LACEY, Wash. – Some nights, all it takes is one productive quarter.
 
Or four crucial minutes.
 
Or two big free throws.
 
The Seattle Pacific Falcons got all of that in the final period on Saturday night.
 
Schuyler Berry hit a pair of foul shots with 2.8 seconds left, snapping a 50-50 tie and giving SPU a come-from-behind 52-50 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory at Saint Martin's.
 
The Falcons (10-4, 5-1 GNAC) were down 43-30 in the opening moments of the fourth inside Marcus Pavilion. But they outscored the Saints the rest of the way, 22-7, including 13-5 in the final 4:34.
 
Berry finished with 10 points, and her last four couldn't have been bigger. She hit a one-handed reverse lay-in with 1:10 left for a 49-48 lead – the first time SPU had been in front since 22-20 late in the second quarter. Then came the two deciding free throws after she was fouled on the right side of the lane while trying to find a path to the hoop.
 
"It's definitely an adrenaline rush," Berry said of that pressure-packed moment on the line. "Both of them felt good – it wasn't like, 'I don't know if they're going in.' We've been doing a lot of free throws in practice, so that's helpful."



 
Ashley Alter led the Falcons with 14 points. Anna Eddy chipped in 11, plus a team-high eight rebounds.
 
 

"I wish it was X's and O's – and we drew up a lot of different things to try and change the game," head coach Mike Simonson said. "As we got to the start of the fourth quarter, it was like, 'All right, are we going to go down swinging like Rocky (of movie fame), or are we just going to take our 'L' and go home?'
 
"Our team responded and showed a lot of toughness, and I think that's a hallmark trait our team – toughness and grit. We really showed that in the fourth quarter."
 
The Falcons, who are now on a season-high four-game winning streak, were behind from the final two minutes of the first half all the way until just 2:56 remained in the game. It was Hunter Beirne who finally lifted them into a tie, 45-45 at the 2:56 mark when she knocked the ball loose in backcourt, scrambled to pick it up and get back to her feet, then got around a defender at the other end for a three-foot bank shot.
 
Saint Martin's (4-9, 0-5 GNAC) went back up 47-45 on a banker by Sarah Lamet – its only field goal of the quarter – with 2:25 on the clock.
 
Lolo Weatherspoon tied it in dramatic fashion. She laid one in just soon enough to beat the shot clock buzzer for a 47-47 knot at the 1:50 mark.

Saint Martin's went in front for the final time when Anjel Galbraith hit one of her two free throws with 1:37 to go.
 
Berry's reverse under the hoop gave the Falcons their 49-48 edge at 1:10.
 
That's where it stayed for nearly a full minute. Saint Martin's had the ball with 16.5 seconds left after calling a timeout to set up a play. But on an entry pass into the lane, Berry stuck her hand up and swatted it down. Weatherspoon gained control in the scramble on the floor and was fouled. She hit one of her two shots to make it 50-48 at 11.4 to go.
 
Galbraith converted a pair of free throws at 5.1 seconds, tying the score at 50-50 and setting the stage for Berry's ultimate game winners at the line.
 
"I'm really proud of Lolo. She's a gritty player, and part of the reason why we recruited her is she can defend and get on the floor – she had a huge loose ball," Simonson said. "She really elevated our play. Schuyler had some huge plays down the stretch. Our bench really made some good plays."
 
IT STARTED WITH A 3
Through the early moments of the fourth, Saint Martin's had most everything going its way. That included a buzzer-beating shot by Lamet to close the third and give the Saints a 41-30 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes. Kiana Rios extended it to 43-30 on a pair of free throws with 9:33 remaining.
 
 

Eddy began SPU's decisive comeback when she buried a 3-pointer from the left of the lane – her only one of the night and one of just two for the Falcons. Alter and Maya Hoff each hit lay-ins, and just like that, the deficit was down to six at 43-37.
 
Still down six at 45-39, SPU caught a break with 4:34 left. Weatherspoon, on the baseline and making a move toward the hoop, was initially signaled for a charging foul. But moments later, the call was changed to a block, sending Weatherspoon to the line, where she buried both free throws to make it 45-41.
 
"At the start of the fourth quarter, that's where things really changed," Simonson said. "I think Hunter and Natalie (Hoff) had a great fourth quarter, so did Ashley, and Kiki (De Virgilio) had a nice stretch. The entire team decided to really toughen up."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Although the Falcons shot just 32 percent for the game (16 of 50), they hit 58.3 percent in the fourth quarter (7 of 12).
-- They limited the Saints to just 10 percent in the fourth (1 of 10) and 33.9 for the game (19 of 56).
-- Among Ashley Alter's six rebounds were two in a row at the offensive end in the final minute that allowed SPU to retain possession and take the clock from 55 seconds all the way down to 16.5 before Saint Martin's got the ball back.
-- For the first time since Nov. 25, the Falcons didn't win the rebounding battle – but didn't lose it, either. Both teams wound up with 38.
 
UP NEXT
SPU returns to action next Saturday at Montana State Billings, tipping off at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 52, Saint Martin's 50
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (10-4, 5-1 GNAC)
N. Hoff 1-5 2-2 4, M. Hoff 1-1 0-0 2, Beirne 2-6 0-2 5, Eddy 4-12 2-2 11, Alter 5-12 4-4 14, Weatherspoon 1-2 3-8 5, De Virgilio 0-4 0-0 0, Berry 2-7 6-8 10, Marlow 0-1 1-2 1.  Totals 16-50 18-28 52.
 
SAINT MARTIN'S (4-9, 0-5 GNAC)
Lamet 5-8 0-0 10, Galbraith 4-16 7-10 16, Rios 1-5 2-2 4, Brown 0-3 0-0 0, Morris 6-12 0-0 13, Oaster 1-2 0-0 2, Clear 0-2 0-0 0, Hatchett-Groce 2-8 1-4 5, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Reed 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 19-56 10-16 50.
 
Seattle Pacific     10           12             8           22           -- 52
Saint Martin's        7           19           15             9           -- 50
 
3-point goals – SPU 2-13 (Beirne 1-1, Eddy 1-6, Alter 0-3, De Virgilio 0-3), STM 2-13 (Galbraith 1-7, Rios 0-3, Morris 1-2, Hatchett-Groce 0-1).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – SPU 38 (Eddy 8), STM 38 (Morris 11).  Assists – SPU 7 (N. Hoff 2, Alter 2, De Virgilio 2), STM 10 (Galbraith 6).  Turnovers – SPU 15, STM 17.  Total fouls – SPU 17, STM 20.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 220.