Nov. 12, 2005

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - Seattle Pacific University gave the defending West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga University Bulldogs all they could handle for 25 minutes before the Bulldogs settled down and pulled away for a 86-61 win. Junior Stephanie Hawk poured in 26 points as Gonzaga finished the exhibition season with a 2-0 mark. Hawk scored 14 of her points in the second half as the Bulldogs broke open a 35-34 halftime lead.

"Seattle Pacific is a great team," said GU head coach Kelly Graves following the win. "They exposed some things we need to work on, but that's what exhibition games are for. People don't realize that this is a team that lost in the NCAA Division II championship game last season and has most of its key parts returning this year."

Those key parts helped keep the Falcons in the contest in the first half as they shot 50 percent from the floor while holding the Bulldogs to only 41 percent. Gonzaga pulled out to several first half leads with the biggest a four-point cushion at the 12:12 mark when Hawk converted on one of her six first half buckets. Each time Gonzaga tried to extend the lead, Seattle Pacific had an answer as there were eight first half ties.

Trailing by three points, Jenny Poe knocked down two free throws with 22 seconds remaining to bring SPU within one at the half. Poe led the Falcons with 8 first half points and would finish the game as the team's leading scorer with 14. Hawk led the Bulldogs with 12 first half points hitting on 6-for-11 from the floor.

Gonzaga turned up the defensive pressure in the second half holding SPU to 33 percent shooting and 27 second half points. Following a Poe lay up with 17:44 remaining that tied the game at 39-39; Gonzaga went on a 13-0 run over the next 5-minutes to put the contest out of reach. Katy Ridenour drained a 3-pointer and Maria Hassett added 8 points to key the Gonzaga run. Hassett finished with 17 connecting on 6-for-8 from the floor. It was the second straight game in which the true freshman has reached double figures.

"Our kids did a good job of make adjustments at halftime," Graves added. "It was the second game in which a freshman has stepped up and taken some of the offensive load on their shoulders. I have to give our team a lot of credit for the way they continued to compete for the entire 40 minutes."

Senior Anne Bailey also had 17 points for Gonzaga scoring 9 of her points from the free throw line. Bailey was also one of three Gonzaga players with 7 rebounds as the Bulldogs dominated play on the glass with a 52-35 rebound advantage. Poe was the leading Seattle Pacific rebounder with 7.

Gonzaga opens the regular-season next Friday night at San Jose State University. The home opener for Gonzaga is next Sunday afternoon against Eastern Washington University. Tip time is 2 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center.