What’s new?
It looks as if the Seattle Pacific women’s basketball team is still waking up from a long rest.
In their second and third weeks returning to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Seattle Pacific Falcons have yet to retrieve their first conference win.
The Falcons lost 71-58 to the Saint Martin’s University Saints on Thursday, Jan. 9, in Royal Brougham Pavilion. Two days later, SPU lost 78-67 to the Western Oregon University Wolves on Saturday, Jan. 11, in Royal Brougham.
The pattern ensued in Ellensburg, Washington, when the Central Washington University Wildcats defeated SPU 88-65 on Thursday, Jan. 16.
Northwest Nazarene University dealt another blow to SPU when they defeated the Falcons 84-88 in Nampa, Idaho, on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Seattle Pacific started the game with the advantage over the NNU Nighthawks, leading 35-21 by the end of the first quarter. This was the Falcons’ highest-scoring quarter of the year and their first 30-point period since Jan. 23, 2018.
Northwest Nazarene made noise in the second quarter when SPU’s lead diminished from 38-21 at the start to 41-38 by halftime. The Nighthawks laid shaky ground for the Falcons in the third quarter, tying the score 43-43 one minute in and 46-46 two-and-a-half minutes later.
Seattle Pacific lost the lead twice, entering the fourth quarter behind 66-58. There was hope for a comeback late in the fourth quarter when redshirt-freshman guard Grace Turley tied the score 84-84 with 1:29 remaining, but the Nighthawks ultimately won.
Top scorers:
Against the Saint Martin’s Saints— sophomore wing Grace Leasure and senior wing Lolo Weatherspoon, 11 points each
Against the Central Oregon Wolves— fifth-year guard Hunter Beirne, 28 points (matched her previous career-high score from March 2, 2024, against the University of Alaska Fairbanks)
Against the Central Washington Wildcats— Beirne recorded her first-ever 30-point game for Seattle Pacific, establishing a new career-high. She is the first Falcon to do so since former Falcon Olivia Mayer’s 31 points against Northwest Nazarene University on Feb. 3, 2024.
Against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks— Beirne, 26
All eyes on:
Beirne and sophomore guard Layne Kearns are making waves as the leading Falcons in almost every category. Halfway through the season, the pair have amassed 265 and 203 points respectively.
Kearns currently leads SPU in rebounds with 94, averaging 4.7 per game. She also leads in steals with 26 but is second in assists with 42 and turnovers with 50. Berine boasts 61 turnovers and 69 assists.
Blocked shots is the only category with a different leader from Kearns or Beirne, being Leasure with 18.
Upcoming:
The Falcons are 6-14 overall and 0-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Seattle Pacific hosts the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2:00 p.m. in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Alaska Anchorage is the greater threat for the Falcons, boasting a 7-0 conference record and a six-win streak, currently sitting atop the conference with a 16-2 overall record. The Seawolves are known for their relentless defense, forcing an average of 27.9 per game turnovers and 18.67 steals per game, the second-highest average in Division II women’s basketball.
The Seawolves’ greatest asset, junior guard Elaina Mack, ranks 10th in scoring in the GNAC, just one slot above SPU’s Hunter Beirne. Mack has amassed 247 points so far this season. She places above Beirne due to a higher average, 13.7 over Beirne’s 13.3.
Seattle Pacific’s last encounter with Alaska Anchorage was during the 2024 GNAC Tournament, resulting in a 79-57 loss that booted SPU out of the first round.
Alaska Fairbanks will arrive Thursday hungry for a win, carrying five consecutive losses on its back. Fairbanks’ defense is comparable to Anchorage’s, averaging 10.73 steals and 19.2 turnovers per game. The Nanooks’ senior guard Destiny Reimers leads UAF in scoring at 12.9 points per game, ranking at 12th just under Beirne.
Seattle Pacific’s last game against the Nanooks was a 72-64 win on March 2, 2024.
