Box score (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – Even with film, practice, and a specific game plan, the only way to truly understand what it's like to play against Alaska Anchorage …
 
… is to play against Alaska Anchorage.
 
Safiyyah Yasin scored 16 points on Thursday night, and the No 10-ranked Seawolves built an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter on the way to beating SPU in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game, 78-47.
 
Except for ties at 2-2 and 4-4, UAA (13-1, 3-0 GNAC) led all the way in Brougham Pavilion.
 
 

"They're the cream of the crop in the league, and they're so physical and do such a good job of making the game their style of play," Falcons head coach Mike Simonson said. "It's almost impossible to simulate. We have three starters who haven't played against it.
 
"Until you've seen it, it's hard to be prepared for it," Simonson added. "There were moments when we executed things well and did some good things. But we let the environment and chaos affect our play."
 
Senior guard Madi Hingston led the Falcons (2-9, 0-3 GNAC) with nine points on Iron Coaching Court. Sophomore guard Rachel Berg pulled down six rebounds.
 
IT STARTS AT THE TIP-OFF
The Seawolves– who wear warm-up shirts with "Mayhem" across the front – create exactly that from the opening tip-off with their full-court pressure and quick hands knocking balls away. UAA forced two turnovers in the first 70 seconds of the game and five altogether during the first quarter – which it converted into six points on the way to a 21-10 lead.
 
Seattle Pacific (2-9, 0-3 GNAC) tallied the first five points of the second quarter and got it back down to a single-digit deficit at 24-15 with 8:28 to go before halftime. Anchorage responded with a 9-1 run, pushing it out to 17 points at 33-16 at the 4:29 mark.

The margin was never less than 15 after that.
 
"We did a pretty good job of guarding them until the second part of the second quarter," Simonson said. "The fouling and turnovers affected our defensive energy. Finally after halftime, I thought our offense started to come together. We scored a lot better in the second half (29 points, 11 more than the first half), but it was too little, too late, and then our defensive energy probably dropped."
 
Things won't be any less challenging in a few weeks when the Falcons visit the Seawolves in Alaska (Feb. 1). But they likely will have a better idea of what they're facing.
 
"Two years ago, we had a lot of success against UAA (winning two of the three games, including in the GNAC Tournament semifinals) because we had some seasoned players who played them nine times in three years and finally got over the hump," Simonson said. "That's kind of what it takes against them is getting used to it."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Anchorage racked up 27 points by forcing 25 SPU turnovers.
--The Falcons shot 34 percent for the game (16 of 47), but four of them were at 50 percent or better: Madi HIngston (4 of 8), Bayley Brennan (3 of 6), Kayla Brundidge (2 of 3), and Ashlynn Burgess (2-4).
-- The Seawolves shot 46.6 percent (27 of 58).
-- SPU logged a season-high five blocked shots, two of them by Brundidge. Sophomore Rachel Berg had one, the first block of her career.
-- Berg's team-leading six rebounds tied her career high.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific will return to Brougham on Saturday, taking on Alaska Fairbanks at 2:00 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader. The Nanooks (6-6, 1-2 GNAC) lost at Saint Martin's on Thursday, 96-62. They feature the GNAC's leading scorer in 5-foot-9 junior guard Jocelyn Gandara. She averages 19.1 points per game and had 18 against the Saints.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 10) Alaska Anchorage 78, Seattle Pacific 47
 
ALASKA ANCHORAGE (13-1, 3-0 GNAC)
Langi 2-3 2-2 6, Voliva 2-4 2-3 6, Goo 4-8 1-2 9, Yasin 4-8 5-6 16, Hajdukovich 3-7 2-3 10, Addison 2-4 0-0 4, Pinckney 0-4 0-0 0, Johnson 2-5 1-4 6, Jackson 4-6 1-5 9, Motz 2-2 2-2 6, Fernandez 0-1 0-0 0, Ingram 2-6 0-0 6, Tate 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-58 16-27 78.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (2-9, 0-3 GNAC)
Alter 2-7 0-0 4, Sterk 0-3 1-2 1, Burgess 2-4 3-4 7, Bennett 1-6 3-3 5, Rexach Roure 1-4 2-4 5, Berg 1-5 0-0 3, Hingston 4-8 0-0 9, Brennan 3-6 2-3 8, Brundidge 2-3 0-0 4, Hoff 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 16-47 10-15 47.
 
Alaska Anchorage             21           17          25         15          -- 78
Seattle Pacific                   10            8          12          17          -- 47
 
3-point goals – UAA 8-21 (Yasin 3-4, Hajdukovich 2-5, Pinckney 0-2, Johnson 1-3, Jackson 0-1, Ingram 2-6), SPU 5-16 (Alter 0-1, Bennett 0-4, Rexach Roure 1-2, Berg 1-2, Hingston 1-4, Brennan 2-3). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – UAA 36 (Voliva 9), SPU 35 (Berg 6). Assists – UAA 10 (Jackson 4), SPU 10 (Rexach Roure 4). Turnovers – UAA 12, SPU 25. Total fouls – UAA 17, SPU 20. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 291.
 
 
Next game
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.