ANCHORAGE - It is not often that the No. 1 team in the country gets upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament but that is exactly what happened at the NCAA West Regional as Roya Rustamzada dribbled the length of the court and hit a twisting layup with 2.1 seconds left to help Point Loma knock off the No. 1 team in the country, Alaska Anchorage, 64-63 (Mar. 13).
 
UAA (29-2) rode a 20-game winning streak into the match but No. 8 seeded PLNU (20-11) started the game on a 14-0 run to quickly put the Seawolves on their heels and take the crowd of 2,518 out of the game early. The Sea Lions carried that momentum throughout the opening period, leading by as many as 19 before taking a 36-23 lead into halftime. PLNU shot 52 percent in the first period and 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
 
The second half would be a whole other story. The Sea Lions quickly had their double-digit lead erased as the Seawolves came out of halftime on an 8-0 run. PLNU never relinquished the lead though and pushed their advantage back to 12 points (58-46) with 3:44 left. However, UAA had one more run in them as they put on a 9-0 spurt capped off by a 3-pointer by Jenna Buchanan to take a 63-62 lead with just 9.1 seconds on the clock.
 
Coach Bill Westphal then called a timeout and told Rustamzada she would be getting the ball for the final shot. Rustamzada got the ball on the far side of the court, dribbled through the press and went to the basket from left to right. She faked a spin move and went to her right hand for a layup that floated over to defenders and into the hoop to put Point Loma in front 64-63 with just 2.1 left. UAA's final half court heave was not successful and the Sea Lions shocked the No. 1 team in the country.

"This was one of the most exciting games I have ever been in during my over 45 years of coaching," said PLNU head coach Bill Westphal. "I could not be more proud of our girls. We played our hearts out and came out one point ahead."

"When I saw they were guarding Jess (Escorza) I knew I had to take the ball in my hands," said Rustamzada. "I knew if I could just get past that first girl I'd be able to have poise and control and that is what I did." 
 
Madison West had 17 points and six rebounds to lead PLNU. She was 7-of-13 from the field, including making some fantastic left-handed layups, and also added three treys. Jessica Escorza added 13 points and five assists. Riley Abraham pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to help PLNU match UAA with 41 boards on the night. Anna Viettry made just her second and third 3-pointers of the season for the Sea Lions but they could not have come at a better time. She also had a team-leading six assists.

"That was the perfect play to end the game," said PLNU senior guard Jessica Escorza about Rustamzada's game-winning layup. "I think Anchorage expected it to be me or Madi (West) to take the last shot, but that was the perfect call and there was no person better on the team to take that shot than Roya."
 
Megan Mullings, the GNAC Player of the Year, and Buchanan each scored 12 points to lead Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves shot just 33 percent in the game and were 1-for-20 on their first 20 3-pointers before making their last three in a row.
 
This capped off the first round of the NCAA West Regional in which all four top seeds lost. UAA was not only the top seed in the NCAA West Region but the No. 1 team in the country. PLNU has now beaten the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the country this season. PLNU opened the year with a 63-60 over Cal Poly Pomona when the Broncos were ranked No. 2. 

"This was an incredible atmosphere, playing in this arena with their fans as the underdog and the No. 8 seed; that is motivation in itself," said Escorza. "This is what we worked the entire season for. We are very motivated to prove to everyone that we are here to play and just as good as any other team in this tournament."
 
The Sea Lions will move on to face No. 5 seed California Baptist on Saturday, Mar. 14 at 8:30 p.m. (PST). This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the Lancers and Sea Lions.