Box score (PDF)
 
MONMOUTH, Ore. – By game's end, the Seattle Pacific Falcons were missing three starters – and their three leading scorers.
 
But they still had Madi Hingston.
 
And they still had Natalie Hoff.
 
Hoff's jump shot from the foul line just before the final buzzer capped a dramatic comeback as SPU kept its postseason tournament hopes very much alive by beating Western Oregon in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Thursday night, 55-53.
 
The hoop by Hoff was the last of her 14 points in the New P.E. Building. Hingston, playing near her hometown of Keizer and just 21 miles from alma mater McNary High School, poured in a career-high 18 – with 10 of those during the fourth quarter.
 
 

"This is my most proud moment. They're going to remember this for the rest of their lives," head coach Mike Simonson said. "They had every reason in the book to fold, and they did not fold. They just kept grinding and grinding together as a team.
 
"It's probably the most special win we've had in the last two years. It just shows how much growth there has been in this group," Simonson added.
 
Starting forward and leading scorer Ashlynn Burgess (12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game) did not play because of an injury, although she was on the bench. Starting guard Hailee Bennett (10.8 per game) went out with 5:20 left in the second quarter after taking an inadvertent shoulder to the chin on a play under the basket. Starting guard Ashley Alter (8.7 per game) left for the locker room with 1:01 remaining in the third after she went down just over the midcourt line.
 
DOWN, BUT DEFINITELY NOT OUT
Still, Seattle Pacific (8-15, 6-9 GNAC) fought back from a 12-point first-half deficit and led for a good portion of the fourth quarter.
 
"Early on, I loved our composure," Simonson said. "We were getting good defensive possessions. Offensively, we had some decent looks and we were taking care of the ball. As the game went on, we were just going to chip away at it. Our team, kudos to them – it would have been easy to panic, but they showed maturity and grit to band together and trust that process together."
 
Up 53-50, the Falcons had Western Oregon (5-17, 2-13) under tight defensive pressure as the Wolves needed a 3-pointer to tie it inside the final 30 seconds. But Tresai McCarver broke open and drained one 23 feet away from the right of the lane, knotting it at 53-53 with 5.2 seconds left.
 
 

The Falcons called their full timeout to advance the ball. Bayley Brennan inbounded on the left side, getting it to Abril Rexach Roure. She drove the baseline, found Hoff at the free throw line, and Hoff's shot was all net with just three-tenths of a second on the clock.
 
"We have four different options off Abril's drive – I just happened to be the one," Hoff said. "Abril made a really nice pass. It was like a perfect pass to my shooting pocket. I had the easy part – all I had to do was finish it."
 
Out of timeouts, all Western Oregon could do was inbound from backcourt, with no chance of even getting off a shot before the final buzzer.
 
 

"It was a bummer to have our three leading scorers out. But the other players stepped up and I'm so proud of everyone on the floor," said Hingston, who hit 7 of 10 for the night. "Especially at the end of the game, we showed our grittiness. The last few games, we didn't necessarily perform in winning time. Tonight, we learned from that. We knew we needed to lock down, especially on defense."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

-- Redshirt freshman Bayley Brennan delivered all five of her points during the fourth quarter. She started the period with a  3-pointer from the right of the lane off a feed from Rachel Berg for a 41-39 lead – the first time all night SPU had been in front. Then she nailed a long 2, also from the right of the lane, to make it 53-50 with 1:20 left.
-- Madi Hingston's 10 fourth-quarter points were all in a row for the Falcons, coming between Brennan's two baskets.
-- Hingston's previous career high was 17, coming last Feb. 23 against Alaska Fairbanks.
-- SPU shot 44.9 percent for the game (22 of 49), but was 52 percent (13 of 25) during the second half.
-- Natalie Hoff had a team-high eight rebounds.
-- SPU limited Keyonna Jones to just two points on 1-of-4 shooting. Jones went for 15 points last month in Seattle.
-- The Falcons swept the season series.
 
TOURNAMENT TALK
Seattle Pacific is still tied with Saint Martin's for seventh place in the GNAC, both at 6-9. The Saints won at Concordia-Portland on Thursday, 60-48.
 
However, both teams are now just one game behind Montana State Billings for the sixth and final spot in the GNAC Tournament. The Yellowjackets (7-8) lost at home to Alaska Anchorage, 83-69.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons play Concordia-Portland for the final time on Saturday. Tip-off at LCEF Court in Portland is at 8:30 p.m., the late hour being due to another on-campus event.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
 
Seattle Pacific 55, Western Oregon 53
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (8-15, 6-9 GNAC)
Bennett 1-4 0-0 3, Berg 2-5 0-0 5, Hingston 7-10 1-2 18, Alter 1-7 0-0 2, Hoff 7-11 0-0 14, Rexach Roure 0-3 0-0 0, Brennan 2-6 0-0 5, Brundidge 0-1 1-2 1, Sterk 2-2 2-2 7. Totals 22-49 4-6 55.
 
WESTERN OREGON (5-17, 2-13 GNAC)
Aragon 4-9 0-0 9, Rogers 3-7 2-2 8, McCarver 2-8 2-2 8, Jones 1-4 0-0 2, Green 3-6 0-0 8, Denton 3-7 1-1 8, McClave 2-4 0-0 4, Winkler 0-1 0-0 0, Wright 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 21-50 5-5 53.
 
Seattle Pacific          9           14          15          17          -- 55
Western Oregon      18          12            9          14          -- 53
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-19 (Bennett 1-3, Berg 1-2, Hingston 3-5, Alter 0-3, Hoff 0-1, Rexach Roure 0-1, Brennan 1-3, Sterk 1-1), WOU 6-16 (Aragon 1-2, Rogers 0-2, McCarver 2-4, Green 2-3, Denton 1-2, McClave 0-2, Winkler 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 22 (Hoff 8), WOU 28 (Aragon 7). Assists – SPU 13 (Rexach Roure 4), WOU 11 (Rogers 4, McCarver 4). Turnovers – SPU 13, WOU 17. Total fouls – SPU 9, WOU 16. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 198.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Concordia-Portland
Saturday, Feb 15     8:30 p.m.
LCEF Court / Portland, Ore.