Thursday night, junior center Kelsey Hill rattled in a layup with 10 seconds left, capping off a career-high 28-point game and clinching a Falcon victory over No. 8 University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) Seawolves (20-3 overall, 9-2 GNAC), 78-77.

"I would definitely say it was the best and most exciting game of my career so far," Hill said. "There was a lot riding on this game so it was really sweet to win at their place."

The Falcons (20-0, 11-0 GNAC) were down by 16 points just nine minutes into the game. To swing the momentum, Falcons head coach Julie van Beek switched her defense into a full-court press. In a matter of seven minutes, SPU went on a 20-5 scoring run, converting on 11 of 12 free throw attempts and managed to tie the game at halftime.

With 40 seconds left in the game, UAA's all-conference center Rebecca Kielpinski was called for her fifth foul while battling Hill for a rebound.

"...We kept going at her and she fouled out at a crucial time," Hill said.

The absence of 6-foot-2-inch Kielpinski allowed the Falcons to match Hill up with 5-foot-10-inch UAA defender Ruby Williams for their last play.

Off the inbounds play, sophomore forward Megan Hoisington fed the ball inside to Hill, who got a shot off quickly. The ball rattled around the rim and fell in with 10 seconds left.

After a UAA timeout, Seawolves guard Kalhie Quinones dribbled the length of the court and passed to junior forward Ashley Thompson underneath the hoop. Too close to the baseline, however, her shot hit the bottom of the backboard as time expired.

This loss snapped a 29-game home-win streak for the Seawolves while at the same time, kept the Falcons' perfect season intact.

"I believe that the reason we have had so much success this year is because of all the weapons we have," senior guard Jackie Hollands said. "A different person can step up on any given night, which makes us a difficult team to scout."

Along with her 28 points, Hill ended with six rebounds and one block. She also shot 12-23 from the field, attempting more shots than any Falcon player has in a single game all season. She was later named Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Co-player of the week, which is her second time receiving the award this season.

"The whole game plan wasn't to go just to me..." Hill said. "I was just taking what the defense gave me, but I was focusing on really being aggressive."

Kielpinski, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, tied her previous school record of eight blocks in a game and also became UAA's all-time leader in rebounds with 767.

"She is a smart player," Hill, who was in charge of guarding Kielpinski, said of the UAA player. "In order to defend her you have to always be alert and not let down."

This is the second consecutive game that came down to the final play for the Falcons. Just a week prior, SPU edged out a last-second victory against Northwest Nazarene University when senior guard Beth Christensen made two free throws with four-tenths of a second left.

"Although it is an intense situation to be in, our team thrives in that kind of atmosphere and I knew one of us was going to step it up and make a big play," Hollands said of her team's final possession on Thursday.

While three of the Falcons' last five victories have been by a margin of four points or less, the team proved that they could still pack a punch on Saturday when they walloped the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) Nanooks (9-10, 2-9 GNAC) by a score of 84-55.

The Falcons started the game with an 18-3 lead and never let up. Hollands led the Falcons with 19 points and senior forward Libby Magnuson contributed 14 points, three assists and one steal. UAF guard Cristina Bruketta led the Nanooks with 12 points.

Despite the 29-point whooping, it's the close games like the one on Thursday that will help prepare the Falcons for the playoffs, van Beek said.

"Those kinds of games expose our weaknesses and give us motivation to work on the things that will allow us to reach our greatest potential as a team," Hollands said of Thursday's match-up.

The No. 2 Falcons face interstate rivals Central Washington University (12-7, 4-7 GNAC) on Thursday and Western Washington University (7-16, 4-7 GNAC) on Saturday at Royal Brougham Pavilion. The games are scheduled for tip-off at 5 and 7 p.m., respectively.