Box score, play-by-play
 
SEATTLE – Opportunity knocked – and every Seattle Pacific player took her turn at answering.
 
Katie Benson, Suzanna Ohlsen and Aubree Callen scored 18 points apiece on Thursday night, helping the Falcons build a 30-point second-half lead on the way to beating Alaska Fairbanks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game in Brougham Pavilion, 82-71.
 
Brooke Bowen (Vancouver, Wash. / Skyview HS) came off the bench to add 13 points for SPU (10-3, 4-1 GNAC). Benson (Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS) made it a double-double with a career-high 13 rebounds. That bettered her previous high of 11, which she reached four times, most recently last Saturday night at Saint Martin's.
                         
Benson's double-double – which she had in the books by halftime (14 points, 10 boards) was her second of the season and the sixth of her career.





As was the case in the Saint Martin's game, the Falcons were missing two injured starters. That left 10 players available, and all of them factored into the stats. All 10 grabbed at least two rebounds apiece, eight of the 10 scored, and the two who didn't tally any points combined for six rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
 
“I told our kids, 'We have an opportunity, so what are we going to do with it?'” Seattle Pacific head coach Julie Heisey said. “You don't like adversity or not having two of our starters, but it gives everyone the chance to find out who they are. I told them that I felt everyone took advantage of the opportunities they had.”
 
Added senior guard Michelle Teng (Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue Christian HS), who grabbed a career-high eight rebounds to go along with four points, four assists and one steal, “When we do have everyone back, we definitely will be stronger for this. The team did really well, especially the girls who don't normally play much, of stepping up and doing what they do every day in practice. You get to see it in the games now.”
 
Sophomore guard Ohlsen (Monroe, Wash. / Monroe HS) pumped in 15 of her points during the first seven minutes after halftime as Seattle Pacific expanded a 38-32 lead all the way to 65-39 with 12:54 left.
 
Ohlsen had what amounted to a six-point play early in the half. She drained a 3-pointer to make it 45-35 at the 18:26 mark, then immediately stole the ball. She missed her ensuing lay-up, but Teng grabbed the rebound and handed it right back to Ohlsen for the lay-in and one. Ohlsen converted to make it 48-35 at 18:13.
 
The advantage grew to 74-44 before the Nanooks (2-10, 0-4 GNAC) started to climb back in. But the closest they came was 81-71 inside the final minute.
 
“Fairbanks plays hard, no matter what the score is. They don't let down,” Heisey said.
 
Thursday marked the midpoint of the 26-game season, and the Falcons' 10-3, 4-1 record is exactly the same as last year after 13 games. They will be home against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. It's the first game of a doubleheader, followed by the SPU men against Montana State Billings at 7:30.
 
Jacqueline Lovato led Fairbanks with 19 points. Kelly Logue and Benissa Bulaya added 11 points apiece.
 
SPU, which has out-rebounded 12 of 13 opponents so far, grabbed a season-high 60 boards on Thursday, 25 more than Fairbanks. The last time the Falcons had that many was on Dec. 30, 2010, when they again pulled down exactly 60.
 
Seattle Pacific now has beaten the Nanooks 22 straight times.
 
“The biggest thing is, people stepped up and did what they were supposed to do,” Heisey said. “Kids are getting some chances that they wouldn't normally get. In the end, if we can take advantage of it, we'll only get stronger.”
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 82, Alaska Fairbanks 71
 
ALASKA FAIRBANKS (2-10, 0-4 GNAC)
Lovato 6-12 2-2 9, Altenburg 4-9 0-2 8, Bulaya 4-5 3-6 11, Logue 5-11 0-0 11, Fultz 2-13 4-7 8, Durham 0-0 0-0 0, Kirk 0-2 0-0 0, Atoruk 1-8 0-0 3, Thornton 0-5 0-0 0, O'Neal 1-3 3-4 5, Bartleson 2-7 2-2 6. Totals 25-75 14-23 35.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (10-3, 4-1 GNAC)
Benson 6-17 6-7 18, Butler 1-2 3-4 5, Teng 1-2 2-2 4, Ohlsen 7-16 1-1 18, Callen 5-10 6-7 18, Bowen 6-8 1-2 13, Lasconia 1-3 0-0 2, Pflaumer 2-5 0-0 4, Grager 0-1 0-0 0, Stephens 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 29-66 19-23 82.
 
Alaska Fairbanks    32        39           -- 71
Seattle Pacific          38        44           -- 82
 
3-point goals – UAF 7-24 (Lovato 5-11, Altenburg 0-1, Logue 1-3, Fultz 0-2, Atoruk 1-7), SPU 5-14 (Benson 0-4, Ohlsen 3-5, Callen 2-3, Bowen 0-1, Lasconia 0-1). Fouled out – UAF: Fultz, Thornton. SPU: Callen. Rebounds – UAF 35 (Lovato 9), SPU 60 (Benson 13). Assists – UAF 11 (Logue 4), SPU 18 (Ohlsen 5). Turnovers – UAF 12, SPU 24. Total fouls – UAF 19, SPU 22. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 127.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 10-3, 4-1 GNAC. Alaska Fairbanks 2-10, 0-4 GNAC.
 
Next game – Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Brougham Pavilion, 5:15 p.m.