Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
LACEY, Wash. – After three women's basketball games in six days – all on the road – the Seattle Pacific Falcons will get a breather on Wednesday.
 
They earned it by not giving Saint Martin's very much room to breathe Tuesday.
 
Courtney Hollander recorded her second straight double-double, Rachel Shim tied her career high with 14 points, and SPU's suffocating defense – especially during the first half – set the tone for most of the night in a 72-51 Great Northwest Athletic Conference rout of the Saints in Marcus Pavilion.
 
 

"The great thing was that as the game went on, our defense improved," said coach Julie Heisey, whose team (16-5, 8-5 GNAC) won its third in a row and will wrap up a stretch of four straight away games on Saturday at Montana State Billings, with a 6:00 p.m. Pacific time tip-off. "We challenged the kids. Everybody was on the same page."
 
Junior forward Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden Christian HS) now has five double-doubles for the season and 14 for her career. She hit 6 of 11 from the field.
 
Senior guard Shim (Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline HS) was 6 of 10 from the floor, hit both of her 3-pointers, added four assists, three steals, and did not commit a turnover in 25 minutes.
 




As Shim sees it, the three straight wins, following a four-game mid-January losing streak, was just a matter of the Falcons getting back to the kind of defense for which they want to be known.
 
"With the second round of conference play, we're coming back to having defense be our main priority, be our main identity," she said. "That's been our focus because that has helped us get back to who we were in the beginning of the season when were successful and getting those wins against hard teams."

 

Jordan McPhee added 15 points and six rebounds for Seattle Pacific on Tuesday. That put her at exactly 600 points for her career. She is the second Falcon this season to reach 600, joining Hollander, who now has 688.
 
Hollander nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the first possession of the game, and Seattle Pacific led from start to finish. Up by 22 late in the first half at 40-18, the Falcons saw Saint Martin's (5-16, 1-12 GNAC) get as close as 12 at 54-42 with 8:19 left in the game.
 
But they strung together a 9-0 run and essentially put it out of reach. Junior guard McPhee (Normandy Park, Wash. / Mount Rainier HS) accounted for the first six of those points on a driving lay-in, a putback, and a 12-footer. Shim finished it with a trey from the left of the lane.
 
SPU topped 50 percent shooting from the field for the first time since the season opener, draining 28 of 54 (51.9 percent). Its only better mark of the year was 52.5 percent on Nov. 11 against Fresno Pacific. Saint Martin's, under intense defensive pressure from the Falcons all night, especially during the first half, hit just 19 of 55 (34.5 percent).

 

The Falcons won the boards, 37-27. They had assists on 20 of its 28 baskets, led by a career-high five for sophomore guard Jaylee Albert (Hamilton, Mont.).
 
"We just did a good job of sharing the ball and taking good, high-percentage shots," Heisey said. "The first half was a really good half. We just have to continue to work for 40 minutes."
 
But once again, Heisey turned her attention to SPU's play at the other end of the court, which included limiting Saints leading scorer Elin Johansson to just six points, less than half of her 13.8 average.
 
"We have to own the fact that we can really defend," she said.
 
SPU secured its second season series sweep in four days, having also done so against Central Washington last Saturday.
 
Mercedes Victor had 10 points for the Saints, who dropped their seventh in a row.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC 72, SAINT MARTIN'S 51
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (16-5, 8-5 GNAC)
Rachel Shim 6-10 0-1 14, Jordan McPhee 5-9 5-615, Brianne Lasconia 1-4 0-0 2, Courtney Hollander 6-11, 0-0 14, Erica Pagano 4-7 2-2 11, Stacey Lukasiewicz 2-3 0-0 4, Jaylee Albert 1-1 0-0 3, Madison Wright 0-2 0-0 0, Lindsay Lee 1-3 0-0 3, Hannah Rodrigues 0-1 2-4 2, Carly Rataushk 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 28-54 9-13 72.
 
SAINT MARTIN'S (5-16, 1-12 GNAC)
Hannah Reynolds 1-6 2-2 5, Baylee Olsen 0-5 0-0 0, Mercedes Victor 3-10 6-9 12, Elin Johansson 3-5 0-0 6, Shelbie Drey 3-4 0-0 6, Emma Kennedy 1-2 0-0 2, Makenna Schultz 5-9 0-0 11, Rebekah Baugh 1-8 2-2 4, Shyler Sullivan 2-4 0-0 4, Mallory Kessler 0-1 0-0 0, Abby Maneman 0-1 1-2 1, Lauren Lindley 0-0 0-2 0.Totals 19-55 11-17 51.
 
Seattle Pacific     24           18             9           21           -- 72
Saint Martin's      14             9           13           15           -- 51
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-14 (Shim 2-2, Lasconia 0-2, Hollander 2-4, Pagano 1-1, Albert 1-1, Wright 0-1, Lee1-3), STM 2-20 (Reynolds 1-3, Olsen 0-4, Victor 0-2, Johansson 0-2, Schultz 1-4, Baugh 0-5). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 37 (Hollander 10), STM 27 (Drey 7). Assists – SPU 20 (Albert 5), STM 17 (Reynolds 4). Turnovers – SPU 16, STM 17. Total fouls – SPU 12, STM 12. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 205.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific at Montana State BillingsSPU
Saturday, 6:00 p.m. PST
Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.