SEATTLE – The ball got away from the Seattle Pacific Falcons too many times.
 
Then late in the game, the lead got away, too.
 
Lewis-Clark State scored the last five points, keeping SPU off the board for the final 4 minutes, 42 seconds and hung on for a 68-67 women's basketball victory on Friday night in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Junior guard Rachel Berg pumped in a career-high 14 points for the Falcons (2-2). But they were hurt by 29 turnovers, as the Warriors of Lewiston, Idaho (6-2) converted them into 27 points.
 
 

"We cannot win basketball games if we're going to turn the ball over like that," head coach Mike Simonson said. "Kudos to LC State – they did a great job of forcing turnovers. But we had a lot of unforced turnovers, as well. We talked about it in the locker room, and it's just being fundamental – catching on two feet, pivoting, being able to make passes with both your right and left hand.
 
"And mental is part of it – we have to play slow," Simonson added. "We have to understand that we don't have to play fast."
 
Freshman guard Malia Mastora came off the bench for a career-high 13 points, and junior forward Ashley Alter added 10 for SPU.
 
BACK AND FORTH FROM START TO FINISH
In a game with 15 lead changes, nine ties, and neither team ever leading by more than eight points, the Falcons went up 67-63 on a driving lay-in by Mastora off a pass from Natalie Hoff at the 4:42 mark.
 
Lewis-Clark State pulled within one at 67-66 on a 3-pointer from the left corner by Jansen Edmiston with 3:33 left. A driving lay-in by Abby Farmer at the 2:53 mark put the Warriors up, 68-67.
 
That turned out to be the final basket of the game.
 
SPU forced a turnover with 29.1 seconds to go, setting up a chance for a game-winning shot. After a timeout at 17.9 seconds, the Falcons worked the ball around the perimeter, and senior point guard Abril Rexach Roure got off a foul line jumper with four seconds to go. It missed, and Kayla Brundidge grabbed the offensive rebound on the right side of the hoop. But under defensive pressure, she was unable to get off a last-second shot before the buzzer sounded.
 
"Ultimately, to turn the ball over that many times and score 67 points is remarkable," Simonson said. "It just shows you how good of an offensive team we actually have. I'm really excited we shot the ball like we do in practice. We shoot well in practice every day. To see us shoot well today (25 of 59 for 42.4 percent) is a good sign, because now, we're going to make those shots that I know we can make."
 
Seattle Pacific closed the first half with a 7-2 scoring surge to turn a 29-29 tie into a 36-31 lead at the break. It grew to as many as eight at 42-34 early in the third, and was still a seven-point advantage at 47-40 late in that quarter when Lewis-Clark State went on a 10-0 run.
 
The teams were tied at 52-52 heading into the final 10 minutes. The Warriors scored the first four points of the fourth, but SPU put seven of the next eight on the board for a 59-57 edge. After Alter snapped a 59-59 tie with a 3-pointer at the 6:07 mark, the Falcons never trailed until Farmer's basket at 2:53 that became the clincher.
 
"They run a lot of different things, and we knew they would," Simonson said in looking ahead to Saturday's rematch in Brougham. "We have to see what burned us and make adjustments."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
--The Falcons, who had hit just 7 of 37 (18.9 percent) from 3-point range through the first three games, buried 10 of 19 (52.6 percent) from downtown on Friday. Rachel Berg and senior guard Kaprice Boston were both 3 for 4. "We can't expect to shoot that well every night, but it was exciting to see that," coach Mike Simonson said.
 

-- Malia Mastora logged 29 minutes in a reserve role. In addition to her 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, she had three rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot. "She did a great job reading the defense, taking what they gave her, had a couple of amazing finishes, and got to the free throw line six times – that's great," Simonson said.
-- The Falcons dominated the boards, 45-25. That included a 14-5 advantage at the offensive end, leading to 14 second-chance points. Boston led with eight total, three offensive.
-- Berg's career scoring high was her second in a row, following last Saturday's 10-point outing against Saint Martin's.
-- Abril Rexach Roure's six rebounds tied her best mark in a Seattle Pacific uniform. Her career high is nine in 2018 as a sophomore at Eastern Wyoming. She also had six assists and six points on Friday.
-- Kiara Burlage and Jansen Edmiston each had 19 points for Lewis-Clark State.
-- The Warriors had a decided edge at the foul line, hitting 11 of 19. The Falcons were just 7 of 9.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons and Warriors meet again at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, Jan. 22, 2021
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Lewis-Clark State 68, Seattle Pacific 67
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE (68) – Johnson 3-10 1-4 7, Burlage 6-12 5-6 19, Souvenir 3-5 2-2 8, Farmer 4-7 1-4 10, Edmiston 7-15 2-3 19, Schroeder 1-4 0-0 3, Muehlhausen 0-0 0-0 0, Holm 1-3 0-0 4, Broyles 0-1 0-0 0, Sellmann 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 11-19 68.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (67) – Alter 4-12 0-0 10, Brundidge 3-6 0-0 6, Berg 5-10 1-1 14, Rexach Roure 3-7 0-0 6, Boston 3-7  0-0 9, Mastora 4-9 4-6 13, Pettingill 0-0 0-0 0, Hoff 2-4 2-2 6, Burgess 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 25-59 7-9 67.
 
Lewis-Clark State                              16           15           21           16           -- 68
Seattle Pacific                                   15           21           16           15           -- 67
 
3-point goals – LCS 7-24 (Johnson 0-2, Burlage 2-4, Souvenir 0-2, Farmer 1-4, Edmiston 3-8, Schroeder 1-3, Broyles 0-1), SPU 10-19 (Alter 2-5, Berg 3-4, Rexach Roure 0-1, Boston 3-4, Mastora 1-4, Burgess 1-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – LCS 25 (Johnson 5), SPU 45 (Boston 8). Assists – LCS 11 (Souvenir 5), SPU 13 (Rexach Roure 6). Turnovers – LCS 16, SPU 29. Total fouls – LCS 10, SPU 22. Technical fouls – None.
 
 
Next game
Lewis-Clark State at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.