MONMOUTH, Ore. – Just like the game against Northwest Nazarene, the Western Oregon University women's basketball team played another one possession game, this time against Seattle Pacific on Monday night. The teams even needed overtime to settle the score with the Falcons hanging on to take the 61-59 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory inside New PE Gym. The Wolves wore Holli Strong shirts in support of head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter.
The game looked to be over. Seattle Pacific (11-15, 7-9 GNAC) was looking at a 53-40 lead with just 5:07 to play. That's when the Wolves (8-15, 4-12 GNAC) reeled off the next 13 straight points to erase the deficit and send the game into overtime.
Madisyn Clark helped start the run with a big three with the shot clock winding down. Alexis Wright then came up with a big offensive rebound and putback while being fouled. She would complete the three-point-play to push the run to 6-0. Cali McClave converted a steal and transition layup on the next trip down and after a layup by Clark, the lead was down to just three with 1:36 to play. Clark later hit a foul shot with 33 seconds to play to leave it a two-point game. The Wolves forced a missed layup and had the chance to then hold for the final shot. With three seconds left, WOU turned to Tresai McCarver who was fouled on her drive to the basket with 0.6 remaining. McCarver would hit both clutch free throws to tie the game at 53 and send the game into overtime.
In the overtime, Natalie Hoff came up big for the Falcons scoring six straight points for SPU. After Hoff opened the scoring in the extra session 17 seconds in, WOU answered with another free throw by McCarver to trail by one. Hoff connected on the other end, just to watch Princy Paaluhi-Caulk answer for the Wolves with a running jumper to cut the lead back to one with 2:31 to play. Hoff completed her stretch of six straight points on the next possession and the Wolves weren't able to answer leaving it a three-point deficit with two minutes to play. SPU missed on a three-point attempt and Paaluhi-Caulk secured the rebound. Winkler converted at the other end taking a pass in the corner and turning baseline to get a layup with 1:07 to play to cut the deficit back to one. The Falcons split a pair of free throws at the other end to move the lead back to two. Paaluhi-Caulk was fouled on her driving attempt and would also split a pair of free throws to cut the lead back to one with 21 seconds to play. WOU was forced to foul and again the Falcons split two from the line to move the lead back to two with 17 seconds to play.
Following a timeout, WOU would get two chances at the tying basket. First, McCarver just missed on a layup and on the battle for the loose ball, it ended up being ruled a jump ball with Winkler tying it up for the Wolves and possession remaining with WOU with 10 seconds to play. The Wolves worked the ball around before Casandra White ended up with it with two seconds left and her jumper from near the free throw line just rimmed out. On a battle for the loose ball, time ran out and Seattle Pacific escaped with the 61-59 overtime win.
Early on, WOU moved out to the 4-0 lead with McCarver and Meadow Aragon connecting on layups. SPU had a tough time scoring from the field against the Wolves throughout the first half and used mostly free throws to stay in the first quarter. After moving the lead back to four at 6-2 on a layup by Winkler, WOU would later get the lead out to five on a jumper by McCarver at the 3:55 mark. Still ahead by five at 11-6 on a layup by Wright, Seattle Pacific closed the first quarter on a 7-1 run to take a 13-12 lead.
SPU connected on the first points in the second quarter and then it was all Wolves. A pair of free throws by Kaelin Williams-Kennedy helped ignite an 10-0 run. Cali McClave and McCarver hit back-to-back three-pointers and then a layup by Clark closed the run that left WOU with the 22-15 lead near the midway point of the second quarter. The teams would then go over three minutes with no points before SPU got back on the board with a free throw. The Falcons scored six of the final eight points of the half, including a three-pointer by Bayley Brennan to close to within three at 24-21 at the break.
The lead would then change hands four times alone in the third quarter. WOU had the lead out to three at 32-29 on a layup by Clark and after fighting back to tie the game at 35 on a pair of free throws by Cali McClave, SPU closed the final 2:17 of the third quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 42-35 lead into the fourth.
The Falcons ended up making it a 12-0 run scoring the first five points of the fourth quarter before later setting up the wild finish.
Cali McClave paced the Wolves with 15 points and seven rebounds, she also added three steals in 38 minutes. McCarver went for 14 points and made it a double-double with 10 rebounds. She also added five assists in 41 minutes. Clark reached double-figures in scoring with 10 points. WOU went 20-61 (32.8) from the field, 3-22 (13.6) from three and 16-23 (69.6) at the foul line. The Wolves scored all six fastbreak points in the game and also held a slight 30-28 edge on points in the paint.
Hoff, Brennan and Beth Pettingill led the Falcons with 10 points apiece. Hoff just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. SPU, after starting slow, finished 22-62 (35.5) from the field, 6-17 (35.3) from three and 11-20 (55) at the foul line. Bench points were big for the Falcons as they held a 33-13 advantage.
With the game against SPU being the final home game of the regular season, the Wolves will now travel to Alaska this week to face Anchorage on Thursday starting at 8:30 p.m. and then to Fairbanks to play on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. All times are Pacific Time. The GNAC Tournament will begin on Mar. 2 at both Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific playing hosts to the early rounds.
