BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons felt they had some unfinished business against Azusa Pacific.
 
On Saturday afternoon, they finished it.
 
Ashley Alter poured in 17 points, and teammates Natalie Hoff and Schuyler Berry came up clutch at the free throw line in the final 15 seconds, helping SPU beat the No. 21-ranked Cougars at the West Region Crossover Classic women's basketball tournament, 70-64.
 
A year ago on this same pre-Thanksgiving Saturday, the two teams played in the Cal State San Marcos Hoops Classic. The Falcons had a late seven-point lead, but Azusa Pacific came back to force overtime and went on to win, 67-61.
 
Saturday's win gave SPU a 1-1 split on the opening weekend of the season and was a bounceback from Friday's 70-62 loss to No. 12-ranked Cal State San Marcos.
 
"To go 1-1 is pretty good. As a coach, you always want to go undefeated, but Azusa Pacific is a really strong team, and they beat (No. 2-ranked) Western Washington on Friday night," head coach Mike Simonson said. "We want to go to the NCAA Tournament, and you need to put (wins like this) in your backpack and carry it with you throughout the year.
 
"It's really nice to get a win against Azusa, which I truly believe will have a great year," he added. "It's just a confidence booster for us going into the rest of the season."
 
Alter and Berry were both named to the All-Tournament team.
 




LEAD MELTED – BUT NOT ENTIRELY
On Saturday, SPU built a 13-point lead at 54-41 late in the third quarter inside The Pavilion at Whatcom Community College. Azusa (1-1) then started to climb back in, thanks in part to a full-court pressing defense.
 
"Historically, they put on that press, and they're good at it," Simonson said. "It's hard to prepare for it on one day's notice in a tournament setting like this. We were prepared for it in some ways, but not as prepared as we would be if we'd had a week's practice. But kudos to our kids: They really made adjustments and did a good job to steady the ship and make a (game-ending) run."
 
The Falcons took a 54-47 lead into the fourth quarter and twice stretched it back out to 10, the last time at 59-49 with 7:28 left.
 
Azusa Pacific cut it all the way down to one at 65-64 when Paige Uyehara drained all three free throws after being fouled on a desperation heave from the right of the lane with 32 seconds left.
 
Struggling to inbound the ball in backcourt, the Falcons called time out and took advantage of the rule that allowed them to advance it into front court. Hoff was fouled with 15.2 seconds to go and hit both shots for a 67-64 lead.
 
The Cougars then called timeout and likewise advanced the ball to their front court. Alex Lowden was fouled with 11.2 seconds left, but missed both. Berry rebounded and was fouled. She missed the first free throw, but made the second, returning it to a two-possession game at 68-64 with 9.1 seconds left.
 
Azusa called its final timeout and advanced the ball. Uyehara launched a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner, but it bounced off the rim. Again, Berry rebounded, and again she was fouled. This time, she hit both with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to seal it.
 
 

"I was so glad Schuyler got to make the game-sealing free throws," Simonson said. (Berry had missed a pair with 2:32 left and Seattle Pacific up by four at 65-61). "She's a good free throw shooter, and she's a really poised person on this team that we count on. I wanted her to shoot those free throws because I knew she would have the poise to make them. And Natalie has been a great free throw shooter for us for years. She's someone I always want to shoot free throws."
 
Berry finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Hoff also tallied 13 and collected a team-high eight boards. Hunter Beirne was the fourth of Seattle Pacific's double-digit scorers, finishing with 11 points.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons shot 46.2 percent for the day (24 of 52). That included 70 percent (7 of 10) during the second quarter when they moved in front.
-- Azusa Pacific hit just 32.3 percent (21 of 65). The Cougars were just 9 of 37 (24.3 percent) after halftime.
-- SPU kept Azusa without a field goal for the closing 5:33 of the game, forcing the Cougars to miss their final nine shots (including three lay-ups). Their last five points came on free throws.
-- For the second straight day, the Falcons won rebounding battle, this time by a 44-35 margin. Through the weekend, they were plus-16 (84-68) on the boards.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons will head to Denver next weekend for the Regis Thanksgiving Classic. They'll play the host Rangers on Friday, Nov. 25, at noon, then tangle with current No. 20-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Saturday the 26th, also at noon.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Crossover Classic
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022
The Pavilion @ Whatcom CC / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 70, (No. 21) Azusa Pacific 64
 
AZUSA PACIFIC (1-1)
Heimberger 8-17 3-3 21, Manuel 2-7 1-2  5, Whitmore 2-6 2-2 6, Lowden 2-8 1-4 7, Uyehara 4-15 7-8 17, Boboc 0-0 0-0 0, Kirkman 3-7 0-0 8, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Sayoc 0-2 0-0 0, Pickett 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 21-65 14-19 64.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (1-1)
N. Hoff 5-8 3-4 13, Berry 5-6 3-6 13, Beirne 3-9 3-4 11, Eddy 3-8 0-2 7, Alter 6-12 4-6 17, Weatherspoon 0-1 0-0 0, M. Hoff 1-4 2-2 4, Marlow 1-4 2-2 5.  Totals 24-52  17-26 70.
 
Azusa Pacific      22           11           14           17           -- 64
Seattle Pacific     21           19           14           16           -- 70
 
3-point goals – APU 8-28 (Heimburger 2-5, Manuel 0-1, Lowden 2-5, Uyehara 2-10, Kirkman 2-5, Jones 0-2), SPU 5-16 (N. Hoff 0-1, Beirne 2-3, Eddy 1-5, Alter 1-2, M. Hoff 0-1, Marlow 1-4). Fouled out – None. Total fouls – APU 18, SPU 16.  Rebounds – APU 35 (Manuel 8, Lowden 8), SPU 44 (N. Hoff 8). Assists – APU 10 (4 players with 2), SPU 12 (Berry 3, Marlow 3). Turnovers – APU 12, SPU 18.  Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 49.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 1-1.
Azusa Pacific 1-1.
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Regis
Friday, Nov. 25     Noon PST
Regis Field House / Denver, Colo.