Zias falter in second half against Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Eastern New Mexico University's women fell behind 10-0 and 17-4, then battled back to make a game of it for a while against host Alaska-Anchorage's AT&T Hoop Classic Tuesday night.

Freshman guard Alyssa Hutchins hit what turned out to be a back-breaking 3-pointer as time expired in the half, and the Seawolves used a 22-0 run in the second half to bury the winless Zias 82-40.

Senior forward Alysa Horn led four Anchorage players in double figures with 16 points, while senior guard Sasha King added 14 points and nine assists for the Seawolves (6-2).

Junior post Jasmine Johnson scored a season-best 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Zias (0-10).

Senior guard Hannah Altheide's 3-pointer started the Zias back from their early deficit, and they got as close as 28-24 on two free throws by Lakeeyscia Griffin with 4:28 left in the half.

Trailing 31-26 and playing for a potential final shot, the Zias turned the ball over with 21 seconds left and Hutchins made them pay as time expired.

It was 45-32 after Johnson scored with 15:47 left. The Zias missed a 3-point shot on their next trip, and the Seawolves took off, scoring on 10 of their next 14 possessions for a 67-32 margin with eight minutes remaining.

ENMU turned the ball over 31 times and shot 29 percent from the field, including 5-of-21 in the second half. Anchorage shot 48 percent (28-of-58), including nine 3-pointers, and had nine blocked shots in the contest, including five by Horn.

ENMU faces BYU Hawaii (1-5) at 7 p.m. (MST) in its finale in the event. The Seasiders have lost to Anchorage 100-68 and Cal State Los Angeles 77-56 in their first two games.