Sports

Everything's all Wright for UAA women in GNAC hoops win over Simon Fraser

Bench-warmers don't get much hotter than KeKe Wright.

Wright provides a consistent spark coming off the bench for the UAA women's basketball team, and on Saturday the 6-foot sophomore was on fire, racking up a career-high 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in an 86-66 victory over Simon Fraser.

Playing in front of an Alaska Airlines Center crowd of 1,517, Wright helped the Seawolves tighten their grip on first place halfway through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season.

UAA is 18-1 overall and 8-1 in the GNAC, two games ahead of a three-team logjam for second place. Simon Fraser, Western Washington and Seattle Pacific are all 6-3, with Simon Fraser and Western Washington both absorbing losses in Anchorage during the week.

Ranked third among the nation's Division II teams, the Seawolves enjoyed a productive night from another post player while winning their sixth straight game. Megan Mullings, a 6-foot junior, poured in 21 points and both she and Wright hit 9 of 12 shots from the field, boosting UAA to a 41.6 shooting percentage. Wright supplemented her point total by going 8 of 11 from the foul line.

Wright, whose rebound total included 10 offensive boards, helped UAA clobber Simon Fraser on the glass, 55-33.

UAA showed plenty of depth: Jenna Buchanan hauled down nine rebounds to go with six points and six assists, Kiki Robertson had seven rebounds, seven assists and six points, Alysha Devine supplied nine points and Adriana Dent contributed five steals and four assists.

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Simon Fraser connected on five of 12 3-pointers to trail by single digits at halftime, 48-40.

The Clan probably thought they got a break when Mullings went to the bench with four fouls early in the half and UAA's lead down to eight points, 51-43, but instead, the Clan got a whole lot more Wright. A former junior college All-American at Wyoming's Gillette College, Wright registered 12 of her points and eight of her rebounds in the second half.

Four players hit double figures for Simon Fraser (10-7 overall), a group led by the GNAC's preseason player of the year, Erin Chambers, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Clan shot 37.9 percent and were hurt by 18 turnovers.

UAA hits the road this week for games against Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Northwest Nazarene is the only team that has beaten the Seawolves this season.

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