SEATTLE – Olivia Mayer and Schuyler Berry were in the right place at the right time … albeit at different ends of the court.
 
Mayer scored all the points in a 7-0 fourth-quarter scoring run then hit a clinching pair of free throws with two seconds left for the last of her 18 points, Berry swiped an inbounds pass under the Western Oregon basket with 8.9 seconds remaining and Seattle Pacific hung on for a 57-52 women's basketball victory against the Wolves on Thursday night.
 
Along with her 18 points, junior forward Mayer pulled down 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Berry added nine points and seven rebounds ... and that one huge steal for the Falcons (6-9. 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference).
 
It was the second time in the past three games the Falcons have kept a team in the 50s and the fourth time this year, winning three of those four games.
 
"We love holding teams under 55 – and it's hard to hold teams under 55," head coach Mike Simonson said. "But we're starting to really enjoy holding them under 55. I would love to score in the 60s and 70s when we do that, but the truth is, our defense is strong.
 
"The biggest run they had was five points, and that showed we truly never faltered on defense," Simonson added. "The dam never broke, so to speak."

But it took a 19-point fourth quarter for SPU to put this one into the win column. The Falcons were down 39-38 entering the final 10 minutes, then outscored the Wolves, 19-13.

After a Cali McClave 3-pointer gave Western Oregon (9-6, 2-2 GNAC) a 45-44 lead with 5:07 to play, Mayer put the next seven point on the board for Seattle Pacific: a driving lay-in for a 46-45 edge, a step-around lay-in on a perfect pass from Hailey Marlow, and then all three free throws on a shooting foul to make it 51-45 with 3:15 to go.
 
"That was the quietest 18 points I think I've seen this year," Simonson said of Mayer's offensive output, "and we needed all 18. She's able to find ways to score, and she's confident. She got to the free throw line a lot to night, and hitting 6 of 7 is a big deal."
 
 
 
 
 
The Wolves still weren't done. They came as close as 53-52 on a lay-in by Kiylynn Dawkins with 33 seconds left. Forced to foul, they sent SPU's Hunter Beirne to the line with 19.3 seconds remaining. She missed the first, but hit the second for 54-52.
 
Then, the teams traded timeouts with 10.3 seconds left. WOU's ensuing inbounds pass from in front of its own bench went into the lane – and right into Berry's hands. She was fouled immediately and hit one of her two free throws for a  55-52 lead at 8.9 seconds.
 
Out of timeouts, the Wolves brought the ball down and McClave launched a 3 from beyond the top of the key. It bounced high off the rim and appeared to hit the basket stanchion, which would have been out of bounds for Seattle Pacific with three-tenths of a second showing.
 
At that same moment, a whistle blew. The officials reviewed the video, charged Dawkins with an intentional foul and reset the clock to 2.0 seconds. That put Mayer on the line for two free throws, both of which she hit for a 57-52 lead.
 
It also gave the Falcons possession and the opportunity to dribble out the last two seconds.
 
 

"We've had a lot of battles with Western Oregon, a lot of games in the 50s," Simonson said. "They have a new coach (Jessica Peatross), but their style is very similar to what they've played over the years: just scrappy, tough, hard-nosed, and that's what today was."
 
Neither team ever managed a double-digit lead. The largest margin for Seattle Pacific was nine, the last time at 27-18 late in the second quarter. The biggest for Western Oregon was four at 6-2 early in the game, which the Falcons answered with a 10-0 scoring run to end first quarter as they stopped the Wolves 10 straight times (six missed shots, four turnovers).
 
"I don't care if it's ugly or if we're up 20 – as long as we get a win, that's good for our young ball club," Simonson said.
  
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The 19-point fourth quarter was big, but was not SPU's highest of the season. It put 22 on the board in the first quarter of a 62-59 victory against Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 2.
-- Seattle Pacific's 19 in the fourth countered the 19 points WOU tallied during the third quarter.
-- Olivia Mayer hit 6 of 12 from the field. That was her sixth game of shooting .500 or better and pushed her season percentage to .454.
-- The Falcons shot 37.7 percent (20 of 53). Western Oregon had three more field goals and hit 41.8 percent (23 of 55).
-- SPU had a significant advantage at the free throw line, draining 13 of 19. The Wolves went just six times, hitting three.
-- The Falcons scored 22 of their points off 17 Western Oregon turnovers.
-- Seattle Pacific improved its undefeated home record to 5-0.
-- Point guard Hunter Beirne grabbed four rebounds, lifting her past 200 for her career. She now has 202.
 
UP NEXT
SPU plays the second game of a three-game homestand on Saturday against Saint Martin's at 2:00 p.m. The Saints fell at Montana State Billings on Thursday, 73-42.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 57, Western Oregon 57
 
WESTERN OREGON (9-6, 2-2 GNAC)
Dawkins 5-9 1-4 11, Youngblood 1-4 0-0 2, C. McClave 10-22 0-023, Pedrojetti 3-7 0-0 6, Hopkins 1-5 2-2 4, Harman 1-3 0-0 2, Baker 0-1 0-0 0, Noyes 2-4 0-0 4.   Totals 23-55 3-6 52.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-9, 3-2 GNAC)
Weatherspoon 3-7 2-2 8, Mayer 6-12 6-7 18, Berry 4-9 1-4 9, Beirne 2-7 1-2 6, Kearns 1-5 0-0 3, Ohta 2-4 2-2 7, Marlow 2-9 1-2 6, Carlisle 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 20-53 13-19 57.
 
Western Oregon                 6              14           19           13           -- 52
Seattle Pacific                     12           15           11            19           -- 57
 
3-point goals – WOU 3-14 (McClave 3-9, Pedrojetti 0-3, Harman 0-2), SPU 4-14 (Weatherspoon 0-2, Maye r0-2, Beirne 1-1, Kearns 1-2, Ohta 1-3, Marlow 1-4).  Fouled out – WOU: Dawkins.  Rebounds – WOU 29 (Hopkins 8), SPU 37 (Mayer 10).  Assists – WOU 13 (Youngblood 4), SPU 8 (Berry 3).  Turnovers (points allowed) – WOU 17 (22), SPU 19 (13).  Total fouls – WOU 15, SPU 8.  Technical fouls – WOU: Dawkins.  Attendance – 104.
 
 
Next game
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 

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