SEATTLE – Most nights, keeping an opponent in the 50-point range is going to be enough to win the basketball game.
 
Friday was not one of those nights for the Seattle Pacific women.
 
Ashley Alter scored 11 points, but was the only Falcon in double figures as SPU hit just 12 field goals in dropping a 51-42 decision to College of Idaho in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Seattle Pacific shot just 26.1 percent from the floor (12 of 46) and was not able to connect on any of its 13 tries from behind the 3-point arc.
 
"Kudos to College of Idaho – they were excited to play, they had tremendous energy and played some really solid defense," SPU head coach Mike Simonson said. "They did not make it easy for us to get good looks. We got a lot of good shots, but they did make it hard. We tried going inside, we tried to get hot from the 3-point line.
 
"We shot very poorly, and that's not how we shoot," Simonson added. "Our shooting woes really froze up our ability to read on offense."
 
DECISIVE DRY SPELLS
But the Falcons (3-3) didn't make things easy for CI (4-8) on offense, either. They limited the Yotes to 32.7 percent shooting (16 of 49), including 0 of 10 to start the game, and kept them off the scoreboard for the first 8 minutes, 18 seconds while building a 9-0 lead.
 
It was 12-4 at the end of the first quarter and back to a nine-point advantage at 21-12 with 2:42 left in the half after a traditional three-point play by Alter.
 
But College of Idaho rang up 12 straight points to finish the half – 10 of those from Sophia Jackson, part of her game-high total of 16 – to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
 
SPU never quite caught up during the third quarter, but finally edged ahead, 39-38, on a pair of free throws by senior forward Ashlynn Burgess with 4:56 left in the game.
 
The Yotes responded with four straight to go back in front for good, the first points of a game-ending 13-3 scoring run that helped them pull away.
 
"The first and third quarters, we played tremendous defense; the second and fourth, we seemed to make mistakes," Simonson said. "When the game got tight, our offensive woes started dictating our defensive intensity."
 
"We had stretches where we played well," Simonson added. "If we made some looks that I know we can make, the outcome might have been different. They (C of I) played great down the stretch. They were poised and enthusiastic. So I'm happy we get to play them again on Saturday."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The 42 points scored by the Falcons was the fewest they've put on the board since a 60-43 loss at Western Washington on Feb. 16, 2019.
-- The 51 allowed was the fewest since a 73-51 win victory against Western Oregon last Jan. 18 in Brougham Pavilion.
-- That dropped the Falcons' points-allowed average for the season to below 60, now at 59.2.
--College of Idaho's four points in the first quarter was the fewest allowed by SPU in a period this season. The previous low was six in a 61-50 win against Saint Martin's on Jan. 16.
-- For the first time this season, the Falcons got out-rebounded. The Yotes had a 37-35 edge. Sophomore post player Kayla Brundidge came up with a team-high nine for SPU.
-- Seattle Pacific tied a season high with 26 free throw attempts, hitting 18. Junior guard Rachel Berg was a perfect 5 for 5, and Ashley Alter was 3 for 3.
 
UP NEXT
SPU and College of Idaho meet again on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Brougham.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, Jan. 29, 2021
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
College of Idaho 51, Seattle Pacific 42
 
COLLEGE OF IDAHO (4-8)
Mitchell 6-11 2-2 14, Rasmussen 1-9 0-0 2, Cannon 0-6 3-5 3, French 2-6 2-2 8, Reed 0-0 0-0 0, Schritter 1-2 1-2 3, Jackson 4-7 5-6 16, Renfro 1-2 0-0 3, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Sayer 0-1 0-0 0, Krusemark 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 16-49 13-17 51.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (3-3)
Boston 2-6 0-0 4, Alter 4-13 3-3 11, Brundidge 2-4 3-4 7, Berg 1-7 5-5 7, Rexach Roure 0-4 1-4 1, Mastora 0-4 1-2 1, Hudson 0-1 0-0 0, Pettingill 0-1 0-0 0, Hoff 3-6 3-6 9, Burgess 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 12-46 18-26 42.
 
College of Idaho    4           20            9           18           -- 51
Seattle Pacific     12             9           10           11           -- 42
 
3-point goals – CI 6-19 (Mitchell 0-2, Cannon 0-1, French 2-6, Jackson 3-6, Renfro 1-2, Sayer 0-1, Krusemark 0-1), SPU 0-13 (Boston 0-2, Alter 0-3, Berg 0-3, Rexach Roure 0-2, Mastora 0-1, Hudson 0-1, Hoff 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – CI 37 (Rasmussen 10), SPU 35 (Brundidge 9). Assists – CI 7 (Rasmussen 2, Sayer 2), SPU 4 (Alter 2, Rexach Roure 2). Turnovers – CI 19, SPU 17. Total fouls – CI 18, SPU 14. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 0.
 
 
Next game
College of Idaho at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Jan. 30     2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.