Thursday, March 7, 2024
by Thomas Lal

Ellensburg, Wash. –  What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, No. 3 seed Alaska Anchorage faced a bitter end at the hand of Seattle Pacific in Bellingham. Now, the Seawolves are on their way to the semifinals of the 2024 GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships to face No. 2 seed Western Washington after claiming their revenge with a 79-57 victory over the No. 6 seed Falcons.

The win proved to be a total team performance as every Seawolf finished the game with at least two points and nine of the 10 players scored at least five. As a team, Alaska Anchorage shot 45.6% from the field and locked out SPU’s perimeter shooting, holding the Falcons to just 20% from long range. Junior all-conference guard Senya Rabouin was the top-scoring player for UAA, finishing the day with 18 points to go along with five rebounds, a team-high five assists and two steals.

The first action of the GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships featured a 6-2 run by the Seawolves to open play against the Falcons. Fittingly, senior forward and all-GNAC honorable mention Vishe’ Rabb tallied the first points of the game for UAA, one year removed from an injury in the 2023 quarterfinals. Alaska Anchorage drove the pace of play through the opening stanza, but SPU kept things close as UAA took a narrow 18-16 lead into the second quarter. The first 10 minutes of the game featured plenty of action down low for the Seawolves as they tallied all 20 of their opening points in the paint.

After a close opening frame, Alaska Anchorage turned up the heat in the second quarter, coming alive from beyond the three-point arc and forcing several turnovers to build a 10-point lead heading into halftime. The bulk of that effort came from Rabouin and Jazzpher Evans with Rabouin notching 12 points by the end of the first half. Half of those points came on a pair of clutch three-pointers as UAA began to find its long-range game. Evans also drained a big three in the second quarter while picking up four rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Evans went on to finish the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists while playing a team-high 29 minutes.

Junior forward Nessa Walsh proved to be a difference-maker for the Seawolves in the third quarter as UAA pulled out to a 25-point advantage. After making the most of second-chance scoring opportunities, Walsh finished the day with a career-high eight points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. As the game went on, Alaska Anchorage’s depth showed up as a key strength. By the end of the third quarter, every Seawolf to suit up for head coach Ryan McCarthy had scored at least two points.

The final quarter wasn’t the flashiest offensive effort for the Seawolves, but they survived a late push by the Falcons to close out the victory and ensure a matchup with the Vikings tomorrow. In their final game of the season, Seattle Pacific was led by all-conference guard Olivia Mayer with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Schuyler Berry followed Mayer with 11 points after helping SPU put pressure on UAA down the stretch.  

Alaska Anchorage will be in action next tomorrow as it faces No. 2 seed Western Washington in the semifinals at noon in Ellensburg.