Box score (PDF)
 
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – They came a long way to play the game.
 
Then went long to win the game.
 
 

Ashley Alter pumped in 15 points, Hailee Bennett added 13, and Seattle Pacific closed on a 14-0 run – with the last 12 of those from behind the 3-point arc – to beat Alaska Fairbanks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Thursday, night, 64-41.
 
Up by just nine at 50-41 with 4:52 still on the clock in The Patty Center, SPU (7-12, 5-6 GNAC) kept the Nanooks (6-14, 1-10 GNAC) off the board the rest of the way.
 
Alter made it 52-41 on a fast-break lay-in, and then came the deluge from downtown: Alter from the right corner, Bennett from the right of the lane, Bennett from the left of the lane, and Ashley Berg from the right corner.
 
Bennett also opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from just to right of the top of the key for a 46-33 lead.
 
 

"I looked at Hailee as I was drawing up a play for a 3, and I said, 'Do you want it?'" Falcons coach Mike Simonson said. "She said 'yes' with this stone-cold look in her eye. Then she buried it and got everyone going."
 
For the night, the Falcons hit 50 percent (7 of 14) from 3-point range, the second straight game they've buried half of their attempts. They were at 44.4 percent overall (24 of 54).
 
But just as significant was what they did at the other end.
 
Seattle Pacific put the defensive clamps on GNAC leading scorer Jocelyn Gandara, limiting her to just 13 points (five below her 18.1 average) on 5-of-16 shooting. When the teams played in Seattle on Jan. 4 (an 83-70 Falcons win), Gandara went for 21, one of three Nanooks to tally in the 20s. On Thursday, no other UAF player got into double figures.
 
Fairbanks hit just 24.6 percent for the game (15 of 61), and 17.6 percent from behind the arc (3 of 17). It was the lowest scoring output of the season for the Nanooks, who came in averaging 67.7 points – and 70.7 at home.
 
"It was great to see that even though our offense struggled, it did not dictate our defensive intensity," Simonson said. "That's something we talk about pretty regularly. … We didn't pass it or finish as well as we normally do, but when we're not making shots, we better be able to guard – and we did that tonight."
 
DOWN TO THE FOURTH QUARTER
SPU trailed just twice, at 2-0 and 4-2. By the end of the first quarter, it had forged a 17-11 lead.
 
The advantage grew to 13 twice during the second quarter, the last time at 28-15. But Alaska Fairbanks tallied the last six points to get within 28-21 by halftime, then cut it to four at 28-24 on a trey by Gandara at the outset of the third quarter.
 
It never got any closer. At 35-31, the Falcons pushed it back into double-digits with six straight points: a turnaround scoop bank shot by Abril Rexach Roure, a lay-in by Natalie Hoff, and a putback by Berg. It was still a 10-point margin heading into the fourth at 43-33, and never dipped below nine.
 
"They did a good job guarding us, making it hard," Simonson said. "We didn't make some shots we normally make and we turned the ball over. But our defense stayed true."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Thursday's game marked the end of a five-game stretch coach Mike Simonson felt was critical to the Falcons' chances of making the GNAC Tournament. They won four of those five.
-- After Thursday's games, SPU is now tied with Billings for what would be the sixth and final tournament spot. The Yellowjackets (10-10, 5-6 GNAC) lost at Northwest Nazarene, 80-72. Saint Martin's (9-9, 4-7) is now a game back after a 59-56 loss at Alaska Anchorage.
-- Hailee Bennett hit four more free throws, extending her streak to 29.
-- Bennett's last basket, a trey with 1:29 left, put her at exactly 500 points for her career.
 
UP NEXT
SPU returns to action on Saturday at No. 9 Alaska Anchorage, tipping off at 6:15 p.m. Pacific time.

 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020
The Patty Center / Fairbanks, Alaska
 
Seattle Pacific 64, Alaska Fairbanks 41
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (7-12, 5-6 GNAC)
Bennett 3-5 4-4 13, HIngston 2-6 2-2 6, Brundidge 3-6 0-0 6, Alter 6-11 1-2 15, Burgess 3-8 1-1 7, Berg 2-4 0-0 5, Rexach Roure 2-7 1-2 3, Brennan 1-3 0-0 3, Sterk 0-0 0-0 0, Hoff 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 24-54 9-11 64.
 
ALASKA FAIRBANKS (6-14, 1-10 GNAC)
Wallace 2-6 0-0 4, Richards 2-7 0-0 4, Gandara 5-16 2-2 13, Ungaro 1-9 0-0 3, Tolliver 2-11 4-4 9, Krupa 0-1 0-0 0, Conwell 1-3 0-0 2, Saccomen 1-2 0-0 2, Pusich 1-6 2-2 4, Kraska 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-61 8-8 41.
 
Seattle Pacific                  17          11          15          21          -- 64
Alaska Fairbanks              11          10          12            8          -- 41
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-14 (Bennett 3-4, Hingston 0-1, Alter 2-2, Berg 1-2, Rexach Roure 0-4, Brennan 1-1), UAF 3-17 (Richards 0-2, Gandara 1-3, Ungaro 1-4, Tolliver 1-6, Krupa 0-1, Conwell 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 37 (Burgess 8), UAF 26 (Gandara 11). Assists – SPU 19 (Rexach Roure 5), UAF 3 (3 players with 1). Turnovers – SPU 16, UAF 14. Total fouls – SPU 13, UAF 12. Technical fouls – UAF: Tolliver. Attendance – 140.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Alaska Anchorage
Saturday, Feb. 1     6:15 p.m. PST
Alaska Airlines Center / Anchorage, Alaska