Wednesday, March 6, 2013

LACEY, Wash. – Aubree Callen hit a three-pointer with 1:09 left to snap a 60-60 tie and give sixth-seed Seattle Pacific a 63-60 win over third-seed Montana State Billings in the opening game of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championships Wednesday at Marcus Pavilion on the Saint Martin’s University campus.

Callen’s three-pointer came just 29 seconds after the Yellowjackets had completed a comeback from a 50-36 deficit with 13:16 remaining to tie the game on a trey by Brooke Tolman.

With the game clock winding down toward one minute,  guard Michelle Teng found Callen open in the right corner. Callen swished it from 22 feet away for a 63-60 edge for the last of her 11 points

The Falcons used a 20-2 midway through the first half to take command in the opening period, eventually settling for a 38-29 lead at the break.

SPU then extended that lead to 46-32 early in the second half and still led by 12 (56-44) with 10:02 left before MSUB started its comeback

Back-to-back threes by Tolman shaved SPU’s lead to six (56-50) with 8:37 remaining. 

MSUB, however, still trailed by eight (60-52) with 3:59 left, but ran off eight straight points, the first five by Bobbi Knudsen tying the game on Tolman’s fourth three-pointer.

After Callen’s trey, MSUB had two opportunities to tie, but SPU forced MSUB into a 30-second violation. MSUB got the ball back but Tolman missed another trey with nine seconds left.  The Falcons’ Katie Benson got the rebound – her seventh of the game – and SPU was able to run out the clock.

Suzanna Ohlsen led Seattle Pacific with 19 points, including 11 in the opening period.    Mechela Barnes had nine points, while Rachel Murray had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Knudsen had 22 points for MSUB, while Janiel Olson had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.  Tolman finished with 12 points, all from beyond the arc.

SPU (17-10) now advances to a semifinal game Friday at noon against second-seeded Simon Fraser (22-4).  MSUB fell to 17-10 with the loss.

The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II West Regional which begins Friday, Mar. 15 at a site to be announced.