FRESNO, Calif. – A pair of cold spells froze the Seattle Pacific Falcons out of a chance at snagging road trip split on Saturday.
 
Olivia Mayer, Layne Kearns and Grace Leasure tallied eight points apiece, but a drought of 7 minutes, 22 seconds bridging the first and second quarters, and 2:42 at the start of the third was enough of an opening for Fresno Pacific to move in front and ultimately take control on the way to a 62-46 non-conference women's basketball victory.
 
SPU (4-7) dropped both games on its Northern California trek, having fallen just short at Stanislaus State on Thursday, 70-66.
 
"You've gotta give Fresno Pacific a lot of credit. They played tough," SPU head coach Mike Simonson said. "They're an undersized team, but they play like they're giants because they're just a gritty, tough, hard-nosed team. You don't see that on tape when you watch them. You know they play hard, but you don't see the physicality.
 
"I do believe we were kind of shellshocked from them," Simonson added. "You have to give them credit – they played a great game."
 
Fresno Pacific's defensive pressure, which often started in backcourt, limited the Falcons to a season-low 25.5 percent shooting from the field (25 of 51) and forced 23 turnovers, which the Pacific West Conference-leading Sunbirds (8-2) converted into 17 points.
 
 

"We never got into a rhythm," Simonson said. "They pressure and they press. For a young team going into that environment on the road, it's very difficult. … That's their style, and we knew that coming in. They did disrupt a lot of things we've typically had success with versus pressure. It was a great learning opportunity for our team, and I think the message was sent and delivered to us."
 
SPU was once again without starting guards Hunter Beirne and Hailey Marlow due to minor injuries. But the Falcons put together a 6-0 run in the first quarter to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 9-5 lead, thanks in part to their own defensive effort that kept the hosts off the board for 5 minutes, 44 seconds with 10 consecutive stops (seven missed shots, three turnovers).
 
After a lay-in by Leasure produced that 9-5 lead with 3:40 left in the quarter, SPU didn't score again until a putback by Lolo Weatherspoon with 6:18 left in the second. Even so, the Falcons stayed very much in the game through the rest of the half, and was down just 23-19 heading into the locker room.
 
The Sunbirds then rang up the first eight points to start the third quarter, stretching their advantage to 31-19. SPU twice got within seven, the last time at 35-28 at the 4:41 mark on a pair of Leasure free throws.
 
Fresno Pacific finished the quarter on a 9-4 scoring run, capped by 3-pointer from the right of the lane by Anisa Rillo that nestled into the net just before the buzzer. That made it 46-32 entering the fourth, and it never got closer than 12 after that.
 
"The times we scored, we traded baskets almost every time, and that's not going to equate to winning, especially on the road," Simonson said. "We have moments when we play really good defense, and we have moments when we have a few good offensive plays and possessions. For us, it's being able to string them back to back to back."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

-- Freshman guard Haylie-Anne Ohta grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Her previous high was four against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 18.
-- Schuyler Berry and Lolo Weatherspoon each pulled down six of SPU's 36 rebounds.
-- Along with her boards, Weatherspoon had six points and a team-high five assists.
-- The Falcons had a solid day at the free throw line, shooting 81 percent (17 of 21). That tied for their most makes of the season and was their second-highest percentage of the year.
-- SPU limited Fresno Pacific to 34.4 percent shooting (21 of 61). But the Sunbirds were deadly in the third, draining 10 of 17 (58.8 percent) while the Falcons were just 2 of 15 (13.3 percent) during that period.
-- Berry, who set a single-game free throw accuracy record by going 10 for 10 on Thursday at Stanislaus State, hit 3 of 4 on Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are now off until after Christmas. They will close out their non-conference schedule at home on Friday, Dec. 29 against Westminster of Salt Lake City. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Dec 16, 2023
Special Events Center / Fresno, Calif.
 
Fresno Pacific 62, Seattle Pacific 46
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (4-7)
Weatherspoon 3-8 0-0 6, Ohta 1-4 0-0 3, Mayer 2-7 4-4 8, Kearns 2-10 2-2 8, Berry 2-10 3-4 7, Bishop 2-4 0-2 4, Carlisle 0-3 2-2 2, Leasure 1-5 6-7 8.  Totals 13-51 17-21 46.
 
FRESNO PACIFIC (8-2)
Dourva 5-12 2-2 13, Rix 5-7 4-6 14, Rillo 3-8 2-4 11, Hurt 1-6 2-4 4, Ramirez 2-3 0-0 5, Garcia 0-2 2-2 2, Corona 0-8 1-2 1, Kem 0-2 0-0 0, Heu 2-7 1-2 5, Green 1-2 1-2 3, Wilmurt 0-0 0-0 0, Manu 2-4 0-0 4.  Totals 21-61 15-24 62.
 
Seattle Pacific     9              10           13           14           -- 46
Fresno Pacific     8              15           23           16           -- 62
 
3-point goals – SPU 3-11 (Ohta 1-2, Mayer 0-1, Kearns 2-3, Carlisle 0-2, Leasure 0-3), FPU 5-24 (Dourva 1-4, Rillo 3-6, Ramirez 1-2, Garcia 0-2, Corona 0-4, Kem 0-1, Heu 0-5).  Fouled out – SPU: Kearns.  Rebounds – SPU 36 (Ohta 7), FPU 38 (Rix 14).  Assists – SPU 8 (Weatherspoon 5), FPU 12 (Dourva 4).  Turnovers (points allowed) – SPU 23 (17), FPU 13 (11).  Total fouls – SPU 19, FPU 15.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – NA.
 
 
Next game
Westminster at Seattle Pacific
Friday, Dec. 29     1:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.