Women's Basketball | 2/18/2010 7:41:27 PM

Box Score [Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Katie Torland scored 20 points and Shayla Corder added 15 but No. 14 Alaska Anchorage recorded the final six points of the game to come away with a 62-60 win over Western Oregon, Thursday (Feb. 18).

This was the Seawolves' eighth win in their last nine conference to improve to 9-2 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and to 19-3 overall. The loss with Wolves maintained control of fifth place in the league with a 5-7 record and a 10-16 mark overall.

Western Oregon played the national (No. 14) and regionally (No. 4) ranked tough all evening. The Wolves hung with the Seawolves on the boards (34-33) and in the turnover battle (20-19), while converting more three-pointers (7-4) and free throws (17-12).

"I was very proud of our team's efforts tonight; they deserved a different outcome," said Western Oregon head coach Greg Bruce. "(The women) played their guts outs and executed the game plan. We battled them in the boards and took away their three-point shot."

The Wolves jumped out to an 8-2 lead early and took a 32-31 lead at the half. Corder and Torland each scored 13 points in the period.

"Shayla's first half kept us in the game," explained coach Bruce. "I'm happy for the senior with her year winding down."

The second half was back-and-forth with six ties, five lead changes and neither team holding more than a six point lead. Western Oregon matched its largest lead of the game with a 6-0 run to go up 51-45 with seven minutes remaining. One minute later Torland would pick up consecutive fouls 26 seconds apart for her third and fourth of the night. UAA would battle back to tie the game over the next three minutes capping off the run with two free throws by Kelsie Gourdin, as Torland fouled out on the play.

The Seawolves would take advantage of the Wolves' leading scorer being out of the game. They held the Wolves to four free throws in the final three minutes while converting on 2-of-3 field goal attempts and all four free throws. The game-winning points came on a pair of free throws from Tamar Gruwell with 31 seconds remaining in the game.

"When your leading scorer fouls out you are asking others to do things they are not usually asked to do," Bruce continued.

Western Oregon would get the ball back down two and have a couple looks at the rim. The first came from behind the arc on the right side when Lorrie Clifford was able to shake free of her man. However, she passed on that look. The Wolves would set up another play and get an open look for Clifford from about 12 feet away but she lost the ball on the way up.

"All you can ask for is a chance to win or tie at the end," noted Bruce. "The people that came to watch tonight got to see a whole different WOU team."

Nicci Miller had a double-double for Alaska Anchorage with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Hanna Johansson and Tamar Gruwell each added 11.

The Western Oregon women's basketball team will be back at home Saturday (Feb. 20), to host Alaska Fairbanks on 'Pink Out' night. Tip-off will be at 2:00 p.m.

"When you can play the No. 14 team in the country down to the wire there is no reason not to compete against the rest of the teams on the schedule," Bruce concluded.