It might have been Senior Night, but it was a freshman who stepped up for the Seawolves.
Kiki Robertson drained six straight free throws in the final 65 seconds to seal the UAA women's basketball team's 79-75 win over Western Washington on Saturday, UAA's final home game of the season.
The high-pressure situations didn't rattle Robertson. In fact, she welcomes such challenges for her team.
"I've been in this spot before," she said. "I want them to rely on me to ice those shots."
Robertson went 8 for 9 from the line and was one of four Seawolves to score in double figures. Robertson, Jenna Buchanan and Jessica Madison scored 14 points apiece for UAA, and Kylie Burns, the team's lone senior, added 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The win was the fourth straight and sixth in seven games for the Seawolves (18-6 overall, 11-5 Great Northwest Athletic Conference).
"We're hot right now," Burns said.
UAA snapped a six-game winning streak for Western Washington (16-9, 12-5) and is just half a game behind the second-place Vikings.
UAA led 37-33 after a face-paced, back-and-forth first half. Once they took the lead with 10:26 to go in the first half, the Seawolves didn't trail the rest of the way.
"We want them to play at our pace," Robertson said.
Another part of UAA's plan was to drive the lane. A majority of the Seawolves' shots came from in the paint -- something coach Ryan McCarthy stresses.
"Coach always tells us to be aggressive," Robertson said.
UAA led by 10 midway through the second half and had to survive a Vikings comeback.
Katie Colard nailed one of her four 3-pointers to cut UAA's lead to three with five minutes left. Colard scored a game-high 23 points and was one of four Vikings in double digits.
Western Washington kept it a one-possession game with less than 40 seconds to go, but Robertson sank two free throws with the clock showing single digits to cement the victory.
Saturday's win avenged a 76-70 loss at Western Washington a month ago. The difference? UAA is a more cohesive unit, Burns said.
"We've gotten better as a team," she said.
Especially at home.
UAA finished 12-2 this season at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, which the Seawolves won't be calling home next season. The team is moving into the Alaska Airlines Center, making Saturday's victory even more special.
"We wanted to get that W for the last time we're going to play here," Burns said.
Reach Mike Nesper at mnesper@adn.com or 257-4335.
WESTERN WASHINGTON (75) -- Hill 5-10 2-4 12, Donaldson 3-7 1-2 7, Colard 7-12 5-7 23, White 6-11 0-0 12, Peacocke 5-9 1-2 11, Pounds 2-3 0-0 6, Gandy 0-0 0-0 0, Briggs 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 30-57 9-15 75.
UAA (79) -- Devine 3-5 1-1 7, Buchanan 6-12 1-2 14, Robertson 3-12 8-9 14, J. Madison 5-1 0-0 14, Burn 5-13 0-0 12, Davis 3-6 0-0 6, Hutchins 0-1 0-0 0, Wright 3-3 0-0 6, Craft 2-6 2-2 79. Totals 30-74 12-14 79.
Western Washington 33 42 -- 75
UAA37 42 -- 79
3-point goals -- WWU 6-15 (Hill 0-1, Colard 4-7, White 0-4, Pounds 2-3), UAA 7-22 (Buchanan 1-2, Robertson 0-1, J. Madison 4-11, Burns 2-5, Davis 0-2, Hutchins 0-1). Rebounds -- WWU 36 (Hill 16), UAA 38 (Burns 8). Total fouls -- WWU 16, UAA 19. Fouled out -- White, Pounds, Craft. Assists -- WWU 19 (Colard 6), UAA 19 (Burns 5). Turnovers -- WWU 15 (White 4, Peacocke 4), UAA 8 (Robertson 2). Blocks -- 9 (Hill 3), UAA 3 (Craft 2). Steals -- WWU 4 (White 2), UAA 11 (J. Madison 3). A -- 600. Officials -- Landro, McCourt, Conley.
By MIKE NESPER