SEATTLE – They had enough of a comeback in them to make it close.
 
But not quite enough to get over the hump on Saturday afternoon.
 
Hunter Beirne tied her career high with 28 points – 15 of those to help Seattle Pacific cut 19-point deficit all the way down to three – but the last run of the day belonged to Western Oregon as the Wolves took a 78-67 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Fifth-year point guard Beirne matched her offensive output from last year's regular-season finale at Alaska Fairbanks, On Saturday, she hit 10 of 19 from the field, with 3 of 6 from downtown and hit all five of her free throws, to go along with four rebounds and four assists.
 
"She's such a competitor and that's one thing I love about her," interim head coach Karen Byers said. "She just decided, 'We've got to go and I'm going to be the leader.'"
 
But Beirne was the only player in double figure for SPU (6-12, 0-5 GNAC). Sophomore guard Layne Kearns had nine points plus eight rebounds, and junior center Emilia Bishop also tallied nine points.
 
Western Oregon (7-7, 3-3 GNAC) was up by seven points at halftime, 38-31, after having been on top by as many as 11 midway through the second quarter.
 
The Wolves then started the third quarter on a 14-2 run, expanding their lead to 19 at 52-33 and again at 55-36.
 
 

"Western Oregon has some good shooters," Byers said. "We didn't get out on them and then we fouled, fouled, fouled, and that just set us back too far. We weren't getting fouls on this end, and that's on us for not finishing against the defenders, or stopping short and not creating contact."
               
SPU finished the quarter with an 8-2 burst on back-to-back 3-pointers by Haylie Ohta and Beirne, and a turnaround banker by Beirne, cutting the deficit to 57-44 entering the fourth.
 
The Falcons kept it going, scoring the first nine points of the final period to get within 57-53. Then a traditional three-point play by Beirne on a lay-in and one made it a one-possession game at 59-56 with 7:02 still on the clock.
 
"We just decided we were going to start our offense, not look right off the bat, reverse the ball a few times and see what's happening," Byers said. "Our skip passes and getting their defense to move – that just helps our drives to the hoop."
 
But from there, little things began to add up in a big way for Western Oregon.
 
--After missing both ends of a two-shot foul, the Wolves secured the offensive rebound and Mya India Thomas drained a 3-pointer to make it 62-56.
--SPU was whistled for a technical foul. Bella Pedrojetti, who finished with 22 points, hit one of the two free throws for 63-56.
--Western Oregon also had possession. Natalie Brown hit a lay-in and the ensuing free throw. That pushed it back to a 10-point lead at 66-56 with 4:49 to go. The margin was never less than eight after that.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

-- Sophomore guard Haylie-Anne Ohta handed out a career-high six assists. Her previous high was five, which she tallied twice.
-- The Wolves had a sizable advantage at the free throw line, hitting 21 of 34. SPU went to the line just nine times, hitting eight.
-- Western Oregon crashed the boards for 47 rebounds, tying for the most by an SPU opponent this season.
-- Seattle Pacific pulled down 40, with nine of the 10 player who saw action having at least two.
-- Hunter Beirne's 28-pointer was her second game this year in the 20s. She had 23 against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 15.
-- The Falcons hit 38.2 percent from the field, draining 26 of 68. Beirne was 10 of 19.
-- WOU shot just 36.5 percent (23 of 63), but was at 47.8 percent downtown (11 of 23).
-- SPU had six more blocked shots, two each by sophomore wing Grace Leasure and junior forward Madison Rubino. That pushed the season total to 75, an average of 4.16 per game.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific heads out on a two-game road trip, visiting Central Washington in Ellensburg on Thursday at 5:15 p.m., and Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, next Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time. Both games are doubleheaders, with the Falcon men playing Central at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and NNU at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
WESTERN OREGON (7-7, 3-3 GNAC)
Niu 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 3-11 4-5 10, Wells 5-11 3-6 16, Pedrojetti 6-14 5-8 22, Vaifanua 1-9 5-9 8, Tau 2-6 0-2 4, Woods-Singleton 2-4 2-2 6, Youngblood 1-2 2-2 4, Thomas 3-6 0-0 8.  Totals 23-63 21-34 78.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (6-12, 0-5 GNAC)
Leasure 1-5 0-0 2, Weatherspoon 3-12 0-0 6, Rubino 1-5 2-2 4, Beirne 10-19 5-5 28, Kearns 4-8 0-0 9, Ohta 1-3 0-0 3, Bishop 4-7 1-2 9, Turley 0-1 0-0 0, Lavigne 0-0 0-0 0, Mertes 2-9 0-0 6.  Totals 26-68 8-9 67.
 
Western Oregon    15           23           19           21           -- 78
Seattle Pacific       15           16           13           23           -- 67
 
3-point goals – WOU 11-23 (Wells 3-5, Pedrojetti 5-9, Vaifanua 1-4, Youngblood 0-1, Thomas 2-4), SPU 7-27 (Leasure 0-3, Weatherspoon 0-1, Rubino 0-2, Beirne 3-6, Kearns 1-4, Ohta 1-3, Mertes 2-8).  Fouled out – None.  Rebounds – WOU 47 (Brown 12), SPU 40 (Kearns 8).  Assists – WOU 9 (Wells 5), SPU 14 (Ohta 6).  Turnovers (points allowed) – WOU 14 (11), SPU 14 (15).  Total fouls – WOU 14, SPU 21.  Technical fouls – SPU: Kearns.  Attendance – 124.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington
Thursday, Jan. 16     5:15 p.m.
Nicholson Arena / Ellensburg, Wash.


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