By Cole Brower
Fifth seed Alaska Anchorage Advances to Championship Game
Alaska Anchorage was able to hold on in the final minutes of the second semifinal to outlast Humboldt State 81-73. They will face Montana State University Billings in the NCAA Division II West Region Final at 7 p.m. on Monday night.
The Seawolves were hot to start the game, ripping off a 9-0 run. However, Alaska Anchorage’s offense slowed down just in time for Humboldt State’s offense to kick into gear. With under a minute to go in the first quarter, Mikaela Shannon’s jumper tied the game at 17.
Anchorage held a two point advantage to start the second quarter thanks to Kaitlyn Hurley’s late jumper, but Humboldt’s Isamar Conde knocked down a three point shot to take the lead. The teams traded buckets through the rest of the quarter, until the two minute mark, when Anchorage pulled away with a four point lead. That lead disappeared, however, because of the Turner twins’ hustle on defense. Two straight steals led to two easy layups for Humboldt, and the score was tied at 41 at halftime.
Neither team could really pull away in the third quarter, but the Seawolves held a three point advantage headed into the final 10 minutes. Alaska Anchorage’s Sydni Stallworth had eight points in the quarter and Humboldt State’s Tyla Turner had seven points.
The final 10 minutes were an absolute battle for both teams. The Lumberjacks were able to cut the Seawolves’ lead down to just one point on four different occasions, and while Humboldt was able to gain the lead at one point, it was short-lived. Alaska Anchorage was able to pull away in the final 30 seconds due to excellent free throw shooting.
Anchorage was led by Hannah Wandersee with 15 points, followed by Yazmeen Goo who had 13 points and four assists. Sala Langi And Sydni Stallworth each had 10 points.
The Lumberjacks were led by Tyla Turner with 18 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Tyra Turner contributed 17 points and Mikaela Shannon added 12 points from the bench.
