BURNABY, B.C. – Right about the time Seattle Pacific went cold, Simon Fraser got hot.
 
And that ultimately made the difference on Saturday night.
 
Simon put 12 straight points on the board bridging the third and fourth quarters, snapping a 44-44 tie on the way to beating the Falcons in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game, 64-57.
 
Playing on their home court in West Gym, the Canadian hosts hit 4 of 5 shots, with two of those from behind the 3-point arc, plus a pair of free throws, while forcing SPU (8-12, 4-6 GNAC) into nine straight misses through a stretch of 6 minutes, 30 seconds.
 
The only Falcon points during that time came on two free throws by senior forward Natalie Hoff with 7:22 left in the game. It also was Hoff who finally broke the field goal drought with 5:08 remaining, and ultimately turning it into a traditional three-point play with an ensuing free throw.
 
That cut the margin down to nine at 58-49. In fact, Seattle Pacific climbed all the way back within five points at 62-57 when Hoff popped in a pair of free throws with 45.2 seconds left.
 
But that would be all as the Falcons turned it over on an out-of-bounds call under their own hoop with 23 seconds to go. Sophie Klassen subsequently sealed it for Simon Fraser (8-10, 4-5 GNAC) on a driving lay-in at the 11-second mark.
 
Hoff finished with 15 points for SPU, including a perfect 7-for-7 night at the foul line. Redshirt freshman guard Anna Eddy came off the bench to add 11 points.
 
SHAKING OFF A COLD START
The Falcons, who have dropped four straight, also had a frosty spell to open the game, missing their first eight shots. But as is often the case, they were solid defensively and limited Simon Fraser to just 1-for-7 shooting to start the game.
 
Once Eddy buried a 3-pointer from the left corner for her team's first basket of the game, SPU found some rhythm and built a pair of four-point advantage, the last one at 12-8.
 
The lead changed hands eight times during the second quarter, as both teams were on the mark, Seattle Pacific draining 7 of 13 – including its first six in a row to start the period -- and Simon hitting 6 of 12. An 8-3 scoring run to close the half left the home side on top, 32-28.
 
SPU then knocked down three in a row to open the third quarter, and subsequently used an 8-2 run to go from 37-33 behind to 41-39 ahead at the 4:43 mark.
 
After that, the lead went back and forth three more times, the last of those putting Simon Fraser in front, 44-43. Schuyler Berry hit one of her two free throws with 1:14 left in the third to forge a 44-44 tie. Jessica Wisotzki, who led all scorers with 18 points, started what became that decisive 12-0 run with a driving lay-in just before the buzzer to give Simon a 46-44 edge heading into the fourth.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Natalie Hoff's 7-for-7 night at the free throw line was the best by a Falcon this season. She has had three games of 6 for 6, and nine perfect games altogether. Her season percentage is now up to .831 (49 of 59).
-- The Falcons had a 40-35 rebounding advantage. Sophomore forward Beth Pettingill, who got her sixth start of the season, led the way with seven. That pushed her past 100 boards for her career. She came into the game with 99, and now has 106.
-- Seattle Pacific shot 35.2 percent from the field (19 of 54), and limited Simon Fraser to 37.2 percent (23 of 61).
-- The two teams wound up splitting their season series, each winning at home. SPU scored a 66-64 overtime victory on Jan. 6 in Brougham Pavilion.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons will play three games in five nights through the upcoming week. On Tuesday, Feb. 8, it's a make-up game at Saint Martin's, tipping off at 5:30 p.m. That one was originally scheduled for Jan. 13, but was postponed for health and safety protocols. Then it's back home for regularly-scheduled games against Western Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7:00 p.m., and a rematch against Saint Martin's on Saturday the 12th at 4:15 p.m.
 
 
RECORDS
Seattle Pacific 8-12, 4-6 GNAC
Simon Fraser 8-10, 4-5 GNAC