Box Score
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AZUSA, Calif. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons finally got things going on Friday afternoon.
 
But UC San Diego got going more quickly.
 
The Tritons scored the first eight points of the game on the way to a 14-2 lead, and SPU couldn't get closer than five after that, dropping a 73-60 decision at the West Region Crossover Classic in Azusa Pacific University's Felix Event Center.
 
Junior guard Stacey Lukasiewicz scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Seattle Pacific (2-1). Lukasiewicz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) topped her previous high of 11, set twice in last weekend's back-to-back wins in the West Region Challenge at Humboldt State.
 
The Falcons also got double-digit scoring performances from sophomore guards Courtney Hollander (13, tying her career high) and Jordan McPhee (10), and senior center Molly Grager (10, matching her career high).
 
"It's a young team, and it's our third game of the season," head coach Julie Heisey said. "Offensively, you could tell we were just a little out of sync tonight – we were pressing.
 
"But the season is a journey, and on any journey, you're going to fall down and skin your knee, and you have to get up. Right now, it's about how we respond."
 
Seattle Pacific will get that chance to respond on Saturday when it faces host Azusa Pacific at 7:30 p.m.
 
The Tritons (2-1) buried four shots from behind the 3-point arc during their early-game surge – then hit just three more from downtown the rest of the day.
 
The early lead was enough for them to fend off two comebacks by SPU.
 
Down 28-14 in the second quarter, the Falcons put 22 points on the board in a span of 8 ¼ minutes to trim UC San Diego's advantage to 41-36 with 55 seconds to go until halftime. The Tritons got a lay-up at the buzzer to push the margin back to seven at the break.
 
Seattle Pacific was trailing by 16 entering the fourth quarter, 62-46. San Diego enlarged it to18 before the Falcons began chipping away. An 8-1 run on a lay-in by Grager, a putback by junior guard Brianne Lasconia, a steal and lay-in by McPhee, and another putback by Lasconia trimmed it to 67-60 with 1:44 to go.
 
That was it, however, as SPU was kept off the board and UC San Diego scored the final six points of the game.
 
"The last four or five minutes of the game, we finally played better," Heisey said. "We didn't play as well as we could have, but part of that was San Diego is very hard to guard. They hit some big 3s on us, and they got in the paint a lot."
 
Led by Lukasiewicz' seven, the Falcons had a 42-34 advantage on the boards. They shot 25 of 62 from the field (40.3 percent), but were just 2 of 15 (13.3) behind the arc. The Tritons hit 27 of 51 (44.3), with 7 of 24 (29.2 percent) from long range.
 
Jamie Katuna led UC San Diego with 22 points. Farrah Shokoor, who averaged a double-double of 13 points and 12.5 rebounds last season, was limited to just seven points, but did pull down 12 boards.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Crossover Classic
Friday, Nov. 20, 2015
Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.
 
UC San Diego 73, Seattle Pacific 60
 
UC SAN DIEGO (2-1)
Beth Mounier 2-6 0-1 5, Cassie MacLeod 5-7 1-2 13, Taylor Tanita 4-10 3-4 12, Rebecca Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Jamie Katuna 8-19 5-5 22, Farrah Shokoor 3-6 1-1 7, Paige Song 0-1 0-0 0, Haley Anderson 1-3 2-2 4, Joleen Yang 4-9 0-0 10, Gigi Olelewe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-61 12-15 73.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (2-1)
Stacey Lukasiewicz 5-10 3-4 13, Rachel Shim 0-0 0-0 0, Jaylee Albert 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan McPhee 4-10 2-3 10, Brianne Lasconia 3-11 0-0 7, Courtney Hollander 5-12 2-3 13, Lindsay Lee 0-1 0-0 0, Molly Grager 5-8 0-0 10, Hannah Rodrigues 2-6 1-2 5, Erica Pagano 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-62 8-12 60.
 
UC San Diego      23           20           19           11           -- 73
Seattle Pacific     12           24           10           14           -- 60
 
3-point goals – UCSD 7-24 (Mounier 1-5, MacLeod 2-2, Tanita 1-5, Katuna 1-5, Song 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Yang 2-5), SPU 2-15 (Lukasiewicz 0-3, Albert 0-2, McPhee 0-3, Lasconia 1-3, Hollander 1-2, Lee 0-1, Rodrigues 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – UCSD 34 (Shokoor 12), SPU 42 (Lukasiewicz 7). Assists – UCSD 13 (Tanita 6), SPU 9 (Lasconia 3). Turnovers – UCSD 10, SPU 16. Total fouls – UCSD 10, SPU 17. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 113.
                                                                                     
Next game --        Seattle Pacific at Azusa Pacific
                                Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
                                Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.