Box score, play-by-play

SEATTLE – They came so tantalizingly close. That's why Saturday night was especially tough for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Aubree Callen scored 20 points and was one of three SPU players in double figures, but Corrin Waltrip poured in 36 points for Western Washington as the No. 9-ranked Vikings escaped from Brougham Pavilion with an 80-76 overtime victory in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game.
 
Katie Benson added 18 points, and Suzanna Ohlsen had 13 for the Falcons (14-9, 8-7 GNAC), who were seeking to knock off their second nationally ranked opponent this week. On Thursday, SPU took down No. 8 Simon Fraser in Brougham, 70-60.
 
“We played two top-10 teams in the same week coming off a trip to Alaska, and we responded really well – we won won and went to overtime in the other,” Falcons coach Julie Heisey said after pausing momentarily to gather her thoughts. “Basically, this is our sixth game with everybody back (from injuries). No question we've come a long way.
 
"But right now, it still hurts to lose this game. It's disappointing, because we want to win.”
 
Junior guard Callen (Jerome, Idaho) forced OT when she hit a driving lay-in with 14.6 seconds left in regulation, tying the score at 70-70. She then helped the Falcons get a chance to win it when she knocked the ball away at Western Washington's end, and it went out of bounds off a Vikings player with six seconds left. But a shot that would have beat the buzzer fell short.
 
Western Washington (19-3, 13-1 GNAC) scored the first four points of overtime, all by Sarah Hill. The Vikings were up 76-72 when SPU started a four-point run to tie it up again: a foul line jumper by freshman center Maddey Pflaumer (Issaquah, Wash. / Issaquah HS), and a lay-in by junior forward Benson (Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS), the latter with 2:19 left.
 
But those were the last points for the Falcons. Britt Harris hit a turnaround five-footer for a 78-76 WWU lead at the 1:16 mark, then Waltrip sealed it by hitting a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds to go.
 
Ohlsen was still stinging in the aftermath of the game, but was feeling that the Falcons would be able to put this one behind them and get ready for next Saturday's home finale against Montana State Billings.
 
“We just have to come out with a tenacious attitude,” she said. “We have to come out ready to win and play hard.”
 
The Falcons did that from wire to wire on Saturday, and were in front for a good chunk of the way. That included most of the second half, and the lead grew to as many as nine points at 49-40 when Benson drained a 3-pointer from the left corner with 12:01 left.
 
Western Washington edged back in front, 61-60 when Waltrip drained a 3-pointer – the last of her eight treys – with 4:45 to go. Through the rest of regulation, the game was tied three times, and the lead changed hands twice. The Vikings went up 70-68 with 26.9 seconds remaining on a wide-open lay-up by Hill. That set the stage for Callen's answer at the other end.
 
Benson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for Seattle Pacific, which won the boards, 37-32. Sophomore guard Ohlsen (Monroe, Wash. / Monroe HS) handed out six assists, and Callen had five assists and five rebounds to go along with her 20 points before fouling out with 3:51 left in overtime.
 
“We have to celebrate the things we did well,” Heisey said. “Maddey Pflaumer was great coming off the bench (eight points, four rebounds), Mechela Barnes did a super job of being aggressive getting some steals and rebounds, and Katie, Suzanna and Aubree were all very consistent again. Sue hit some big shots, and we needed that, because we were a little tentative early on.”
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 9) Western Washington 80, Seattle Pacific 76 (OT)
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (19-3, 13-1 GNAC)
Hill 2-6 3-4 7, Harris 5-9 6-8 16, Waltrip 11-19 6-6 36, Williams 5-10 1-1 11, Colard 2-6 0-0 6, White 0-0 0-0 0, Pounds 0-2 0-0 0, Bernsen 2-5 0-0 4, Hathaway 0-0 0-0 0, Donaldson 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 27-60 16-20 80.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (14-9, 8-7 GNAC)
Benson 6-16 5-6 18, Ohlsen 5-16 2-2 13, Callen 6-7 4-4 20, Murray 1-5 4-4 6, Barnes 2-7 3-4 7, Teng 0-1 0-0 0, Lasconia 0-0 0-0 0, Pflaumer 4-4 0-0 8, Stephens 0-1 0-0 0, Butler 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 25-59 20-22 76.
 
Western Washington          34           36           10           -- 80
Seattle Pacific                      35           35             6            -- 76
 
3-point goals – WWU 10-22 (Waltrip 8-13, Williams 0-1, Colard 2-6, Pounds 0-1, Donaldson 0-1), SPU 6-16 (Benson 1-1, Ohlsen 1-6, Callen 4-4, Murray 0-3, Barnes 0-2). Fouled out – SPU: Callen. Rebounds – WWU 32 (Hill 8), SPU 37 (Benson 9). Assists – WWU 15 (Waltrip 5), SPU 15 (Ohlsen 6). Turnovers – WWU 21, SPU 21. Total fouls – WWU 18, SPU 17. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 649.
 
Next game – Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific, Brougham Pavilion, Feb. 23, 2:00 p.m.