lee 3-6, Hollander 2-3, McPhee 1-3, Albert 1-1, Bennett 0-1, Evans 0-1, Shim 0-1), NNU 10-21 (Tubbs 4-8, Walker 3-6, Merritt 2-3, D. Jardine 1-1, Albrecht 0-1, Parker 0-1, Gall 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 27 (McPhee 6, Hollander 6), NNU 35 (Tubbs 9). Assists – SPU 20 (Hollander 5), NNU 17 (R. Jardine 4). Turnovers – SPU 18, NNU 25. Total fouls – SPU 20, NNU 17. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 750.
 
 
Next game
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Feb. 8     7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle