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BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Senior center Kayla Bernsen scored a game-high 19 points and junior forward Tia Briggs recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Western Washington Vikings to a 71-62 upset over No. 3 Alaska Anchorage Saturday afternoon in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball action at Whatcom Pavilion.

Western trailed 32-25 at the half, but came out of the break a different team outscoring the Seawolves 46-30 in the second half turning the 7-point deficit into a 9-point victory. The Vikings went 20-for-22 from the free throw line in the second half, including 9-for-10 in the last 43 seconds of the game.

The Vikings won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 5-3 overall and are off to a perfect 2-0 start in GNAC play. The Seawolves, ranked No. 3 in the USA Today Division II Coaches poll, had their 12-0 start to the season end with their first loss of the season, dropping to 12-1 overall and 1-1 in GNAC play.

"I am so proud of the ladies for the way they competed and didn't back down. They were fearless on the court today," said 25th-year head coach Carmen Dolfo. "We took the ball to the basket every chance we got, played solid defense and we showed our composure at the free-throw line down the stretch."

Bernsen (Moses Lake, WA) was 8-for-10 from the field and added 7 rebounds to lead the Vikings with 19 points. The senior matched her 19-point performance in Thursday's GNAC opener vs. Alaska Fairbanks and is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season.

Briggs (Tacoma, WA/Wilson) was a key contributor on the boards with a career-high 10 rebounds, and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. She was 6-for-6 at the line in the last 30 seconds of the game to help turn a 4-point lead into the 9-point victory.

"Tia had a really great game tonight and just stepped up big time," said Dolfo on her junior forward. "She is committed to winning the rebounding battle and did that tonight."

In addition to big games by Bernsen and Briggs, junior point guard Taylor Peacocke (Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor/Sacramento State) engineered the second-half comeback scoring all of her 16 points in the third (14 points) and fourth (2 points) quarters.

"Taylor stepped up on defense and offense, and really controlled the floor under a lot of pressure tonight," said Dolfo. "She had an outstanding game and really provided a lift to our team to get the ball rolling in the second half."

Junior guard Aleisha Hathaway (Spokane, WA/Shadle Park) recorded a career-high 8 assists (5.0 assist per game avg. this season) and added 7 points.

UAA led 17-12 after the first quarter, scoring 10 of the 17 points in the paint. Briggs and Bernsen did all the scoring for the Vikings with 6 points each. Gandy recorded 3 of the team's 8 rebounds.

Anchorage took a 32-25 lead into halftime, ending the second quarter on a 6-0 run after WWU climbed to within one point at 26-25. Bernsen matched her first-quarter performance to enter the half with a game high 12 points.

The Vikings came out of the half on a mission with a 10-3 run to tie the game at 35-35, and outscored the Seawolves 24-10 in the quarter to take a 7-point lead at 49-42. Peacocke scored 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to catapult Western into the lead heading into the final quarter.

UAA battled back in the fourth quarter, climbing to within 3 points at 62-59 after a three-pointer by Keiahnna Engel with 50-seconds remaining in the game. Western closed the game out with a 9-3 run, going 10-for-10 from the free throw line to ice the victory.

The Seawolves were led by 18 points from senior guard Jenna Buchanan and 16 points from freshman forward Hannah Wandersee.

The Vikings (5-3, 2-0 GNAC) will take next week off for final exams and return to the court with a pair of games vs. Midwestern State (12/18, 8 pm) and Quincy (12/19, 5:45 pm) at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.