Late surge carries Seattle past Abilene Christian women for first league win this season
SEATTLE - Seattle outscored Abilene Christian 29-10 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 75-61 victory over the Wildcats in a Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Thursday.
ACU led by as much as eight (38-30) with 7:02 left in the third quarter and took a five-point advantage (51-46) into the final frame.
But the Wildcats, who had led since the 7:24 mark in the second quarter, saw the Redhawks score the first seven points of the fourth quarter, taking the lead on Irena Korolenko’s 3-point play with 9:08 to go.
Seattle never relinquished the lead, using a 10-0 run to blow the game open after Jamie Bonnarens’ trey pulled the Wildcats within one (54-53) with 8:48 left.
Georgia Kehoe led Seattle (6-9 overall, 1-3 WAC) with a game-high 17 points, while Bree Calhoun had 16 off the bench. Courtney Murphy also had 13, all in the final quarter, as the Redhawks snapped a three-game skid.
Bonnarens led ACU (12-6, 4-3) with 16 points, and Emma Middleton had 15. Madi Miller also had 12.
The rest of the team combined for 18 points. It’s ACU’s third loss in its past four games.
Seattle shot 51% (30 of 59) from the field, including 60% in scoring 48 second-half points on 18 of 30 shots. The Redhawks, who hit 13 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter, converted 8 of 22 3-pointers overall, including 6 of 11 in the second half.
ACU hit 22 of 70 shots (9 of 36 in the second half), including 10 of 38 3-point goals.
While ACU forced 16 turnovers and committed 13, Seattle had a 20-9 advantage on points off turnovers. The Redhawks also outscored ACU 36-22 in the paint.
The fourth-quarter letdown comes on the heels of ACU overcoming a 19-point second-half deficit to beat New Mexico State 76-73 on Saturday in Abilene.
Now, the Wildcats face perhaps their biggest challenge in their first season in the WAC.
They play preseason league favorite California Baptist (14-2, 5-0) on Saturday in Riverside, California. The Lancers, the defending WAC champions, won their ninth consecutive game Thursday, beating Tarleton 85-69 in Riverside.
Cal Baptist, ranked No. 4 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25, is 16-1 at home theplast two seasons. The loss was a 78-77 decision to San Diego State on Dec. 8. They haven't lost at home or on the road since.
Cal Baptist's only other loss this season came at Oregon State.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Seattle Redhawks beat Abilene Christian in women's WAC basketball play
