SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific Falcons cleaned up their game on Saturday afternoon – and cleaned up on the scoreboard.
 
Ashley Alter scored 17 points, with 13 of those in the first quarter, and SPU cut its turnover total nearly in half from the previous night to notch a 72-63 women's basketball victory over Lewis-Clark State in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Junior forward Alter was one of three Falcons in double figures. Sophomore post player Kayla Brundidge chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Rachel Berg added 13 points.
 
In Friday's 68-67 loss to the Warriors, Seattle Pacific committed 29 turnovers, which L-C State converted into 27 points. On Saturday, it was down to just 15 turnovers, factoring into 13 points.
 
"We watched film (from Friday's game) and saw some things," head coach Mike Simonson said. "It was, 'OK, we turned the ball over because of this.' It was mostly fundamentals, which we knew. But seeing it on tape showed we could be a lot better, and all the players agreed.
 
"So to have 15 turnovers compared to 29, that's a huge improvement with no practice," Simonson added. "And (keeping it to 15) is typically the goal, and especially against a pressing team, that's good. We had 10 at halftime, and a huge key was in the second half, we only had five."




 
THIS ONE WAS WIRE TO WIRE
The Friday game featured 15 lead changes and nine ties. On Saturday, it was a zero in both of those categories, as the Falcons scored the first four points of the game and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
 
SPU (3-2) had by far its most productive first quarter of the season, burying 9 of 13 from the field and building a 22-8 lead.
 
Lewis-Clark State (6-3) went on a seven-point run late in the second quarter and closed within four points by halftime, 32-28. The Falcons then came out and rang up the first nine points after the break on a lay-in and then a putback by Brundidge, a short shot from the left of the hoop by Alter, and a 3-pointer from the left of the lane by senior guard Kaprice Boston.
 
 

"We talked about how well we started the game. We started with good defensive energy," Simonson said. "At halftime, we just revisited all the things we talked about pre-game – it was almost the same talk – and we said, 'Let's do this again.'
 
The Warriors came as close as seven at 45-38 with 5:31 left in the third. But heading into the fourth, that margin had doubled to 14 at 56-42, and never dipped below seven the rest of the way.
 
"We never let them take the lead. We just kept fighting and stayed the course," Simonson said. "That's the sign of a mature basketball team. We're still inexperienced, but we're getting some maturity quickly."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons again forged a double-digit margin on the boards, 43-32, with a 12-9 edge on the offensive end.
 

-- Kaprice Boston was SPU's leading rebounder with nine, to go along with seven points and three assists. "The thing we talked about in the locker room was she had three assists and zero turnovers. She did have a great game and she hit some great shots," Mike Simonson said.
-- Kayla Brundidge's 16 points came on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 2 of 2 at the foul line. Of her eight rebounds, four were offensive.
-- Rachel Berg hit 5 of 7 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from downtown on the way to her 13 points. She also dished four assists and had just two turnovers. "Friday, she did not have a good game, but she was resilient," Simonson said. "She hit some huge shots down the stretch, 3 of 4 from 3, and every 3 she hit was a big one we needed."
-- Senior point guard Abril Rexach Roure had six of SPU's season-high 20 assists.
-- The 20 assists / 15 turnovers was the first positive assist / turnover ratio in five games this season.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific hosts College of Idaho in a two-game series on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29-30 in Brougham Pavilion. The Friday game tips off at 6:00 p.m.; Saturday's starts at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 72, Lewis-Clark State 63
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE (6-3)
Johnson 0-2 3-4 3, Burlage 8-13 6-8 25, Souvenir 5-13 0-0 11, Farmer 0-3 2-2 2, Edmiston 4-13 2-6 13, Schroeder 2-5 0-0 5, Muehlhausen 1-2 0-0 2, Holm 1-5 0-0 2, Broyles 0-1 0-0 0, Sykora 0-0 0-0 0, Sellmann 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 13-20 63.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (3-2)
Alter 7-18 0-0 17, Brundidge 7-11 2-2 16, Berg 5-7 3-4 13, Rexach Roure 1-3 2-6 4, Boston 2-7 1-2 7, Mastora 1-7 0-0 2, Pettingill 2-2 0-0 5, Hoff 3-7 0-0 6, Burgwess 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-64 5-10 72.
 
Lewis-Clark State                 8           20           14           21           -- 63
Seattle Pacific                     22           10           24           126         -- 72
 
3-point goals – LCS 8-25 (Johnson 0-1, Burlage 3-4, Souvenir 1-6, Farmer 0-3, Edmiston 3-7, Schroeder 1-3, Holm 0-1), SPU 9-19 (Alter 39, Berg 3-4, Boston 2-2, Mastora 0-3, Pettingill 1-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – LCS 32 (Burlage 8), SPU 43 (Boston 9). Assists – LCS 12 (Souvenir 6), SPU 20 (Rexach Roure 6). Turnovers – LCS 11, SPU 15. Total fouls – LCS 15, SPU 14. Technical fouls – None.
 
 
Next game
College of Idaho at Seattle Pacific
Friday, Jan. 29     6:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.