OAKLAND, Calif. – They wanted a sweep … needed a sweep …
 
… got a sweep.
 
Hunter Beirne scored 12 points and was one of four Seattle Pacific players in double figures as the Falcons led from start to finish on Wednesday afternoon in defeating Holy Names inside Tobin Gymnasium, 68-48.
 
Ashley Alter added 11 points. Schuyler Berry and Maya Hoff chipped in 10 apiece.
 
After splitting its first three road trips of the season, the Falcons (6-3) took both ends of their two-game trek to Northern California. On Monday, they overcame a slow start to rout Dominican, 63-35. Both were West Region contests.
 
"That was kind of the biggest goal in scheduling these games," said head coach Mike Simonson, whose team won its season-best third in a row. "It's hard to get in-region games in December. We were lucky to go on this road trip, come down and play Dominican and Holy Names because they're in-region games and they mean a lot.  I'm really glad we got these games in before Christmas break. They will mean a lot come March."
 




SPU scored the first four points of the game, and the closest Holy Names came during the first half was 4-2 after its initial basket. The Falcons used a 6-0 run to build a nine-point lead.
 
The  Hawks came within four midway through the second quarter at 22-18. Seattle Pacific quickly restored it to double-digits, taking a 34-21 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
 
By the end of the third quarter, the lead was at 20 points, 50-30, and grew to as many as 24 early in the fourth quarter.
 
 

"I thought we defended really well and we made them shoot a really poor field goal percentage because we played good solid defense," Simonson said (The Hawks finished at just 30.2 percent, hitting 13 of 43). "And every time we had a breakdown, we did a great job of rebounding from it and correcting it."
 
Holy Names (1-10) put  up some full-court defensive pressure during the fourth quarter and cut the margin to 15 at 63-48. But by then, just three minutes remained, and the Falcons put the final five points of the game on the board.
 
"This group, I just applaud them – they really respond to the challenge," Simonson said. "They share the basketball, they're unselfish. And again, it was another situation where we had really balanced scoring."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

-- For the second straight game and the third time this season, the Falcons had a double-digit advantage on the boards. This time, it was 31-21, led by Maya Hoff's seven. The team total included 12 offensive rebounds – 10 of those during the second half. "One thing we challenged them on is we only had two offensive rebounds at halftime," coach Mike Simonson said. "I said we needed to have 10 in the second half – and we had exactly that."
-- Natalie Hoff had six rebounds, and needs just four more to reach 500 for her career.
-- While keeping Holy Names to 30 percent shooting, the Falcons hit 43 percent (25 of 58), including 53.9 in the first quarter (7 of 13) and 57.1 in the fourth (8 of 14).
-- In addition to her team-high 12 points, Hunter Beirne had a solid overall stat line with six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. She hit 5 of 7 from the field.
-- The Falcons forced Holy Names into 23 turnovers, and converted those into 27 points. Of those 23 turnovers, 13 were steals by SPU – a season high.
-- Seattle Pacific is now 5-3 in out-of-town venues, 4-1 in true road games.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Saturday when they welcome Stanislaus State to Brougham Pavilion. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. That will be SPU's final game before Christmas. Action resumes on Thursday, Dec. 29 when the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule shifts into full gear with a visit from Nortthwest Nazarene at 7:30 p.m. That will be the second game of a doubleheader. The Seattle Pacific men take on NNU at 5:15 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022
Tobin Gymnasium / Oakland, Calif.
 
Seattle Pacific 68, Holy Names 48
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (5-3)
N. Hoff 2-6 4-6 8, Berry 3-10 404 10, Beirne 5-7 1-1 12, Eddy 3-8 0-0 7, Alter 5-11 1-2 11, M. Hoff 3-6 4-4 10, De Virgilio 0-3 0-0 0, Weatherspoon 2-4 0-2 5, Bishop 2-2 1-1 5, Jacklin 0-1 0-0 0, Yung 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 15-20 68.
 
HOLY NAMES (1-10)
Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Newell 0-0 0-0 0, Soto 2-10 3-4 7, Key 4-5 4-6 13, Lemay-Zambrano 2-6 0-0 5, D. Benitez 2-11 4-4 10, Farrington 0-3 0-0 0, Tu'utafaiva 0-3 0-0 0, J. Benitez 3-5 6-6 13.  Totals 13-43 17-20 48.
 
Seattle Pacific     20           14           16           18           -- 68
Holy Names          11           10             9           18           -- 48
 
3-point goals – SPU 3-13 (Berry 0-1, Beirne 1-2, Eddy 1-3, Alter 0-1, M. Hoff 0-1, De Virgilio 0-2, Weatherspoon 1-2, Jacklin 0-1), HNU 5-13  (Soto  0-3, Key 1-1, Lemay-Zambrno 1-2, D. Benitez 1-2, Farrington 0-2, J. Benitez 1-2.)  Fouled out – SPU: De Virgilio.  Rebounds – SPU 31 (M. Hoff 7), HNU 21 (Farrington 5).  Assists – SPU 16 (Beirne 6), HNU 6 (D. Benitez 2, J. Benitez 2).  Turnovers – SPU 15, HNU 23.  Total fouls – SPU 17,, HNU 17.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 50.
 
 
Next game
Stanislaus State at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Dec. 17     2;00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.