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It was brief, but it was spectacular.
After a ten-loss streak, Seattle Pacific University’s women’s basketball team grabbed its first conference win 93-70 against the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks on Thursday, Feb. 13, in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
On the tail end of their streak, the Falcons lost 58-53 to the Western Oregon University Wolves on Thursday, Feb. 6, and 78-63 to the Saint Martin’s University Saints on Saturday, Feb. 8. Following their victory against the Nighthawks, the Falcons lost 75-64 to the Central Washington University Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 15.
Seattle Pacific’s victory against Northwest Nazarene was its second-best opening this season, ending the first quarter 33-21. The Falcons’ previous 30-point quarter was also against the Nighthawks on Jan. 18.
Northwest Nazarene tied the game twice in the first two minutes. Senior wing Lolo Weatherspoon and junior guard Layne Kearns dropped seven points in the paint to give SPU the lead. The Nighthawks nearly retook the lead with 3:06 remaining in the quarter when they achieved a 19-19 tie.
Seattle Pacific had a moment of deja vu from its last game against the Nighthawks, starting the second quarter with a 38-21 lead. Previously, NNU planted seeds for a comeback win in the second quarter, but this time, the Falcons opened with 11 straight points and kept a gap north of 20 until halftime.
Northwest Nazarene tightened their defense exiting halftime, limiting SPU to 15 points in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth. The Nighthawks played a tough game, but Seattle Pacific ultimately got the win.
Coach’s thoughts:
Interim head coach Karen Byers expressed pride and gratitude to her team for pulling off the win.
“They’re a very good matchup for us. We knew that we could push our pace and break their press pretty easily,” Byers said. “We had a great shooting day, and that just put us over the edge.”
Speaking on the team’s record, Byers said the scores have not well-reflected the team’s progress and talent.
“We’ve gotten better through the season,” Byers said. “We did what we wanted to do. Our stats have improved in all areas, we’re setting the foundation for next year and we’re going to be even better next year.”
Top scorers:
Against the Western Oregon Wolves — fifth-year guard Hunter Beirne, 17 points
Against the Saint Martin’s Saints — redshirt-freshman guard Grace Turley, 14 points (matched her career high from Jan. 18 against Northwest Nazarene)
Against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks — Beirne, 26 points
Against the Central Washington Wildcats — Kearns, 14 points
All eyes on:
Layne Kearns scored a career-high 20 points against the Nighthawks. Her previous career high was 18 points against Colorado Christian University on Nov. 30, 2024.
Hunter Beirne delivered her 100th assist of the season against the Wolves. This was Beirne’s first time in triple digits for assists, her closest being a total of 95 by the end of the 2022-2023 season. She has 273 career assists, the most out of the team’s current roster.
Upcoming:
The Falcons are 7-20 overall and 1-13 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, ranking ninth. Seattle Pacific’s next games are on the road against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6:15 p.m. in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 6:15 p.m. in Anchorage, Alaska.
Seattle Pacific’s previous run-in with Alaska Fairbanks ended in an 88-82 loss on Jan. 25. Fairbanks is 1-13 overall and 6-16 in the GNAC, approaching SPU with a five-loss streak. Last time around, the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks’ senior guard Destiny Reimers, currently the GNAC’s ninth-best scorer, scored 28 on the Falcons.
“We definitely struggled with defense the first time, so we’ve got to make sure our defense is on point and we’re ready for that,” Byers said. “We need to take away Reimers’ drive, make sure we defend the three, go over screens tighter, [and] recognize where she is so we can be there when she tries to shoot.”
Alaska Anchorage defeated the Falcons 90-54 in their last outing on Jan. 23, the largest point margin of SPU’s season. Anchorage is first in the GNAC with a 13-1 conference record and 22-3 record overall. The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves remain a defensive powerhouse, averaging 42.9 rebounds and 17.9 steals per game.
