Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play
 
SEATTLE – For the first time in a few years, the Seattle Pacific women's basketball team is finding some joy in January.
 
Betsy Kingma pumped in 20 points and was one of four starters in double figures on Thursday as 12^th-ranked SPU gradually stretched out its lead to beat Northwest Nazarene in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game in Brougham Pavilion, 81-65.
 
The Falcons (13-1, 5-1 GNAC) won their seventh straight game and climbed into a first-place tie with idle Alaska Anchorage for first place in the conference. They now have matched their best overall start since the 2008-09 season, when they also won 13 of their first 14.
 
"I don't think you can predict 13-1," head coach Julie Heisey said. "At the same time, it's about consistency. We talked a lot about how I thought we could be very good, but I knew we had a gap between our seniors and our youth. I think we're finding a nice way to blend that gap and use our depth."
 
The last four of those victories have come since the calendar changed. SPU was 12-11 in the last three Januarys combined when key players got hurt.
 
 "After the past two years, when injuries happened, we just have to focus on each possession and be happy every day," Heisey said. "We did a lot of things right the last few years and weren't rewarded for it by our record."





Seattle Pacific is home again on Saturday when Central Washington visits Brougham Pavilion for at 7:30 p.m. tip-off. That will be the second game of a doubleheader, preceded by the Falcon men against Alaska Fairbanks at 5:15.

 

Senior guard Aubree Callen added 19 points on Thursday, along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Callen (Jerome, Idaho) pushed past 900 points for her career, now having 907. Senior center Maddey Pflaumer had 13, and sophomore forward / guard Hannah Rodrigues chipped in 11.
 
SPU, which missed its first six shots of the game, eventually built a 10-point lead at 37-27. But a 10-0 run by NNU erased it, leaving the game tied at 27-27 with 4:14 to go in the half.
 
The Falcons closed the half on a 9-1 scoring streak to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room.
 
Northwest Nazarene (4-12, 2-5 GNAC) stayed within striking distance early in the second half, getting within 45-39. But the Falcons ran off seven straight for a 52-39 advantage and never let the Crusaders closer than nine after that.

 

"They made me very nervous tonight," Heisey said. "If you look at their record and look at who they've played, they've played a lot of good teams. They're starting three freshmen and scoring 76 points a game. I was very happy we were able to hold them to 28 points in the first half."
 
Kingma (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport HS) hit 6 of 12 from behind the 3-point line on Thursday. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished two assists in 30 minutes.
 
"It felt good and my teammates were finding me," Kingma said. "Against a zone, it's a little bit easier to find those looks, especially when I have teammates looking for me. I was pretty comfortable shooting today, because if I missed, Molly (Grager) was going to get the rebound, so that helps."
 
Rodrigues (Eugene, Ore.) and junior center Grager (Kirkland, Wash. / Juanita HS) had eight rebounds apiece, as the SPU won the boards, 38-34. The Falcons also had another double-digit steals night, finishing with 10. That's their fifth straight game with 10 or more and 10th this season.
 
SPU enjoyed its best night of the season at the free throw line, hitting 22 of 23 (95.7 percent). The Falcons come into the week as the sixth-best team in NCAA Division II from the line.
 
Taylor Simmons led NNU with 17 points.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 12) Seattle Pacific 81, Northwest Nazarene 65
 
NORTHWEST NAZARENE (4-12, 2-5 GNAC)
Taylor Simmons 4-6 8-14 17, Cierra White 3-7 2-3 11, Kate Cryderman 3-10 2-2 10, Lexi Tubbs 2-9 2-2 8, CoCo Gall 2-5 2-3 6, Ellen Ferrenburg 3-4 0-0 6, Ellie Logan 2-6 2-2 6, Katie Swanson 0-2 1-2 1, Kelli Christenson 0-0 0-0 0, Kayla Schumann 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-51 19-28 65.
SEATTLE PACIFIC (13-1, 5-1 GNAC)
Betsy Kingma 7-15 0-0 20, Aubree Callen 5-12 6-6 19, Maddey Pflaumer 4-6 5-5 13, Hannah Rodrigues 4-5 3-3 11, Suzanna Ohlsen 2-9 2-2 6,Molly Grager 2-2 2-2 6, Courtney Hollander 0-1 4-4 4, Stacey Lukasiewicz 1-4 0-0 2, Jordan McPHee 0-4 0-1 0, Lindsay Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Shim 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-59 22-23 81.
Northwest Nazarene         28           37           -- 65
Seattle Pacific                     36           45           --81
               
3-point goals – NNU 8-18 (White 3-6, Tubbs 2-8, Cryderman 2-2, Simmons 1-2), SPU 9-23 (Kingma 6-12, Callen 3-6, Rodrigues 0-1, Ohlsen 0-2, McPhee 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – NNU 34 (Simmons 8, White 8), SPU 38 (Grager 8, Rodrigues 8). Assists – NNU 9 (Schumann 2, White 2, Simmons 2), SPU 17 (Callen 5). Turnovers – NNU 18, SPU 14.  Total fouls – NNU 19, SPU 23. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 289.
 
 
Next game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Jan. 17,  7:30 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion