ANCHORAGE - Junior forward Kelsie Gourdin came off the bench to tally 12 points and eight rebounds Friday night to help the 4th-ranked Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team remain unbeaten with a 67-37 win over Brigham Young-Hawaii in the AT&T Classic at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
The Seawolves (7-0) also got 11 points apiece from starting guards Tamar Gruwell and Kiki Taylor as they ran their home winning streak to 26 games. It was also UAA's 16th straight win over a Division II, non-conference opponent at the WFSC.
The Seasiders (3-3) were led by game-highs of 14 points and nine rebounds from senior wing Mahina Gago, but the visitors from Laie, Hawaii, managed to shoot just 28.3 percent and were forced into 28 turnovers.
UAA jumped to a 6-0 lead and never trailed, although the Seasiders kept things interesting for much of the first half. A layup by BYUH's Kristen Hartley made the score 20-12 with 5 minutes to play in the half, but Gruwell answered with a long jump shot 10 seconds later, and the Seawolf lead never fell below double digits again.
The game marked the Seawolves' sixth win of 30 points or more this year and was the fifth time they have held their opponent below 30 percent shooting.
Gourdin, a transfer from Mesa State, finished with 5-of-10 shooting, two assists and three steals, while grabbing seven of her rebounds on the offensive end. Taylor matched BYU-Hawaii's team total with five assists, and Nikki Aden managed eight points, six rebounds and two steals in the win.
Senior forward Nicci Miller, who came in averaging 20.2 points per game, scored a season-low six points and grabbed five rebounds.
UAA outrebounded its Pacific West Conference foe 50-35.
The Seawolves now lead the all-time series 3-0 against the Seasiders, who only began their women's basketball program in 2006-07.
UAA will face Grand Canyon in Saturday night's final game of the AT&T Classic at the WFSC (7 p.m.), pitting both of Friday's winners in an unofficial championship game. BYU-Hawaii will play Alaska Fairbanks at 5 p.m.
AT&T Classic - Game 1
Grand Canyon 78, Alaska Fairbanks 58
Grand Canyon guard Samantha Murphy earned AT&T Player-of-the-Game honors with 17 points as her team raced past Alaska Fairbanks, 78-58, in Friday's Classic opener.
The Antelopes (5-2) also got 11 points from guard Katrina Graham as 12 different GCU players notched at least two points.
Alaska Fairbanks (1-7) got a game-high 21 points from forward Lakeshia Levi and a 12-point, 11-rebound showing from forward Ronisha Edwards.
