Vets carry Seawolves to 69-57 win in road opener

Rocklin, Calif. (Nov. 9) - Junior guard Elaina Mack scored 18 points and fellow veterans Jaisa Gamble and Jazzpher Evans added 14 points apiece Friday to help the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team to a 69-57 victory over host Jessup in the Bill Holtz Classic at Warrior Arena.

The Seawolves (3-0) also got nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks from newcomer Hedda Koehne as they used a 17-0 run to take control in the third quarter.

The Warriors (0-1) - coming off a 22-8 record and an NAIA Tournament berth - were led by 17 points from guard Andrea Jovicevic in the program's first official game as an NCAA Div. II member.

"We didn't shoot well or guard the three, but fortunately we rebounded very well (43-29), and we had that near-perfect four-minute stretch right after halftime," said UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy, whose squad was outshot .422 to .354. "Overall, it's a quality road win for us against a team that I'm sure will surprise some folks this year, and we have plenty of things to improve as we go forward."

Despite leading by as many as 11 points in the opening half, UAA saw its lead shaved to 33-30 on a layup by Kayla Viera with 9:24 left in the third quarter. Senior point guard Emilia Long turned the momentum back in UAA's direction with a steal 20 seconds later, however, feeding Mack for a short floater in the lane.

That started a dominating stretch that featured six forced turnovers, three steals, a block, and a 4-0 rebounding advantage for the visitors as they built a 50-30 lead. UAA outshot Jessup 6-of-8 to 0-of-3 from the field during the surge, with Gamble turning both misses into four second-chance points on free throws.

The Warriors remained within striking distance the rest of the way as UAA missed six fourth-quarter free throws, but Mack and Long delivered key three-pointers to maintain a comfortable edge.

Mack shot 7 of 17 overall and 3 of 10 from long range, along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a team-high 35 minutes, while Gamble recorded her career scoring high just two hours from her hometown of San Bruno, Calif.

The team's most experienced player, Evans finished 3 of 6 from the floor (2-4 3FG) and 6 of 7 on free throws, along with four rebounds.

Freshman forward Ashlyn Rean grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and helped key the winning run with six points (3-4 FG), four assists and just one turnover in 28 minutes. Long collected eight points, six rebounds and two steals.

The Seawolves return to Warrior Arena on Saturday for an 11 a.m. AST tip against Cal Poly Humboldt (0-1). Find links to live video (PPV-$) and stats at GoSeawolves.com.

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