There were only a few minutes left in Saturday's season-opening game and the UAA women's basketball team was in cruise control, owning a more-than-comfortable lead over visiting Mid-Continent University.
But that didn't mean Limor Pelleg could stop playing hard. The returning sophomore guard is still trying to prove herself to new Seawolves head coach Tim Moser and her nine new teammates. Stepping in front of an opponent to take a charge certainly got everybody's attention.
Teammate Tenecia Lockard raced over and gave Pelleg a high-five. Other UAA players patted her on the back. Moser simply flashed a satisfying smile.
Pelleg's charge didn't make a difference in UAA's 102-53 runaway victory over the Cougars of Mayfield, Ky. But the defensive play symbolized the Seawolves' effective second-half execution on a night of first impressions at Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
"I thought in the first half they drove in the paint. We've got to make sure we build a wall there," Moser said. "We rushed up a lot defensively. If you rush up, you better take a charge. That was something Limor hasn't done."
Division II UAA held Mid-Continent, an NAIA school, to 28 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes to help make up for a somewhat sloppy first half, when the Seawolves looked like a group playing its first game of the season. UAA made up for it in the second half, keyed by its in-your-face defense.
"Coach said taking a charge is better than anything," said Pelleg, who added 12 points and three assists. "You just have to want to do it."
Sophomore sensation Rebecca Kielpinski led UAA with 17 points and 11 rebounds -- her 15th double-double in 28 career games -- to highlight five double-figure scorers. Newcomers Jayci Stone (14 points), Maria Nilsson (11) and Kat Hurley (11) each fared well in their debuts.
Together, the new faces helped the Seawolves eclipse the 100-point mark for the first time in eight years.
"Our chemistry is good," Pelleg said. "Early on in practice our coaches made sure we were one unit."
Indeed, there were times when the Seawolves looked like they had been playing together for years. On one play, Stone got the rebound and fired a pass to returning point guard Tristan Burnett, who rifled a pass to Nilsson for a layup. The ball moved some 50 feet without touching the floor -- looking like a hockey team putting each pass right on the stick.
"This team is a real tight-knit group," Moser said. "We were a little wild at times, but I thought the effort was there."
Game notes
Mid-Continent features an Anchorage player in Katelyn Perry, a former Grace Christian standout in basketball and volleyball. Perry started at forward and finished with seven points and six rebounds. ... UAA senior Mari Callahan has been sidelined because of a nagging knee injury. She is expected to return to practice this week, she said. ... The same teams meet Monday night at 7.
Daily News reporter Van Williams can be reached at vwilliams@adn.com.
MID-CONTINENT (53)
Cripps, Sarah 7-10 8-9 23; Key, Omega 4-10 2-2 10; Prowell, Bristyn 0-1 9-12 9; Perry, Katelynn 3-9 1-3 7; Hamlet, Whitney 1-5 2-2 4; Taylor, Samantha 0-2 0-0 0; Jordan, Beth 0-3 0-0 0; Bellamy, Cassie 0-3 0-0 0; McGregor, Tiffany 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-44 22-28 53.
UAA (102)
Kielpinski, Rebecca 8-13 1-4 17; Stone, Jayci 5-13 0-0 14; Pelleg, Limor 4-7 2-2 12; Harley, Kat 5-7 1-2 11; Nilsson, Maria 4-7 2-2 11; Lockard, Tenecia 4-8 1-2 9; Vaughan, Meghan 2-6 3-3 8; Cunningham, Erin 3-7 0-0 7; Brumage, Lezlie 2-3 2-2 6; Salazar, Jennifer 2-4 0-0 4; Burnett, Tristan 1-5 1-2 3; Brown, Jamie 0-3 0-0 0; Brooks, Keyona 0-0 0-0 0; McKoy, Tasha 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 40-84 13-19 102.
3-point goals -- Mid-Continent 1-8 (Cripps, Sarah 1-1; Key, Omega 0-3; Hamlet, Whitney 0-1; Jordan, Beth 0-1; Bellamy, Cassie 0-2); UAA 9-33 (Stone, Jayci 4-11; Pelleg, Limor 2-5; Cunningham, Erin 1-4; Vaughan, Meghan 1-3; Nilsson, Maria 1-4; Burnett, Tristan 0-3; Brown, Jamie 0-1; Salazar, Jennifer 0-2). Fouled out -- Salazar, Jennifer. Rebounds -- Mid-Continent 26 (Key, Omega 8), UAA 51 (Kielpinski, Rebecca 11). Assists -- Mid-Continent 4 (Perry, Katelynn 2; Prowell, Bristyn 2), UAA 30 (Burnett, Tristan 6). Total fouls -- Mid-Continent 13, UAA 24. Technical fouls -- None. A -- 687.
Mid-Continent 24 29 -- 53
UAA 46 56 -- 102
