Megan Mullings scored 14 of her 20 points in the first half and the No. 5 UAA women's basketball team held Montana State-Billings to 27.3 percent shooting in the half en route to a 70-50 victory Friday.
The Seawolves struggled in the first quarter with ties at 9-9 and 16-16 before the play on offense finally caught up with defense and UAA pulled away late in the second half at the Alaska Airlines Center.
UAA's depth and rebounding proved to be the difference.
The Seawolves outrebounded Montana State-Billings 46-24 and as the Yellowjackets minutes rose, they started falling further and further behind. Five Yellowjackets played more than 30 minutes compared to zero for UAA in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdown.
"It's nice that we have so many subs," Mullings said in a TV interview after the game. "By the time the third and fourth quarters rolled around, we had fresh bodies."
Jenna Buchanan went 3 of 6 from the 3-point line for 11 points in 23 minutes for the Seawolves (16-1, 3-1 GNAC). Kiki Robertson added 11 points and seven steals in 29 minutes — the most playing time by any Seawolf ? — and Alysha Devine had seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.
Montana State-Billings' (6-5, 2-1) leaders were Alisha Breen with 14 points in 37 minutes and Monica Grimsrud with 11 in 31 minutes.
The Yellowjackets rallied to narrow the score to 35-32 midway through the third quarter, but treys by Buchanan and Keiahnna Engel brought the momentum back to the Seawolves.
UAA ended the game on an 18-6 run.
The win brought UAA's winning streak to four — the longest current streak in the GNAC. UAA's only loss of the season came Dec. 5 at Western Washington.
The Seawolves continue a six-game homestand Thursday against Western Oregon (2-9, 1-2) at the Alaska Airlines Center.
"We're just looking to keep going — to keep taking (wins) from people," Mullings said in a TV interview. "We have to take every win that we can."