BURNABY, B.C. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons put up their highest point total of the season. However, so did Simon Fraser – and the Red Leafs' tally was even higher.
 
Lolo Weatherspoon came off the bench for 24 points, and SPU stayed within reach until the final few minutes on Thursday before the Leafs pulled away for an 87-73 victory in West Gym on the opening night of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball schedule.
 
Layne Kearns added 14 points and Madison chipped in 10, plus six rebounds. Fifth-year point guard Hunter Beirne delivered a solid overall stat line of nine points, seven rebounds, and a career high-tying eight assists.

The previous high score this season for SPU (2-8, 0-1 GNAC) was on Nov. 15 in a 72-48 victory against Cal State San Marcos. Simon Fraser (8-2, 1-0 GNAC) reached its previous season high that same night in beating Colorado Mines, 84-75.
 
 

Senior wing Weatherspoon, who hit 11 of 16 from the field, had the second 20-pointer of her career. Her other one was 26 last Feb. 1 at home against Central Washington. It was her first double-digit game this season and the sixth of her career.
 
The Falcons were in sync from the get-go, as they hit their first five shots on the way to an 11-0 lead. Rubino accounted for six of those and Kearns had five.
 
"We showed up ready to play," head coach Karen Byers said. "We executed our game plan and did really well, and Lolo was a shining star – she came to play. Our rotation was tight, but everyone who was there gave a lot of effort."
 
As would be expected, the Red Leafs began to climb back in, cutting the gap to five at 21-16 by the end of the first quarter. A 6-0 SPU run early in the second on baskets by Emilia Bishop, Grace Turley and Grace Leasure pushed it back to nine at 27-18.
 
The lead was still eight at 34-26 when Simon Fraser put together a 14-4 scoring surge through the final four minutes of the half to take a 40-38 edge into the break.
 
On multiple occasions during the second half, the Red Leafs kept trying to stretch out their lead. The Falcons kept answering.
 

• Down 52-43 near the midpoint of the third quarter, Kearns and Beirne banged down back-to-back 3-pointers, making it 52-49. Simon Fraser responded with seven straight for 59-49.
• Seattle Pacific scored 11 of the next 14 points to get within 62-60, and it was just a four-point difference at 64-60 entering the fourth.
• Twice, the Red Leafs extended the lead back to eight, Twice, the Falcons got back within six, the last time at 73-67.

 

Finally, a 9-2 Simon Fraser surge effectively sealed the deal, providing an 82-69 bulge with just 2:27 left.
 
"We're tired, but I think if we continue this path that we're on, we're going to be a team to be reckoned with," Byers said. "We didn't get what we wanted tonight, but I'm really looking forward to what's next for us."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The free throw line was a difference maker on Thursday. Seattle Pacific shot its second-highest percentage of the season at 84.6 (11 of 13). That was its second straight game of 80-plus percent, having hit 87.5 (7 of 8) last Saturday against Colorado Christian. But Simon Fraser went to the line 18 more times and hit 11 more (22 of 31).
-- From the field, the teams were nearly dead even. The Falcons shot 46.8 percent (29 of 62); the Red Leafs were at 46.2 percent (30 of 65). They had a 5-4 edge in makes from downtown.
-- SPU had four players hit better than 50 percent from the floor. Along with Lolo Weatherspoon's 11 of 16 (.688), Layne Kearns was 5 of 9 (.556); Madison Rubino and Emilia Bishop were both 4 of 6 (.667).
-- Simon's star guard Sophia Wisotzki, whose 26.0 average is second in NCAA Division II, finished with 28. SPU limited her to 8 of 18 from the field (.444) and 0 of 6 from downtown – the first team the season to keep her from making one behind the arc. But Wisotzki went to the free throw line 16 times and hit 12. That was her most attempts this season and her second-most makes.
-- Hunter Beirne's previous game with eight assists was Dec. 3, 2022 at Alaska Anchorage.
-- Seattle Pacific is now 19-4 all-time in GNAC openers and 9-4 when those openers are on the road.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons visit Western Washington on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Carver Gymnasium in Bellingham. The Vikings fell just short of No. 3-ranked Montana State Billings on Thursday, 70-64.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
West Gym / Burnaby, B.C.
 
Simon Fraser 87, Seattle Pacific 73
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (2-8, 0-1 GNAC)
Ohta 0-6 0-0 0, Beirne 2-8 4-6 9, Kearns 5-9 1-1 14, Rubino 4-6 2-2 10, Berry 0-2 0-0 0, Weatherspoon 11-16 2-2 24, Bishop 4-6 0-0 8, Mertes 0-0 0-0 0, Bergevin 0-0 0-0 0, Leasure 2-5 2-2 6,Turley 1-4 0-0 2.  Totals 29-62 11-13 73.
 
SIMON FRASER (8-2, 1-0 GNAC)
Gardner 4-9 3-4 13, Shelvey 6-9 2-4 17, Dulai 4-8 0-0 8, Quirke 3-7 0-0 6, Wisotzki 8-18 12-16 28, Neufeld 0-0 0-0 0, De Walle 0-0 0-0 0, Bergeron 1-5 0-0 2, Loukes 3-6 5-5 11, Morton 0-0 0-0 0, Gill 0-0 0-0 0, Tetteh-Wayoe 1-3 0-0 2.  Totals 30-65 23-31 87.
 
Seattle Pacific     21           17           22           13           -- 73
Simon Fraser      16           24           24           23           -- 87
 
3-point goals – SPU 4-19 (Ohta 0-4, Beirne 1-2, Kearns 3-5, Weatherspoon 0-2, Leasure 0-3, Turley 0-3), Simon 5-17 (Gardner 2-3, Shelvey 3-5, Dulai 0-2, Wisotzki 0-6,Loukes 0-1).  Fouled out – SPU: Kearns.  Rebounds – SPU 30 (Beirne 7), Simon 43 (Dulai 12).  Assists – SPU 16 (Beirne 8), Simon 18 (Gardner 5, Dulai 5).  Turnovers (points allowed) – SPU 21 (20), Simon 18 (12).  Total fouls – SPU 26, Simon 13.  Technical fouls – SPU: Coach Byers.  Attendance – 136.
 

Next game
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.


 
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