ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Once again, the Seattle Pacific Falcons climbed back in a big way on the road.
 
Once again, however, the host team had the final say.
 
Olivia Mayer scored 17 points, but SPU after erasing an 11-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game on three occasion during the fourth, saw Central Washington finish the game on a 12-2 scoring run to secure a 71-61 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon.

Schuyler Berry added 12 points and six rebounds for Seattle Pacific (5-9, 2-2 GNAC).
 
It was the second time this week that the Falcons  wiped out a double-digit deficit to give themselves a chance. On Thursday, they were down 29-16 at halftime against Northwest Nazarene and got as close a 47-45 late in the fourth quarter before the Nighthawks hung on, 50-47.
 
Inside Nicholson Arena on Saturday, Seattle Pacific was down 49-38 with 1:20 left in the third.  Then, in a span of just 4 minutes, 17 seconds bridging the third and fourth periods, the Falcons outscored Central (12-4, 3-1 GNAC) by a 16-5 margin go tie it at 54-54 with 7 03 remaining.
 
 

"Our team identity is to be tough and gritty, and we showed that in spurts today," head coach Mike Simonson said. "I'm really proud of the way responded after NNU. This, to me, is the toughest road trip in the conference with two quality teams like Central and NNU. To play as tough as we did showed what we have in our hearts and inside."
 
It was a traditional three-point play by junior wing Lolo Weatherspoon that forged the 54-54 tie. The Wildcats went back on top, 57-54 when Riley Johnson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner. A free throw by Weatherspoon at 4:51 and a runner by Mayer at 4:34 tied it up again at 57-57.
 
Central sophomore guard Asher Cai, who played the entire 40 minutes and led all scorers with 21 points, drained a pair of free throws at 4:14 to go, putting CWU back on top, 59-57. Mayer answered with another runner at 4:05 for a 59-59 deadlock.
 
From there, the Wildcats hit their last four shots, the third of which was a downtown dagger by Malia Smith (her third of the game) to cap a 7-0 scoring burst for a 66-59 lead.
 
The only points for the Falcons the rest of the way came on a pair of Berry free throws with 1:39 to go.
 
"Central is a great 3-point team, and they have lot of weapons who can hit 3's," Simonson said. "You have to credit Malia Smith – she hit some big ones. Capri Sims had a good game for them (the freshman forward recorded a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds). You work so hard to guard two good players like Cai and Sunny Huerta. But you have to give a lot of credit to their role players who stepped up and made some plays."
 
The 49-38 third-quarter lead for the Wildcats was the only time either team was up by 10 or more – and that lasted all of 21 seconds before Layne Kearns hit a 15-footer from the left of the lane to begin a 7-0 SPU spurt that cut the gap to 49-45 entering the fourth.
 
 

BY THE NUMBERS
-- Olivia Mayer's 17 points pushed her past 700 for her career. She now has 713. Along with her points, she had six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
-- Freshman guard Layne Kearns, in her fourth start of the season, pulled down seven rebounds and tied her career high with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. She also had an assist and a steal.
-- The Falcons hit 40 percent from 3-point range (6 of 15), their second time in the past three games of being in the 40s (.409 on 9 of 22 last Friday against Westminster).
-- Overall, SPU hit 42 percent (23 of 54). Central Washington hit 47.3 percent (26 of 55).
--The Wildcats had a big rebound advantage, 38-24. That included 11-4 at the offensive end, netting a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points.
-- The Falcons took good care of the ball, committing just 11 turnovers, its second-lowest total of the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons play their next three games at home, starting with Western Oregon this coming Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. as the second half of a doubleheader. The SPU men open the twin bill at 5:15 p.m. against Simon Fraser.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024
Nicholson Arena / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Central Washington 71, Seattle Pacific 61
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (5-9, 2-2 GNAC)
Weatherspoon 3-5 2-3 9, Mayer 7-15 2-2 17, Berry 5-13 2-2 12, Beirne 3-11 0-0 8, Kerans 4-5 0-0 9, Marlow 0-2 3-4 3, Ohta 1-3 0-0 3, Bishop 0-0 0-0 0.  Totals 23-54 9-11 61.
 
CENTRAL WASHINGTON (12-4, 3-1 GNAC)
Sims 5-8 3-3 13, Coronado 1-3 0-0 2, Huerta 7-21 3-4 19, Cai 8-13 3-4 21, Maeda 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 2-3 1-2 6, Blodgett 0-1 1-2 1, Smith 3-5 0-0 9.  Totals 26-55 11-15 71.
 
Seattle Pacific                     16           11            18           16           -- 61       
Central Washington           12           20           17           22           -- 72
 
3-poinr goals – SPU 6-15 (Weatherspoon 1-1, Mayer 1-5, Beirne 2-4, Kearns 1-2, Marlow 0-2, Ohta 1-1), CWU 8-21 (Coronado 0-1, Huerta 2-7, Cai 2-6, Maeda 0-1, Johnson 1-2, Smith 3-4).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – SPU 24 (Kearns 7), CWU 38 (Sims 14).  Assists – SPU 11 (Mayer 3), CWU 17 (Huerta 6).  Turnovers (points allowed) – SPU 11 (11), CWU 14 (12).  Total fouls – SPU 16, CWU 11.  Technical fouls – None.  Attendance – 647.
 
 
Next game
Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Jan. 11     7:30 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.


SPU SOCIAL 

• Twitter - @SPUSports & @SpuWbb
• Instagram - @SPUSports & @SPU_Basketball
• Facebook - /SPUSports

Seattle's only NCAA Division II Scholarship Program | #GoFalcons