Feb. 7, 2004
Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Guard Amy Taylor had game-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds as undefeated and nationally No.4-ranked Seattle Pacific University defeated Western Washington University, 71-58, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball contest Saturday at Sam Carver Gymnasium.
The Vikings, No.5 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region rating, fell to 15-5 overall and 8-3 in the GNAC. Guard Jodi Gerald (So., Puyallup/Cascade Christian) led four Western players in double figures with 15 points.
Seattle Pacific, No.4 in this week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 and the top-ranked team in the West Region, improved to 20-0 overall and 11-0 in the GNAC. The Falcons have won 53 straight regular-season games and 35 consecutive GNAC contests, with the last loss in each string being a 102-87 loss at Western on Feb. 7, 2002.
Western held an 8-6 lead three minutes into the contest, but Seattle Pacific ran off 12 straight points in a three-minute span, six of them by forward Valerie Gustafson, to take an 18-8 lead with 13:51 left in the half and never trailed again.
The Falcons held a 41-31 edge at halftime and led by as much as 18 in the second half. The Vikings made a late rally, using a 13-4 charge to close the margin to nine, 67-58, with 1:08 to play, but could get no closer.
Forward Tessa DeBoer (Sr., Lynden/Lynden Christian) had 14 points for the Vikings, running her career total to 991 and leaving her just nine short of becoming the 18th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
Center Jenn McGillivray (Sr., Salem, OR/South Salem) and reserve guard Devin Dykstra (Fr., Sumas/Nooksack Valley) each had 10 points for Western.
Gustafson and guard Michelle Beaumont each had 12 points for Seattle Pacific, and forward Carli Smith came off the bench to contribute eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Falcons had a 35-29 edge on the boards.
Western hosts Seattle University next Saturday (7 p.m.) in a GNAC counter.
