Senior guard Jenna Buchanan scored 22 of her 28 points in the second half Saturday to lift the UAA women's basketball team to an 82-61 Division II West Region victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCA Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim.
The Seawolves (2-0) also got 14 points, four assists and two steals from junior point guard Kiki Robertson as they snapped a 38-38 halftime tie and outscored the Toros 44-23 in the final 20 minutes.
The Toros (0-2) got 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds from reserve forward Imari Brown, but the L.A.-area squad was hurt by foul trouble and 26 turnovers in a matchup of the top two seeds in last year's West Regional Championships.
After shooting 36 percent in the first half, the Seawolves stormed out of the locker room with a 9-2 run in the first two minutes to grab a 47-40 lead and never looked back.
Buchanan shot 9 of 11 from the field, including 8 of 10 from long range, and added three steals as she surpassed her previous career-best of 21 points. The Galena native now has 12 treys in UAA's first two games as she has moved up to No. 5 on the program's career list with 143. Her eight treys against the Toros came just one shy of tying the program's single-game record, set by former teammate Sasha King.
The Seawolves – the preseason favorites in the GNAC -- also got big efforts from redshirt freshman Hannah Wandersee, who had 10 points shooting 4 of 4 from the floor, and sophomore forward Sierra Afoa, who had 11 points and shot 6 of 6 from the line off the bench.
Even with an extra hour for the end of Daylight Saving Time, the Seawolves have a quick turnaround before their next game at 10:15 a.m. (Alaska time) Sunday against fellow West Region contender Academy of Art in Carson, California.