Box score, play-by-play
NAMPA, Idaho -- Normally, Daesha Henderson doesn't need a second chance to make good.
On Saturday, she needed one. She got one. And the Seattle Pacific senior made good.
Henderson hit an 18-footer from the right of the lane at the buzzer, lifting the 21st-ranked Falcons past Northwest Nazarene in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game, 63-61.
Henderson's shot capped a wild final seven minutes of the game. For that matter, it capped a wild final few seconds for the Falcons (12-2, 3-0 GNAC), who raced to a 14-2 lead at the outset, but found themselves down 61-56 to the Crusaders (12-3, 2-2 GNAC) with 2:49 to play -- then scored the last seven points.
“All I can say is it was wonderful to win,” SPU coach Julie van Beek said. “NNU is a very good team. We got down by five and found a way to win.”
Senior guard Henderson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS), who finished with 13 points, had tied the game at 61-61 on a pair of free throws with 36.3 seconds left.
The Falcons' defense then forced a turnover with six seconds remaining, sophomore guard Nyesha Sims (Portland, Ore.) coming up with a steal before the Crusaders could even get off a shot. Henderson, thinking time was almost out, threw up a shot from just over the midcourt line that fell way short, giving NNU the ball back with 3.8 seconds remaining.
“You don't see the scoreboard there very easily because it's overhead,” van Beek said. “Daesha heard the crowd and thought there were just two seconds left.”
The ensuing inbounds pass from under the Seattle Pacific hoop got away from Northwest Nazarene's Beth Johnson, and the Falcons regained possession with 2.6 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, SPU from backcourt. Henderson took it down the right side, pulled up just inside the 3-point arc, and launched a shot that went in at the buzzer, handing the Crusaders their first home loss in nine games this season at the Johnson Sports Center.
“Big players make big plays,” van Beek said. “We were fortunate to get the ball back.”
Senior forward Megan Hoisington (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) added 10 points and eight rebounds for SPU. Junior guard Maddie Maloney (Issaquah, Wash./Skyline HS), whose three-point play with 1:58 remaining started the Falcons' game-winning seven-point rally, wound up with 10 and had a team-high four assists.
SPRINTING TO THE LEAD
The Falcons got off to a torrid start, hitting 10 of their first 13 shots, including 6 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc. SPU scored the first 10 points of the game and was up 30-16 at exactly the midpoint of the first half.
But Seattle Pacific missed its next 12 shots from the floor, hitting only a pair of free throws as Northwest Nazarene put together a 12-2 run to get within 32-28. It was 34-28 at halftime.
“We started off great guns, did a great job defensively and a super job offensively,” van Beek said. “We had great ball movement and made great shots. But you tell the kids they're going to come back -- they're a great team. We missed some easy shots (after the fast start) and had some turnovers.”
The Falcons gradually pushed the lead back to nine at 42-33 with 15:17 left. SPU was still up nine at 51-42 when the Crusaders stared a 17-3 run, capped by nine straight points to move ahead 59-54 with 3:29 on the clock.
Down 61-56 after Janee Olds' two free throws at the 2:49 mark, Maloney pulled the Falcons within two at 1:58 to go when she hit spun around for a two-footer under the hoop, was fouled and hit the ensuing free throw.
The teams traded one missed shot and one turnover apiece. Hoisington stole the ball with 42 seconds left and got it to Henderson, who was fouled and, after an NNU timeout, swished both free throws to tie it at 61-61.
SPU hit a season-best 85.7 percent at the foul line, draining 12 of 14. Northwest Nazarene, the GNAC's best team at the line (79.8 percent) got just six free throws, hitting five.
Seattle Pacific has won five straight against the Crusaders and 21 of 23 games in the all-time series. This one felt especially good to van Beek, whose team came up on the other end of a close call against UC San Diego on Dec. 28 on the Tritons' home floor.
“At UC San Diego, we outscored them (from the field) the field and out-rebounded them, and we lost (82-80 in double overtime),” van Beek said. “Today, we were outscored (26 field goals to 22) and out-rebounded (34-32), and we won.”
After the hot start, the Falcons wound up shooting 44.9 percent for the game (22 of 49). They limited the Crusaders to 40.6 percent (26 of 64).
Olds led NNU with 13 points. Brittany Roggenkamp and Lindsay Brady added 12 apiece. Kristin Hein, Northwest Nazarene's leading scorer at 12.4 points per game, was kept completely off the board by the Falcons.
“That's Megan and Caitlyn doing a great job of defending her,” van Beek said. “Hein is a great player. It was huge that we were able to shut her down.”
Seattle Pacific returns to Brougham Pavilion to host Montana State Billings on Thursday night at7.
It was the second time in three days that a Falcon team won at the buzzer. On Thursday night, Chris Banchero's last-second lay-in gave the SPU men a 79-77 victory at Western Oregon.
NCAA Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Johnson Sports Center/Nampa, Idaho
(No. 21) Seattle Pacific 63, Northwest Nazarene 61
SEATTLE PACIFIC (12-2,3-0)
Henderson,Daesha 4-9 4-4 13; Maloney,Maddie 4-7 1-1 10; Hoisington,Megan 4-9
2-2 10; Sims,Nyesha 3-6 0-0 8; Harazin,Jordan 3-6 0-0 8; Reich,Melissa 2-2
3-3 7; Rohrbach,Caitlyn 1-4 1-2 4; Benson,Sydney 1-4 1-2 3; Murray,Rachel
0-1 0-0 0; Thralls,Katie 0-0 0-0 0; Gorman,McKayla 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-49
12-14 63.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (12-3,2-2)
Olds,Janee 4-8 2-2 13; Roggenkamp,Brittney 6-13 0-1 12; Brady,Lindsay 6-11
0-0 12; Adams,Heather 3-4 2-2 9; Schulte to Buhne,Kat 2-6 1-1 5;
Bazzi,Julianne 2-5 0-0 4; Williams,Jennifer 2-5 0-0 4; Johnson,Beth 1-7 0-0
2; Hein,Kristin 0-5 0-0 0; Oliver,Krista 0-0 0-0 0; Smith,Falissa 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 26-64 5-6 61.
Seattle Pacific....................... 34 29 - 63
Northwest Nazarene............ 28 33 - 61
3-point goals--Seattle Pacific 7-18 (Harazin,Jordan 2-4; Sims,Nyesha 2-3;
Henderson,Daesha 1-5; Maloney,Maddie 1-3; Rohrbach,Caitlyn 1-1;
Gorman,McKayla 0-1; Benson,Sydney 0-1), Northwest Nazarene 4-12 (Olds,Janee
3-4; Adams,Heather 1-1; Bazzi,Julianne 0-2; Johnson,Beth 0-1;
Roggenkamp,Brittney 0-4). Fouled out--Seattle Pacific-None, Northwest
Nazarene-None. Rebounds--Seattle Pacific 32 (Hoisington,Megan 8), Northwest
Nazarene 34 (Schulte to Buhne,Kat 10). Assists--Seattle Pacific 14
(Maloney,Maddie 4), Northwest Nazarene 7 (Brady,Lindsay 2). Total
fouls--Seattle Pacific 14, Northwest Nazarene 12. Technical fouls--Seattle
Pacific-None, Northwest Nazarene-None. A-517.
