BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons found a way to put some points on the board Thursday night.
 
Western Washington just found a way put a few more up there.
 
Freshman guard Layne Kearns scored a career high 14 and Olivia Mayer matched her with 14, but 17th-ranked WWU cut short several comeback attempts by the Falcons and pulled away for a 73-61 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory in Carver Gymnasium.
 
SPU (6-12, 3-5 GNAC) had been in the 60s just once in the past seven games and were coming off a season low in last Saturday's 63-38 loss at home to Montana State Billings. But on Thursday, the Falcons had a better second half of shooting, hitting 42.9 percent (12 of 28), including a solid 50 percent (7 of 14) during the third quarter to help trim an 11-point halftime deficit all the way down to five.
 
Western Washington (15-3, 7-1 GNAC) allows just 57.2 points per game.
 
Haylie Ohta added a career-high 10 points for SPU.
 
 

"There were a lot of bright spots in the game for us with some scoring," head coach Mike Simonson said. "I was really pleased with our scoring in the second half (36 points) because Western is a really good defensive team. I'm just really proud of how we battled, we turned the mover 16 times, out-rebounded them at the offensive end (10-4) and kept them off the glass."
 
The Vikings built a quick 10-point lead in the first eight minutes of the game at 14-4. Bur SPU got untracked with eight straight point to close the quarter: 3-pointers by Ohta and Lolo Weatherspoon, and a pair of Hunter Beirne free throws.
 
Another trey by Ohta (who hit 3 of 5 from behind the arc) gave the Falcons their only lead of the night, 15-14 on the opening possession of the second quarter. Western Washington responded with six straight points.
 
SPU was still within 26-23 as the clocked moved toward halftime, only to see the Vikings put up another eight in a row, part of a 10-2 run that produced a 36-25 lead at the break.
 
It ballooned to 13 points at 40-27 early in the third. Once again, the Falcons answered, this time with eight straight of their own on a putback by Kearns, all three makes by Mayer on a three-shot foul, and a Kearns 3-point to get within 40-35.
 
A 10-point Western Washington surge returned it to a double-digit margin, with a pair of 3-point baskets factored into it, The closest the Falcons came after that was 69-59 just inside two minutes left in the game. A Mason Oberg 3-pointer essentially iced it for the Vikings, one of their seven treys for the game.
 
"They're so good at going inside, it opens up the 3-point line for them," Simonson said. "They hit some big 3's when they really needed them in the second half, and that was the difference."
 
 

Kearns, in her eighth start of the year and fifth in a row, hit 5 of 10 from the field to top her previous career high of nine points. She also grabbed six rebounds, dealt one assist, and had one steal. Fellow freshman Ohta was 4 of 9 from the floor with 2 of 5 from downtown plus four rebounds.
 
"Our freshmen really stepped up," Simonson said. "I've been thinking Layne was going to have a coming-out party sooner or later, and I'm really glad it was tonight. She hit some huge 3s and had some really strong drives and had three offensive rebounds. She did not play like a freshman tonight."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- SPU shot 36.2 percent for the game, hitting 21 of 58. But Western Washington finished at 52.9 percent, draining 27 of 51.
-- Along with Kearns' six boards, Olivia Mayer also pulled down six. Senior guard Hailey Marlow had five.
-- SPU had 10 steals, its eighth double-digit game of the season. Mayer, Grace Leasure, and Lolo Weatherspoon had two apiece.
-- The game was Seattle Pacific's second straight against a national top-25 team and its fifth of the season.
-- Brooke Walling, the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year, led Western with 20 points. Stephanie Peterson had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons travel to Burnaby, B.C., on Saturday to take on Simon Fraser at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
 
(No. 17) Western Washington 73, Seattle Pacific 61
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-12, 3-5 GNAC)
Leasure 1-3 0-0 2, Mayer 4-12 6-7 14, Berry 1-6 1-1 3, Beirne 2-8 4-4 8, Kearns 5-10 1-5 14, Weatherspoon 3-6 1-1 8 Ohta 4-9 0-0 10, Marlow 0-2 0-0 0, Bishop 1-2 0-0 2.  Totals 21-58 13-18 61.
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (15-3, 7-1 GNAC)
Walling 8-13 4-5 20, Garrison 3-5 0-0 6, R. Dykstra 5-9 0-0 11, Peterson 4-8 6-7 15, Garndbois 1-2 0-0 3, Oberg 3-7 2-4 10, Wikstrom 1-3 0-0 3, D. Dykstra 2-4 0-0 5, Bass 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 27-51 12-16 73.
 
Seattle Pacific                     12           13           18           18           -- 61
Western Washington          14           22          20           17           -- 73
 
3-point goals – SPU 6-20 (Leasure 0-2, Mayer 0-2, Beirne 0-3, Kearns 3-5, Weatherspoon 1-2, Ohta 2-5, Marlow 0-1), WWU 7-17 (Walling 0-1, R. Dykstram1-3, Peterson 1-2, Grandbois 1-1, Oberg 2-5, Wikstrom 1-2, D. Dykstram 1-3.  Fouled out – SPU: Weatherspoon.  Rebounds – SPU 30 (Mayer 6, Kearns 6), WWU 31 (Peterson 10).  Assists – SPU 11 (Beirne 4), WWU 19 (Peterson 5).  Turnovers (points allowed) – SPU 16 (17), WWU 16 (15).  Total fouls – SPU 22, WWU 17.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 871.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
Saturday, Jan. 27     7:00 p.m.
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.


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