SEATTLE – For 40 minutes, the Seattle Pacific Falcons stayed within reach.
 
At the end of those 40 minutes, however, the game wound up being just out of reach.
 
 

Ashley Alter scored a career-high 25 points, and Natalie Hoff recorded her first career double-double, but it wasn't enough as an SPU fourth-quarter rally came up short on Friday night in a 72-66 women's basketball loss to Saint Martin's.
 
"We did show some character and fight, we didn't let up and we made some great plays," head coach Mike Simonson said. "We were fairly resilient, and I was proud of that. The game went exactly like I thought it would – just a physical, tough battle, back and forth. Credit to Saint Martin's: They did a great job of making big shots and getting to the line."
 
Junior guard Alter, a product of Stanwood High School north of Seattle, eclipsed her previous career high of 18 points, set Feb. 28, 2019 against Western Oregon. She hit 9 of 15 on Friday, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. She also chipped in three rebounds, two assists, and four steals.
 
Junior forward Hoff tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 50 percent (4 of 8) from the field, and adding two assists and two blocked shots.
 
"Ashley shot over 50 percent from the field – that's kind of how she has been practicing," Simonson said. "Natalie and Kayla Brundidge both did a great job of finishing inside. We have to find a way to get them more shots in there."
 
QUICK RALLY KEEPS FALCONS IN IT
 

The Falcons (1-1) were facing a 58-48 deficit with 9:38 left in Brougham Pavilion. Senior forward Ashlynn Burgess then put six straight points on the board, with back-to-back lay-ups and a pair of free throws, trimming it to 58-54 with 6:12 still remaining.
 
A three-minute dry SPU dry spell allowed Saint Martin's (1-1) to push the lead back up to 11 at 65-54. During that stretch, the Saints forced the Falcons into four turnovers and two missed shots. By then, just 3:35 remained in the game.
 
It was still an 11-point difference at 70-59 after Janealle Sutterlict of the Saints buried a 3-pointer from the right corner at the shot clock buzzer. That left 1:48 on the game clock. SPU got back within five at 71-66, but only 15 seconds remained at that point.
 
"They shot the ball great from 3-point range. We knew they were capable of hitting the 3," Simonson said. (Saint Martin's buried 11 of 21, a 52.4 percent mark from downtown.) "We did a decent job at times guarding from 3, but they made some big ones on us."
 
Saint Martin's led from start to finish, and the game was tied just twice, at 8-8 and 13-13 in the first quarter.
 
The Falcons finished the night with three more total field goals (25-22), but were just 4 of 14 from long range. Their field goal mark of 45.5 percent (25 of 55) was three percentage points better than hit in Monday's 56-51 victory against Pacific Lutheran, and was three points better than the Saints' mark of 42.3 percent (22 of 52).
 
"We finished our looks 10 times better than Monday," Simonson said.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Ashlynn Burgess, who sparked the fourth-quarter rally, finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. She also grabbed five rebounds, three at the offensive end.
-- SPU had a 33-26 advantage on the boards, with 14 off the offensive glass that led to 15 second-chance points. Saint Martin's had 10 offensive board for 10 second-chance points.
-- The Saints now have won four straight games in the series, although the Falcons still lead it, 55-20.
-- Saint Martin's was led by the 19 points of Mallory Vivola, who came off the bench. Of those 19 points, 15 came from downtown on 5-of-8 shooting.
-- SPU's defense kept a lid on Tierney DeDonatis, limiting the talented guard to just four points. DeDonatis went for 26 last year in Brougham, helping her team pull out a 63-62 decision.
-- The Falcons had six individual performances in the 20-point range last season – three each for Burgess and now-graduated Hailee Bennett.
-- A pair of SPU freshmen made their college debuts. Malia Mastora came off the bench for 13 minutes of action, scoring two points and handing out one assist. Hailey Marlow saw three minutes of playing time and grabbed one rebound.
 
UP NEXT
SPU and Saint Martin's tangle again on Saturday, this time at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey. Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. The last victory in the series for the Falcons came in Lacey, 68-64 on New Year's Day 2019.
 
  
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, Jan. 15, 2021
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Saint Martin's 72, Seattle Pacific 66
 
SAINT MARTIN'S (1-1)
Dingus 3-9 6-6 12, Morris 2-4 4-4 10, Nelson 2-4 0-0 4, DeDonatis 2-6 0-0 4, Sutterlict 4-12 1-2 11, Reed 1-1 0-0 3, Vivola 6-11 2-4 19, Clear 0-0 0-0 0, Legette 2-4 2-2 , Budiman 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 22-52 17-20 72.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (1-1)
Alter 9-15 3-3 25, Hoff 4-8 3-4 11, Berg 1-6 2-2 4, Rexach Roure 0-2 1-2 1, Boston 0-1 0-0 0, Mastora 1-4 0-0 2, Marlow 0-1 0-0 0, Beirne 3-7 0-1 6, Brundidge 3-5 1-2 7, Burgess 4-6 2-2 10. Totals 25-55 12-16 66.
 
Saint Martin's      22           19           14           17           -- 72
Seattle Pacific     21           11           14           20           -- 66
 
3-point goals – STM 11-21 (Morris 2-3, DeDonatis 0-2, Sutterlict 2-5, Reed 1-1, Vivola 5-8, Legette 1-1, Budiman 0-1), SPU 4-14 (Alter 4-7, Berg 0-4, Rexach Roure 0-1, Mastora 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – STM 26 (Dingus 9), SPU 33 (Hoff 10). Assists – STM 14 (Dingus 3, DeDonatis 3), SPU 14 (Rexach Roure 4). Turnovers – STM 19, SPU 22. Total fouls – STM 16, SPU 20. Technical fouls – None.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Saturday, Jan. 16; 3:00 p.m.
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.