SEATTLE – Going inside against Simon Fraser wasn't always easy.
 
So when it came down to the deciding minutes on Saturday, the Seattle Pacific Falcons went outside instead.
 
Anna Eddy scored nine of her 18 points during the fourth quarter – all on 3-pointers – and Ashley Alter delivered a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, leading SPU to a 64-53 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against the Red Leafs.

The Falcons (11-6, 6-3 GNAC) also got a long one from Hunter Beirne in the fourth, hers coming with just 33 seconds remaining off an assist from Alter. That effectively iced it, pushing the lead to the final margin of 11.
 
In fact, Seattle Pacific's only two-pointer of during the fourth was turnaround lay-in by Natalie Hoff off a pass from Beirne at the 1:17 mark. That stretched a still-tenuous 59-53 lead to 61-53, making it a three-possession game as the final minute approached in Brougham Pavilion.
 
"They're probably one of the tallest, longest teams in the league, and they cover a lot of ground," SPU head coach Mike Simonson said of contending with the Simon Fraser's defense. "Even though you might create a lot of action to create a good shot, they cover it really well, and they can take it away. That was part of our adjustments that we made.
 
"That was just a great GNAC basketball win," added Simonson after his team bounced back from Thursday's narrow 58-53 loss to No. 6-ranked Western Washington. "I thought we played SPU-identity basketball: We guarded well, we were efficient on offense, and took care of the ball – especially in the second half when we only had five turnovers. We did a lot of things well."
 
 




They certainly did through the first 11 minutes of the game as the Falcons to build a 22-8 lead. Part of that was a 9-0 streak near the end of the first quarter: a lay-in by Alter, a steal and a coast-to-coaster by Beirne, a 3-pointer by Alter, and a jumper by Lolo Weatherspoon that rolled in. That stretched an 8-6 advantage to 17-6.
 
Eddy banged down five straight points to start the second quarter, on a trey from the top of the key and a lay-in to make it 22-8.
 
It was still a 12-point advantage at 24-12 when Simon Fraser (6-7, 4-5 GNAC) went on a 9-0 run to get within three, as Seattle Pacific went 6:14 without a point, missing eight consecutive shots. It was even closer at halftime as SPU went in with a 27-25 edge.
 
The Leafs finally nudged back in front, 32-31, with 7:20 left in the third on a 3-pointer by Jessica Wisiotzki.
 
That would be their last lead of the night. A foul line jumper by Hoff put the Falcons back on top, 33-32, starting a 14-1 burst that gave them a double-digit advantage of 45-33 at the 1:07 mark of the third.
 
Up 50-39 with 6:50 to go, Seattle Pacific saw Simon make one final push, scoring 14 of the next 17 points to get within 56-53. Eddy's 23-foot trey from the right of the lane pushed it back to 59-53 with 2:13 remaining.
 
 

"Simon Fraser is a great team, and we knew they were going to make adjustments," Simonson said. "They really upped their level of play. At the half, we had to steady the ship and make just a couple minor adjustments to focus on offense, and we got back to playing good, solid defense. Then we had a similar third quarter to what we had in the first."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
--  Eddy hit 7 of 12 from the field, with 4 of 8 from downtown, had two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. But Simonson liked what didn't necessarily show up in the box score, saying, "Anna's clutch 3's in the second half were huge. But I want to applaud her first half. She only had two rebounds, but crashed the boards, got in there, and got on the floor for loose balls. When your mindset is in that space, it makes offense a lot easier, and that's what happened for her."

--  Ashley Alter's double-double was her second of the season and fourth of her career.
-- SPU shot 42.4 percent for the day (25 of 59), and 46.2 from behind the arc (6 of 13).
-- Simon Fraser hit just 36.0 percent (18 of 50) and 20.7 from downtown (6 of 29). The Leafs came in ranked No. 3 in the GNAC for field goal shooting (.433) and No. 2 behind the arc (.373).
-- Even against Simon's defense, SPU did have a sizable lead on points in the paint, 34-14.
-- The Falcons had a 37-29 rebounding advantage, 9-4 at the offensive end.
-- Hunter Beirne had five rebounds, pushing her past 100 for her career. She now has 102.
-- The Wisotzki sisters combined for 33 of Simon Fraser's 53 points: 20 for Jessica, 13 for younger sister Sophia. In Thursday's 69-67 overtime loss at Montana State Billings, they teamed up for 38 points.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons begin the second half of GNAC play on the road, visiting Central Washington on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. and Northwest Nazarene next Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time. Both are the opening games of doubleheaders. The nightcaps will feature the SPU men against the same opponents: 7:30 on Thursday at Central, 6:30 Pacific on Saturday at NNU.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 64, Simon Fraser 53
 
SIMON FRASER (6-7, 4-5 GNAC)
Cutler 2-2 2-2 6, Gardner 2-3 0-0 4, S. Wisotzki 5-10 2-4 13, Kramer 0-5 0-0 0, J. Wisotzki 5-12 7-10 20, Killins 1-8 0-0 3, Klassen 0-1 0-0 0, Swant 2-6 0-0 4, Dulai 1-3 0-0 3.   Totals 18-50 11-16 53.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (11-6, 6-3 GNAC)
N. Hoff 3-9 4-4 10, M. Hoff 1-4 0-0 2, Beirne 4-9 0-0 9, Eddy 7-12 0-0 18, Alter 6-13 2-2 15, Weatherspoon 4-8 1-2 9, De Virgilio 0-0 0-0 0, Marlow 0-1 0-0 0, Berry 0-3 1-2 1.   Totals 25-59 8-10 64.
 
Simon Fraser        8            17            9            19          -- 53
Seattle Pacific     17           10           18           19           -- 64
 
3-point goals – Simon 6-29 (S. Wisotzki 1-4, Kramer 0-4, J. Wisotzki 3-8, Killins 1-8, Swant 0-3, Dulai 1-2), SPU 6-13 (Beirne 1-1, Eddy 4-8, Alter 1-4).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – Simon 29 (Cutler 7), SPU 37 (Alter 12).  Assists – Simon 11 (Swant 4), SPU 15 (Beirne 5).  Turnovers – Simon 15, SPU 14.  Total fouls – Simon 11, SPU 14.  Technical fouls – Simon: Coach Langford.  Attendance – 197.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington
Thursday, Jan. 26     5:15 p.m.
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.