Game Book | Box Score

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Senior forward Hannah Stipanovich scored a game-high 22 points and the Western Washington University women's basketball team reduced a double-digit deficit to two points late in the fourth quarter but No. 9 Alaska Anchorage handed the Vikings a 66-59 loss on Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Center in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

WWU dropped to 7-12 overall and 3-9 in conference play with its third straight defeat. The Seawolves, ranked No. 9 nationally by the WBCA and No. 8 nationally by D2SIDA, improved to 17-2 overall and 10-1 in the GNAC. UAA rebounded from a loss at Seattle Pacific last Saturday that snapped a 33-game GNAC win streak.

WWU trailed 55-43 early in the fourth quarter before a 10-1 run brought the Vikings with 56-53 at the 5:59 mark. Stipanovich (St. Louis, MO/Metro State) helped fuel the rally with 6 points during the stretch as the WWU defense held the Seawolves without a field goal for the first 4:14 of the final period.

A layup from forward Tennae Voliva extended the UAA lead out to 58-53, ending the field goal drought at the 5:46 mark. Neither team scored for the next 3:46 until a layup from redshirt freshman guard Gracie Castaneda (Arlington, WA) brought WWU within 58-55 with 2:00 to play in the fourth quarter.

Stipanovich later hit 1-of-2 free throws to cut the margin to 58-56 with 1:20 left but UAA answered as guard Tara Thompson drained a 3-pointer with 49.7 seconds remaining, extending the lead to two possessions at 61-56. Castaneda hit a 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds to go as WWU came within 62-59, but UAA guard Yazmeen Goo went 4-of-4 at the free throw following Castaneda's 3-pointer to secure the win for the Seawolves.

The Vikings had led at the end of the first quarter, using a 5-0 spurt to pull away from an 8-8 tie to take a 13-8 lead with 1:52 left on a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Dani Iwami (Seal Beach, CA/Hawai'i Pacific). WWU led 13-10 after the opening quarter.

The Seawolves used a 9-2 run to begin the second period and opened a 19-15 lead at the 6:55 mark. After a layup from sophomore center Anna Schwecke (Evergreen, CO/Colorado-Colorado Springs) to open the second quarter, the Seawolves responded with 9 unanswered points. UAA maintained its advantage the rest of the quarter to lead 34-26 at halftime.

A 6-0 spurt for the Vikings to open the third quarter brought WWU within 34-32 before the Seawolves answered to lead 41-34 after a 7-2 run and began to extend their lead in the latter half of the quarter, leading by as many as 11 in the period on their way to a 53-43 advantage after three quarters.

The 22 points were a season-high total for Stipanovich, who reached double-figure scoring for the fourth consecutive game and also grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds to come within a rebound of a double-double. She was 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-8 at the free throw line, scoring 15 of her points after halftime with 8 in the third quarter and 7 in the fourth quarter.

Castaneda also reached double figures with 11 points and had 4 assists, the ninth time she has totaled 4 assists in a game during the season. Sophomore guard Lexie Bland (Ellensburg, WA) and Iwami tied for the game high with 6 assists apiece, a career-high tying total for Bland. Freshman guard Emma Duff (Tumwater, WA/Black Hills) had a career-high 8 rebounds.

WWU finished 23-of-55 (41.8%) from the floor, but was just 3-of-17 (17.6%) from 3-point range. The Vikings were 10-of-16 (62.5%) at the free throw line. WWU held a 41-36 rebounding edge, though the Seawolves had an advantage in offensive rebounds (19-15) and won the turnover battle, 23-15.

UAA was 18-of-61 (29.5%) overall from the field and 3-of-18 (16.7%) from long range. The Seawolves went 27-of-35 (77.1%) at the free throw line, setting season-high totals for free throws made and attempted. The totals were also the most free throws made and attempted by a WWU opponent in a game during 2017-18.

The Seawolves were led by Goo with 13 points, who also added a game-high 7 steals and 4 assists. Forward Shelby Cloninger had 11 points while guard Kian McNair added 10 points and 4 steals.

The Vikings return to action Saturday night at Alaska Fairbanks with tip-off set for 5:15 pm AKT/6:15 pm PT. WWU is back at WECU Court in Carver Gym during early February, hosting Western Oregon (Feb. 1, 7 pm PT) and Concordia (Feb. 23, 7 pm PT) with all games streaming on GNAC.tv.

Game Notes: Hannah Stipanovich had a season-high 22 points...has scored in double figures 15 times during the season and in four straight games...Emma Duff had a career-high 8 rebounds...Lexie Bland tied a career high with 6 assists...Gracie Castenda tied a career high with 4 assists, the ninth time she has recorded 4 assists in a game...UAA was 27-of-35 at the free throw line, the most free throws made and attempted in a game by a WWU opponent this season and season-high totals for Seawolves in both categories.