CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Senior Tijera Mathews scored 13 points Saturday to lead a huge second-half charge but the Alaska Anchorage women's basketball team could not pull off the upset Saturday in a 69-57 exhibition loss to Division I host Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.
The Seawolves, ranked No. 12 in the NCAA Div. II preseason top-25 poll, also got 11 points and nine rebounds from preseason All-American center Hanna Johansson.
The Cavaliers, coming off a 19-16 season and a WNIT quarterfinal appearance in 2010-11, were powered by senior forward Chelsea Shine's 24 points (9-15 FG, 6-6 FT) and five assists. Guard Ataira Franklin added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Atlantic Coast Conference hosts.
After UAA took an early 11-9 lead, the Cavaliers stormed back with the next 14 points and took a 42-29 edge at halftime. Johansson, a senior from Gothenburg, Sweden, scored all of her points in the first 20 minutes to keep UAA within striking distance.
The Seawolves then started hot in the second half, getting eight points from Mathews in a 21-5 run. The 5-10 forward hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 45 with 12:35 on the clock, then nailed another trey to give UAA a 50-47 advantage at the 9:48 mark.
Virginia would answer with another run, however, scoring the next 12 points to take control. The Seawolves sliced it to 63-57 on a three-pointer by freshman point guard Gritt Ryder with 2 minutes to play, but could get no closer.
Ryder and fellow newcomer Haley Holmstead scored nine points each.
UAA played without second-team all-conference forward Alysa Horn, who stayed in Anchorage due to illness.
The Seawolves get the regular season under way next week when they host games at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex against Minot State (Fri., Nov. 11) and West Region rival Dixie State (Sat., Nov. 12). Both contests start at 7 p.m.
