NCAA DIVISION II WEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
Seattle Pacific vs. Alaska Anchorage
Monday, March 16
7 p.m., Brougham Pavlion
Tickets $12 reserved, $8 general admission, $5 students with proper ID
March 16, 2009
SEATTLE -- Some nights, she’s called upon to score. Some nights, to rebound. Some nights, to do the things that don’t show up in the stats. And every night to play defense.
Megan Hoisington can fill any role for the nationally ranked Seattle Pacific women’s basketball team. And she isn’t fussy about which role it is.
“I’m just very confident in my place on the team and what my team needs me to do,” said the 5-foot-11 junior, whose place has been as a starting forward in 26 of SPU’s 27 games this season. “Every game, there are always certain people who step up.
“That’s what makes our team as strong as we are.”
The No. 5-ranked Falcons, having clinched a share of their third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title last week, now are one step away from the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. They can take that last step Monday night when they face GNAC rival Alaska Anchorage in the West Regional championship game at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.
SPU will bring a 23-4 record into the game. The 23rd victory came this past Saturday when Hoisington (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) contributed a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-56 rout of Humboldt State in the semifinals.
“Everyone stepped up -- it was a team win,” Hoisington said. “It all starts with our defense and our rebounding. We have confidence and we all believe in our team, and it brings us a long way.”
Falcons coach Julie van Beek readily acknowledged that Hoisington’s versatility was at its best against the Lumberjacks. That was especially true on defense against Humboldt’s Katie Franci, who was limited to 11 points and nine rebounds after going for 23 points and 20 boards against Western Washington in the quarterfinals a day earlier.
“That No. 20 (Franci) is their best player, and Megan did a great job guarding her,” van Beek said. “So much is done away from the ball, and she understood her assignment and did a very, very good job. And she came up with some great rebounds and hit some big shots for us.”
The Falcons clearly have it their stride at the right time. Since an 84-44 loss at Western Washington on Jan. 29, SPU has won 11 games in a row, and has made it to the West finals for the second straight year.
“Our team is really coming together now and learning how to play together at the right time,” Hoisington said. “We knew that we would have the talent. It was just a matter of getting to know each other and how we play.”
RUBBER GAME AGAINST UAA
This will be the third time SPU and Alaska Anchorage have met this year, and it will be their second straight West Regional title game match-up. Last year, the Seawolves won the West crown with a 50-44 victory in Brougham, handing the Falcons their lone loss in a 29-1 season.
The teams have split this season’s two contests. The Seawolves came from 16 points down early in the second half on Jan. 24 to pull out a 53-49 victory in Alaska. But in the rematch on Feb. 19 in Seattle, the Falcons led all the way except for a 2-2 tie, and went on to win, 54-42.
“We’re looking forward it. It’ll be a good game,” Hoisington said. “Every season, a team will peak, and this is the right time to peak. Our freshmen have confidence, and we’re playing well as a team. I think we have a good shot.”
Van Beek agrees, and doesn’t mind at all that it’s yet another battle against Anchorage.
“You want to go against the best to get to the best,” she said after Saturday’s victory against Humboldt State. “We’re playing a team that we know is good. We have to rebound. When we lost up there, they out-rebounded us by 13 in the second half. When they came down here, we out-rebounded them. And we have to play a good, balanced game on offense.”
STEPPING IN STRONG
Hoisington is one of four new starters in this year’s SPU lineup. (Senior center Kelsey Hill was the lone returner from last season’s starting five.) Van Beek knew coming into camp that Hoisington was poised to take one of those starting spots, especially after performing well in seven starts last year when Jessie Christensen was injured.
“She definitely had the advantage there, but at the same time, she worked very hard to improve her game,” van Beek said. “You reap what you sow, and she has sown some good seeds.”
Hoisington has delivered, averaging 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. She shoots 45 percent from the floor, and has hit for double figures in 15 of her 27 games this season, including the last eight in a row.
“It’s easy to see she’s a good shooter,” van Beek said. “But one thing she has given us is she’s one of our best defenders. She can defend in the post, small or big, and she also can defend very well in the perimeter.”
Hoisington’s dad, Greg, played at Seattle Pacific from 1978-82. But Megan ultimately made up her own mind to become a Falcon.
“When I came on my visit, the atmosphere was amazing,” she said. “You could tell they genuinely cared for each other. And the coaching staff is amazing. They care about you on and off the court, and they’re constantly asking you about school.”
With so many new starters, the Falcons weren’t necessarily counting on emerging at the top-ranked team in the West Region and thus having the chance to host the regionals. But they were more than happy it worked out that way.
“It’s a big plus for us,” Hoisington said.
And for Seattle Pacific, it’s a plus having someone such as Megan Hoisington who can fill any role on any night.
And someone who isn’t fussy about which role it is.