Box Score Box Score
LACEY, Wash. – Despite coming back from 10 points down and taking a brief lead in the second half, Saint Martin's outscored Alaska 19-7 over the final eight minutes to rally for a 66-58 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball victory Saturday night at Marcus Pavilion.
The Saints improved to 8-18 on the year and 3-13 in league play, while the Nanooks fell to 6-21 and 2-15 in the GNAC.
“I'm proud how hard the team worked,” head coach
Cody Burgess said. “They never quit and came from a 10-point down deficit, took the lead and unfortunately didn't come out with the win.”
She continued,” “We couldn't hit the basket tonight. We had plenty of opportunities to score. Saint Martin's unfortunately hit some open shots at bad times.”
The Nanooks trailed 39-29 in the second half, but eight in a row by the Blue and Gold cut the deficit to two at 39-37 with 13 minutes remaining. Down 47-44, the 'Nooks put together a 7-0 run in just over two minutes to grab a 51-47 lead with 8:31 to play in regulation.
SMU answered with nine straight points to take a 56-51 advantage with 4:33 left.
Taylor Altenburg (Elko, Nev./College of Southern Idaho) hit a shot then made two free throws to get Alaska to within a point at 56-55 with three minutes on the clock, but a pair of free throws by
Jordyn Richardson and a layup from
Andrea Schutt over the next minute pushed the Saints' lead back to five.
They used four free throws and one field goal in the final minute to knock off the Nanooks for the home victory.
The Saints were led by Richardson, who tallied a game-high 17 points to go with seven rebounds. Schutt posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while
Megan Teade contributed 12 points.
Jori Skorpik also dished out a game-high five assists.
SMU shot over 42-percent (20-47) for the game and drained 21 of 27 free throws (.778). It controlled the boards by a 43-33 margin, but the Nanooks won the battle on the offensive glass by a slim 11-10 count.
Alaska had a balanced offensive attack as four players recorded double-figure points. Freshman
Nicole Hartzog (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) and senior
Nicole Bozek (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) and
Autumn Greene (Lewiston, Idaho/Centralia CC) each had 11 points, while Altenburg chipped in 10. Hartzog and freshman
Kelly Logue (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) both had four steals apiece, while Hartzog led the team with six rebounds.
The Nanooks struggled from the floor, shooting just shy of 29-percent (18-63) and made only three of 17 long-range attempts, but converted on 19 of 22 free throw attempts (.864). They only committed 15 turnovers, while forcing the Saints into 25 giveaways.
The 'Nooks close out the 2011-12 campaign next Saturday when they travel South to face rival Alaska Anchorage. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
