Box score (PDF)
  
SEATTLE – For the second time season, Northwest Nazarene's defense threw the Seattle Pacific Falcons out of sync.
 
Madi Hingston scored 16 points, but the Nighthawks forced 31 turnovers on the way to beating SPU in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game in Brougham Pavilion on Thursday night, 77-55.
 
NNU (21-6, 16-3 GNAC) converted those turnovers into 40 of its 77 points. When the teams met in Nampa on Dec. 7, the Nighthawks netted 32 points off 32 turnovers on the way to a 77-47 victory.
 
Senior guard Hailee Bennett added 11 points for Seattle Pacific (8-19, 6-13 GNAC), which dropped its fourth straight game.
 
"I thought our defense in the halfcourt was really good. NNU was just 3 of 14 from 3-point range, so they were struggling to get high-percentage shots," Falcons coach Mike Simonson said. "But when you give up 30 turnovers and they have 40 points off of them … If we take away 10 turnovers, we probably win the basketball game. Kudos to NNU – they are where we want to get to."

Northwest Nazarene scored the first four points of the game on Iron Coaching Court, never trailed and was never tied. The closest the Falcons came was 6-5 on a traditional three-point play by Bennett with 5:19 left in the opening quarter.
 
The Nighthawks broke open the game with a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter, extending a 23-16 lead to 32-16. The margin never dipped below 13 after that.
 
Senior guard HIngston hit 6 of 11 from the field, including 4 of 7 from behind the 3-point line.
 
"I'm very proud of Madi tonight," Simonson said. "For a senior to come out against pressure and have only two turnovers in 35 minutes and shoot 6 of 11 from the field, you couldn't ask for a better game from her."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Northwest Nazarene committed just 14 turnovers, leading to 11 Seattle Pacific points.
-- SPU had a 32-26 advantage on the boards, its first rebounding lead in eight games. Freshman post player Kayla Brundidge came off the bench for a team-high nine
-- Hailee Bennett had six rebounds to go along with her 11 points, pushing her past 200 boards for her career. Her total heading into her final game is 204.
-- Sophomore guard Ashley Alter had five points, pushing her past 300 for her career. She now has 302.
-- Junior forward Ashlynn Burgess, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, returned to action for the first time since Feb. 8 against Simon Fraser. She has missed the last four games with an injury. Burgess saw seven minutes of action off the bench. She did not score, but did grab one rebound.
-- Sophomore guard Rachel Berg tied her career high with four assists. It is the third time she had that many in a game.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific winds up the season on Saturday against Central Washington, tipping off at 2:00 p.m. in Brougham. The Falcons will be looking to turn the tables after the Wildcats won the GNAC opener on Dec. 5 in Ellensburg, 65-46. "I thought we played them decently the first time around," coach Mike Simonson said. "That game was probably our first solid defensive effort that created our defensive identity."
 
That also will be Senior Day in honor of Hailee Bennett and Madi Hingston. The ceremony will take place just prior to tip-off.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Northwest Nazarene 77, Seattle Pacific 55
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (21-6, 16-3 GNAC)
Jenkins 2-4 1-2 6, Eubanks 2-3 1-2 5 Valles 6-9 4-5 16, Emerson 2-4 0-0 4, Albrecht 9-15 4-4 23, Pinson 2-6 1-1 6, Clark 1-5 1-2 3, Hanson 0-4 1-2 1, Gall 5-7 1-1 11, Wessels 1-3 0-0 2, Salisbury 0-0 0-0 0, Simpson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 14-19 77.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (8-19, 6-13 GNAC)
Alter 1-6 3-4 5, Hoff 0-0 4-4 4, Bennett 4-10 1-1 11, Berg 0-1 0-0 0, Hingston 6-11 0-0 16, Rexach Roure 1-3 0-0 2, Brennan 1-1 0-0 3, Brundidge 3-6 2-2 8, Sterk 1-1 3-4 6, Burgess 0-4 0-0 0, Totals 17-43 13-15 55.
 
Northwest Nazarene         19          18          24          16          -- 77
Seattle Pacific                   12          12           18          13          -- 55
 
3-point goals – NNU 3-14 (Jenkins 1-3, Valles 0-1, Emerson 0-1, Albreecht 1-3, Pinson 1-3, Hanson 0-3), SPU 8-17 (Alter 0-3, Bennett 2-5, Hingston 4-7, Brennan 1-1, Sterk 1-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – NNU 26 (Albrecht 8), SPU 32 (Brundidge 9). Assists – NNU 9 (Valles 3), SPU 12 (Berg 4). Turnovers – NNU 14, SPU 31. Total fouls – NNU 14, SPU 16. Technical fouls – SPU bench (6 players on the court). Attendance – 183.
 
 
Next game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.