Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
SEATTLE – Just a few days ago, the Seattle Pacific Falcons seemed to be hitting from everywhere on the court.
 
On Thursday night, they struggled to hit from anywhere.
 
National leading scorer Taylor Peacocke tallied 27 points, and No. 21-ranked Western Washington kept SPU below 30 percent shooting from the field to beat the Falcons in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball game, 69-50.
 
The result in Brougham Pavilion snapped a four-game winning streak for the Falcons (17-6, 9-6 GNAC). The Vikings (20-3, 14-1 GNAC) won their 14th game in a row.
 
Coming off its hottest shooting night of the season (64.8 percent) in last Saturday's 98-57 victory at Montana State Billings, SPU suffered through its coldest night of the season on Thursday at just 28.6 percent (20 of 70). That included 2 of 17 from downtown (11.8 percent).
 
The Falcons' two lowest percentages of the hear have come against Western. In the first game, they hit just 31.3 percent (20 of 64, with 2 of 16 from 3-point range) in a 71-53 loss.
 
"You can't shoot poorly against a good team and beat them," SPU head coach Julie Heisey said. "But we'll find out what we're made of. Hopefully, we'll respond."
 
The first chance to respond will be Saturday when Simon Fraser comes to town for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off in the first half of a Homecoming doubleheader. The Falcon men will take on Central Washington in the second half at 4:30.
 
Vikings senior guard Peacocke came in averaging 22.8 points per game, tops in NCAA Division II. When the teams met on Jan. 14 in Bellingham, SPU limited her to just 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting. On Thursday, she drained 9 of 20, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and hit all five of her free throws.
 
Tia Briggs added 22 points for Western after going for 25 in last month's game. She was 7 of 13 in that one, 9 of 14 in this one.
 
Junior forward Erica Pagano was the only Falcon in double figures, finishing with 10 points. That pushed her past 300 for her career. She now has 307. Junior forward Courtney Hollander, with nine points, moved past 700 (708), and Stacey Lukasieswicz recorded her 400th, scoring eight to give her 402.
 
Junior guard Jordan McPhee had a team-high eight rebounds to go along with eight points.
 
While Seattle Pacific struggled to sink shots, the Vikings hit 45.6 percent from the floor (26 of 57), with 4 of 10 behind the arc. Western drained 50 percent (13 of 26) during the second half.
 
Down 41-27 midway through the third quarter, SPU put six points in a row on the board: a 10-footer from the left of the lane by junior forward Courtney Hollander, two free throws by Hollander, and a lay-in by junior forward Lindsay Lee, to get within 41-33.
 
A fast-break lay-in by Pagano again cut the margin to eight at 45-37 with 44 seconds left in the third. But Kiana Gandy answered with a lay-in for Western, expanding the margin back to double-digits at 47-37.
 
The Vikings then scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, keeping SPU off the board for the first 3 minutes, 40 seconds, and stretched their lead to 53-37. SPU never came closer than 15 the rest of the way.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 21) Western Washington 69, Seattle Pacific 50
 
WESTERN WASHINGTON (20-3, 14-1 GNAC)
Rachel Albert 1-2 1-2 3, Kiana Gandy 3-10 2-2 8, Tia Briggs 9-14 4-5 22, Taylor Peacocke 9-20 5-5 27, Jessica Valley 1-3 0-0 2, Maia Barnett 0-0 0-2 0, Amanda Lance 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Stipanovich 2-4 0-0 4, Nikki Corbett 1-2 0-0 2, Aleisha Hathaway 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 26-57 13-18 69.
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (17-6, 9-6 GNAC)
Erica Pagano 4-9 2-2 10, Rachel Shim 3-9 1-1 7, Jordan McPhee 4-12 0-0 8, Brianne Lasconia 0-6 0-0 0, Courtney Hollander 3-14 3-5 9, Stacey Lukasiewicz 3-7 2-2 8, Jaylee Albert 1-4 0-0 3, Lindsay Lee 2-5 0-0 5, Hannah Rodrigues 0-4 0-0 0, Carly Rataushk 0-0 0-0 0.Totals 20-70 8-10 50.
 
Western Washington         15           17           15           22           -- 69
Seattle Pacific                     13             9           15           13           -- 50
 
3-point goals – WWU 4-10 (Gandy 0-2, Peacocke 4-7, Hathaway 0-1), SPU 2-17 (McPhee 0-2, Lasconia 0-3, Hollander 0-4, Albert 1-3, Lee 1-4, Rodrigues 0-1). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – WWU 43 (Albert 8, Peacocke 8), SPU 39 (McPhee 8). Assists – WWU 15 (Valley 4), SPU 11 (Lasconia 4). Turnovers – WWU 11, SPU 11. Total fouls – WWU 18, SPU 19. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 614.
 

Next game
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion