SEATTLE – The Regis University women's basketball team closed out its time at the Seattle Pacific University Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Brougham Pavilion with a thrilling 62-53 victory over host Seattle Pacific on Saturday.
 
How It Happened: Coming out of the break with a 34-26 deficit, the Rangers bookended the third quarter with 6-0 runs to come within a field goal of catching the Falcons by quarter's end. The first run kicked off on junior guard Emma Sterkel's jumper just 14 seconds into the third quarter and ended with junior forward Whitney Jacob's jumper with 7:53 left in the third.
 
A jumper by Sterkel started the second run with 2:57 left in the third, 42-36, and it stopped after senior forward Jaz'Myne Snipes's jumper with only 5 seconds to go in the third with the score reading, 42-40.
 
A wild fourth quarter followed in which the two teams traded the lead three times and tied twice. It was not until a 3-pointer by freshman guard Kali Murrell that Regis took the lead for good, 50-47, with 5:15 to go on the clock.
 
This preceded a trey by junior forward Grace O'Neill, who carried RU to a 56-51 advantage. After this change in the score, the Rangers had all the points they needed.
 
Free throws by junior guard Tashika Burrell with only 24 seconds left in regulation provided extra cushion and proved to be the final points of the game while also completing a 6-0 run.
 
Regis trailed the Falcons, 4-0, to start the game but back-to-back treys by O'Neill and Sterkel at 8:25 and 7:46 left in the first quarter, respectively, gave RU a 6-0 run and a 6-4 lead. In fact, each of those players assisted on the other's 3-pointer. This marked the first of six lead changes in the first quarter.
 
However, after Sterkel regained the lead for the Rangers, 11-10, with 5:11 to go in the opening quarter, senior guard Madi Hingston tied the game with a free throw, 11-11, at the 4:13 mark. This commenced a 13-3 run that Seattle Pacific took to the end of the quarter.
 
SPU retook the lead on freshman post Kayla Brundidge's jumper, 13-11, with 3:06 to play in the first. The run was capped on junior forward Ashlynn Burgess's jumper with only 16 seconds remaining in the first.
 
The Falcons led by as many as 10 in the opening 20 minutes when junior guard Hailee Bennett sank a 3-pointer, giving Seattle Pacific a 28-18 advantage, just 1:49 into the second quarter.
 
Burgess later contributed the first half's final basket with her jumper, bringing SPU to a 34-26 lead at the half.
 
Game Notes: Jacob and Sterkel each collected a game-high 15 points for the winning effort.
Jacob certified herself a double-double with her 11 rebounds and a share of the game-high one block, while Sterkel had two rebounds, two assists and a game-high two steals. Burrell had a share of the game-high four assists to go along with 14 points and four rebounds.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: Regis improves to a 2-3 record overall. RU returns to Colorado on Saturday to face conference rival Colorado School of Mines (2-2) at Lockridge Arena in a non-conference game, which is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tipoff.