NAMPA, Idaho – The Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team needed a spark Tuesday.

Guards Jordan Pinson and Avery Albrecht stepped up and provided one.

Pinson had a dominant third quarter on both sides of the ball and Albrecht attacked the offensive glass hard in the fourth quarter.

The Nighthawks held off Central Washington for a 72-63 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory Tuesday.

"That kind of hustle is something I should always strive to bring," Albrecht said, "but in moments like that when the game is so close and my shot wasn't falling I felt like I had to give back to the team in some way and rebounding seems to be the best way."

The Nighthawks (14-5 overall, 9-2 GNAC) were struggling to get shots to go in all night long and trailed 51-46 with 3 minutes, 29 seconds left in the third quarter when they went on a 12-2 run to go up five. They never trailed again.

Nicole Gall's two free throws kicked off the run, Pinson hit a corner 3 off of an inbounds pass, Gall sank a jumper, Pinson hit another 3 and then after forcing a turnover in the backcourt, made a layup for a 58-53 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter.

"I feel like I am capable of that every game and I just needed to be in a different mentality," Pinson said. "I've just been trying to stay positive. I haven't been shooting as well as last year, but I've been telling myself that it is coming and if it doesn't, that's fine. I have to focus on other things."

Pinson did that with strong defensive play throughout, as well as balancing her outside shot with dribble penetration to set up her teammates.

"She came in and gave us good minutes," NNU coach Steve Steele said. "I was really proud of how she managed the clock and kept us organized. For a young point guard to come in and do that in a tight game showed a lot of maturity."
 

Albrecht took her turn in sparking the Nighthawks in the fourth by crashing the glass. She had four offensive rebounds and two steals in the fourth quarter alone.

NNU led 58-55 with 7:43 left when Erin Jenkins hit a 3-pointer and Clare Eubanks was fouled in the process. The Nighthawks got the ball out of bounds and after a missed 3-pointer by Marina Valles, Albrecht fought for a tough rebound and a putback to make it 63-55.

After Central pulled within 63-60 and had the ball, Albrecht had a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup.

For a player who was honored before the game for scoring 1,000 points in her career, that kind of hustle helps sum up her playing style.

"I made it to where I am today from doing all that dirty work," she said. "Just because you make it to a starting position or get more minutes, doesn't mean you can stop that. That is how you got here in the first place and I'm supposed to be an example. If I'm not rebounding, I'm setting a bad example."

The victory gives the Nighthawks the season sweep against the Wildcats (11-8, 6-5) and keeps them within a game of Alaska Anchorage for first place in the GNAC.

Not bad for a team with seven freshmen getting minutes and that found itself tested on its recent Oregon road trip where shots weren't falling.

"The fact that we are still winning even though our shots aren't going in shows our toughness," Albrecht said. "Coach Elpidia (Allen) is always preaching, 'We've got to be tougher. We've got to be tougher.' That's getting offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, taking charges, getting steals and I think we've been able to do that and step up on the defensive side and grind out these wins."

Valles finished with 18 points and six rebounds, Pinson had 14 points, Albrecht had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals and Jenkins had 12 points and five rebounds.

The Nighthawks host Montana State Billings at 5:15 p.m. Thursday.