Saturday, March 16, 2019

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Its 13-point lead whittled down to one with just under 90 seconds remaining, Alaska Anchorage needed someone to step up in the waning moments of its NCAA Division II West Region semifinal against conference-rival Northwest Nazarene. 

The Seawolves got just that in the form of senior Tara Thompson.

Thompson buried a deep three-pointer to put her team ahead 67-63 with 1:26 remaining, leading UAA (30-2) to what would ultimately be a 69-67 victory over the Nighthawks (29-3) at RIMAC Arena. The victory avenged their loss to NNU just seven days prior in the GNAC Championships title game and evened up the season series between the two teams at 2-2.

Thompson connected on 6 of 8 from the field (all three-point attempts) as her club shot 61.1 percent from beyond the arc on the evening. Fellow senior and GNAC Player of the Year Hannah Wandersee held things down in the post, totaling 16 points and three blocks before fouling out late in the contest. 

Guard Avery Albrecht continued her strong postseason with a team-high 14 points for the region's No. 2 seed. She was one of four players to finish scoring in double figures, with upperclassmen Marina Valles (13 points), Danielle Jardine (12) and Ellie Logan (10) all following closely behind.

The second-round matchup marked the third contest between the two teams in the last 20 days.

This one was tight out of the gate as both teams picked up right where they left in last Saturday's competitive meeting. Alaska Anchorage was able to open up an 11-point advantage late in the first half, but a quick 7-0 run to close the second stanza for head coach Steve Steele's team made the score 36-32 at the halftime break. 

The Seawolves were able to create some separation early in the second half and would ultimately lead by as many as 13 when senior Sydni Stallworth hit a three-pointer with eight and a half to play. The always-calm Nighthawks didn't fade away though, quickly answering with a 14-2 binge to pull within one at the two-minute mark. 

In the end, however, the comeback attempt fell just short.

Thompson's sixth triple of the night put her club up four with 90 seconds remaining, then she added a free throw to make the score 69-67 with just 14 seconds on the clock. Valles did get a good look at a game-winning three-point attempt just before the final buzzer sounded but the ball went all the way down before coming back out, sending the Seawolves off to the Sweet Sixteen for a second straight season. 

With the win, the region's No. 3 seed will face the winner of the UC San Diego-Azusa Pacific semifinal on Monday night at 7 p.m. The winner of that West Regional title game will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Columbus, Ohio.