SEATTLE – On Friday, they steadily pulled ahead. On Saturday, they came from behind.
Either way, the Seattle Pacific Falcons went away with the win.
Hailey Marlow
Hailey Marlow hit a lay-in on a nifty assist from
Abril Rexach Roure with 27.7 seconds left on Saturday, and SPU hung on to beat Humboldt state in a non-conference women's basketball game in Brougham Pavilion, 54-52.
That gave the Falcons (2-0) two wins in two outings to start the 2021-22 season. They won their opener on Friday, 63-38 against Corban University.
Natalie Hoff
Sophomore forward
Beth Pettingill led Seattle Pacific with 15 points on Saturday, and
Natalie Hoff contributed a solid double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Marlow finished with nine points, and Rexach Roure totaled four assists.
The lead changed hands 11 times, with four of those during the fourth quarter.
The Falcons were up 49-42 inside the five-minute mark when Humboldt State (0-2) started a 10-2 scoring run. That included a stretch of seven in a row, with back-to-back 3-pointers to knot it at 51-51, and a free throws by Kaz Parks for a 52-51 lead with 46.8 seconds left.
SPU brought the ball into frontcourt, then called timeout with 39.3 seconds left. On the ensuing play, Marlow broke wide open under the hoop, and Rexach Roure hit her with the bounce pass for the lay-in and a 53-52 lead.
That left Humboldt with plenty of time and the shot clock turned off. Coming out of a timeout with 13.6 seconds to go, Madison Parry missed a driving lay-up and SPU freshman
Maya Hoff grabbed the rebounds. She was knocked to the floor on the play with 5.6 seconds left. The foul was ruled intentional, but both free throw attempts bounced off the rim.
The Falcons retained possession of the ball.
Kaprice Boston was fouled twice in succession, earning a trip to the free throw line on the second whistle. Her first shot rattled in for a 54-52 lead, but the second didn't go, and the Lumberjacks grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 1.0 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing inbounds play, SPU's defense kept Humboldt from launching a desperation shot before time expired.
Seattle Pacific shot 43.8 percent for the game, hitting 22 of 49. The Lumberjacks hit just 28.1 percent (16 of 57) – the second straight time the Falcons have kept an opponent below 30 percent. (Corban hit 28.8 percent on Friday).
UPCOMING ACTION
SPU completes a season-opening three-game homestand on Monday against
Hawaii Pacific. Tip-off in Brougham Pavilion is at 2:00 p.m.
RECORDS
Seattle Pacific 2-0.
Humboldt State 0-2.
NEXT GAME
Hawaii Pacific at Seattle Pacific
Monday, Nov. 15 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.