Box score (PDF)
 
ARCATA, Calif. – Ashlynn Burgess made her Seattle Pacific debut with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds on Friday, but Humboldt State went on a pair of double-digit scoring runs and beat the Falcons in the season-opening game at the West Region Challenge women's basketball tournament, 70-54.
 
Burgess, a 5-foot-10 junior forward who led Wenatchee Valley to the Northwest Athletic Conference championship for two-year schools last winter, drained 8 of 12 from the field on Humboldt's Lumberjack Arena home court. She was the only Falcon to reach double figures on the scoreboard
 
SPU (0-1) got off to a strong start, building an 18-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, thanks to 58 percent shooting from the field (7 of 12).
 
The lead was still seven at 20-13 early in the second quarter when Humboldt State (1-0) came to life. The Lumberjacks went on a 14-0 run in a span of exactly four minutes to move in front, 27-20. The Falcons responded with a five-point run of their own. A jumper by Burgess with 4:15 to go before halftime ended a 5 ¼-minute dry spell. Burgess followed with another jumper, and Abril Rexach Roure added a free throw to make it 27-25.
 
"They made some big shots on us, and those big shots took the wind out of our sails," Falcons head coach Mike Simonson said. "We had a great first quarter. We were really defending them well, and offensively, we were executing well. But then the second and third quarters, we couldn't buy a bucket, and they made some big shots and had some momentum."
 
Humboldt State took a 32-29 lead into the break. It was still close at 41-36 midway through the third when the Jacks put 11 straight on the board and kept Seattle Pacific scoreless for nearly five minutes. That stretched the lead to 52-36, and it never dropped below 13 for the rest of the night.
 
"We had 18 turnovers (leading to 20 Lumberjacks points) and they had 14 offensive rebounds, and that will not win the game, especially against a good team like Humboldt," Simonson said.
 
Rexach Roure, a junior who starred at Eastern Wyoming College the past two seasons, added nine points for the Falcons, Sophomore guard Rachel Berg chipped in seven and handed out a career-high four assists.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Seattle Pacific is now 34-11 in season-openers.
-- Alexia Thrower led Humboldt State with 18 points, and came within one rebound of a double-double. This is the second straight year Thrower has come up big against SPU. Last year, she had 15 points and nine boards in a 79-77 win.
-- Senior guard Hailee Bennett grabbed four rebounds to move past 100 for her career. She now has 103.
-- SPU shot respectably, hitting 46.9 percent for the game (23 of 49). But that included just 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range.
-- Humboldt State had more than half of its points – 36 – from downtown. The Lumberjacks hit 12 of 31 from there (38.7 percent) and were 28 of 65 overall (43.1).
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific concludes the tournament on Saturday when it takes on Fresno Pacific at 5:00 p.m. The Sunbirds fell to Western Washington in Friday's first game, 86-82.
 
"They're a similar type of team, but they're going to play faster than Humboldt State," Simonson said. "We really have to key in to our defensive principles. There are going to be a lot of runs in the game, and we have to respond to runs better on Saturday."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Challenge
Friday, Nov. 8, 2019
Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.
 
Humboldt State 70, Seattle Pacific 54
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (0-1)
Burgess 8-12 2-3 18, Bennett 0-4 0-0 0, Berg 2-3 2-2 7, Rexach Roure 4-5 1-2 9, Hingston 1-3 0-0 2, Alter 2-9 0-0 4, Brennan 3-6 0-1 7, Boston 1-4 0-0 3, Sterk 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 23-49 5-8 54.
 
HUMBOLDT STATE (1-0)
Collins 1-5 0-0 3, Thrower 7-17 2-3 18, Turner 3-6 0-0 6, Dixon 5-10 0-0 12, Crabajal 4-5 0-0 12, Makoni 4-8 0-0 8, Packham 2-4 0-0 6, Kidder 2-8 0-0 5, Reupenny 0-1 0-0 0, Herrington 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-65 2-3 70.
 
Seattle Pacific     18           11           10           15           -- 54
Humboldt State  10           22           26           12           -- 70
 
3-point goals – SPU 3-16 (Bennett 0-3, Berg 1-2, Hingston 0-2, Alter 0-2, Brennan 1-4, Boston 1-2, Sterk 0-1), HSU 12-31 (Collins 1-3, Thrower 2-4, Turner 0-2, Dixon 2-5, Carbajal 4-5, Makoni 0-2, Packham 2-4, Kidder 1-6). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 29 (Burgess 11), HSU 28 (Thrower 9). Assists – SPU 12 (Berg 4), HSU 15 (Thrower 3, Turner 3). Turnovers – SPU 18, HSU 11. Total fouls – SPU 10, HSU 10. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 282.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific vs. Fresno Pacific
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Lumberjack Arena / Arcata, Calif.