Seattle Pacific women’s basketball began their preseason with the Canadian Tip-off Classic in Langley, British Columbia, against the University of Tampa, Gannon University and the Dominican University of California from Friday, Nov. 1, to Sunday, Nov. 3.
Tampa and Gannon reached last year’s National Collegiate Athletics Association’s Elite Eight Regional Tournament. In the final poll, Tampa finished fourth and Gannon wound up seventh.
Seattle Pacific lost 65-49 to Tampa on Friday, Nov. 1. Tampa gained an 18-9 lead over SPU in the first quarter, but SPU closed the margin to 18-17 in the second quarter after an eight-point run. Tampa’s response extended their lead to 34-23 before halftime.
Into the second half, the Falcons only trailed by 11 points. Solid defense from both teams kept the score 38-27 for the next six minutes. The third quarter ended with a 7-4 run, setting the stage for Tampa’s win.
Karen Byers, the interim head coach for women’s basketball, took the loss in stride.
“We didn’t lose in a way that made me really frustrated,” Byers said. “I walked away feeling really empowered and excited for our future. We were able to hang with them, and makes me excited to know that we can compete with with the upper teams, so I think this is going to be a great launching pad.”
Seattle Pacific lost 82-60 to Gannon on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Falcons had a 13-11 lead in the first quarter but lost it halfway through the second when Gannon found momentum after two jump shots and three three-pointers. The half ended with Gannon leading 37-22. Gannon gripped their momentum tight for the rest of the game, leading by no less than 19 points before the clock stopped.
The Falcons’ final game of the tournament was a 59-42 loss against Dominican on Sunday, Nov. 3. Dominican dominated the first quarter, gaining an early four-point lead. Seattle Pacific gained a momentary two-point lead before Dominican pushed back ahead and ended the half 29-22. The Falcons fought to stay in the game but could not overtake Dominican before time ran out.
Byers said the team will continue to build off their performances to play better in their following games.
“We want to keep building, so I would like to see us increase our rebounding,” Byers said. “I would love to see our shooting percentage go higher and get us to the free throw line, so there will be some little tweaks in what we do to be a little more aggressive.”
The Falcons’s next preseason tournament is the West Region Crossover Classic in Carson, California. Their first opponent is California State University Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. followed by California State University Dominguez Hills on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m.
