SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team had a chance to tie the game with seconds left in the fourth quarter against Simon Fraser on Wednesday night, but the basket didn't fall, and the Red Leafs withstood the Falcons' comeback, 57-54.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first four minutes of the game belonged to the Falcons, as they jumped out to a 10-5 lead over the Red Leafs.
  • Layne Kearns led the team with six points in the opening moments of the game.
• The Red Leafs answered with a 17-0 run over the final five minutes of the quarter.
  • SPU's offense went cold during that span, going 0-for-9 from the field.
• Grace Turley and Madison Rubino teamed up to give the Falcons an 8-1 run during the early part of the second quarter.
  • Turley scored five, while Rubino had three points.
• The Falcons finished the first half strong, with a 15-9 run.
  • SPU went 5-for-7 from the field, including a 3-pointer from Grace Leasure.
• Even with the run to end the half, the Falcons trailed the Red Leafs 37-33 at halftime.
• Grace Mertes hit a layup with 4:37 left in the third quarter that tied the game 39-39.
  • Her layup capped a 6-2 run for the Falcons.
• The Red Leafs got into a groove offensively, going 5-for-6 from the field for an 11-5 run to close out the third quarter.
  • The run gave SFU a six-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
• SFU led by nine points with 5:49 left to play, when a layup from Grace Leasure started an 8-1 run for SPU.
• The Falcons trailed by three when Turley took a 3-pointer to tie the game with four seconds left, but it was off the mark, as SPU fell 57-54.

 
FROM THE BOX SCORE

• The Falcons went 22-for-70 (31.4 percent) from the field in Wednesday's game.
• SPU shot it well from the free throw line, going 7-for-9.
• Kearns and Leasure tied with a game-high 16 points for the Falcons.
  • Both players added seven rebounds each for the Falcons.
• Leasure had a strong defensive game for the Falcons, blocking five shots while grabbing four steals.
• Turley led the team with eight rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Leasure tied her career-best in blocked shots with five against Simon Fraser.
  • She blocked five shots against Stanislaus State on Dec. 14, 2024.
• Turley set a new career-high in rebounds with eight against the Red Leafs.

 
UP NEXT
The Falcons host Western Washington on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. inside Royal Brougham Pavilion.
 
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