(Courtesy of SPU Athletics)
Seattle Pacific University’s women’s basketball team competed in the West Region Crossover Classic in Carson, California. They lost 76-56 to California State University, Los Angeles Golden Eagles on Friday, Nov. 8, and 76-41 to California State University, Dominguez Hills Toros on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Sophomore shooting guard Layne Kearns led the team in scoring with 15 points against Cal State LA. Fifth-year guard Hunter Beirne’s eight points set her past the 500th career mark, putting her at 505.
The Falcons were in the lead until the end of the first quarter when the Golden Eagles tied the score 17-17. Seattle Pacific briefly regained the lead in the second quarter but fell behind 35-30 by halftime. The Golden Eagles continued to widen the gap until the game ended.
Dominguez Hills took the lead early in the game on Saturday with two three-pointers. Seattle Pacific was limited to six points in the second quarter versus the Toros’ 20. The Falcons had better luck scoring in the third and fourth quarters, putting up 22 points total compared to 19 from the first and second.
Seattle Pacific’s shot percentage improved from 31.9 percent against Cal State LA to 36.2 percent against Dominguez Hills. Kearns was still the lead scorer with 8 points and a perfect three-for-three shooting night along with senior wing Lolo Weatherspoon.
Interim Head Coach Karen Byers said the team improved in executing plays but struggled to play consistently across all four quarters against Dominguez Hills.
“It was a good wake-up call that we need to focus on all four quarters. We always have one quarter that’s down,” Byers said. “We need to move the ball more. Sometimes our ball gets stuck between our two wings, so more ball movement will equal better opportunities for us.”
Kearns said the tournament gave the team good notes for playing faster in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
“These California teams play a lot different than [we’re used to], but that’s what we need to get better,” Kearns said. “On offense, they’re pushing the ball in transition and getting rebounds, [and] on defense, they have a full-court press, they’re all up in our faces. We can take bits of that and be successful in GNACs if we can do so.”
Seattle Pacific is sixth in the overall GNAC standings with a 0-5 record. The Falcons host California State University, San Marcos and Azusa Pacific University in the SPU West Region Crossover from Friday, Nov. 15, to Saturday, Nov. 16, in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
