NAMPA, Idaho – The Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team struggled on both sides of the ball Thursday.

And when you are playing a team as good as Alaska Anchorage, you have to be near perfect.

The No. 7 Seawolves defeated the Nighthawks 68-54 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action to take a commanding two-game lead in the standings with seven to play.

"Anchorage denies the ball really well," NNU senior Avery Albrecht said. "So, to get into our offense we have to get a certain pass to start it and they were on us pretty tight."

The Seawolves played their mayhem defense to near perfection forcing 17 turnovers and using a 15-1 run early in the third quarter to put the game away.

The Nighthawks shot just 30.9 percent (17-of-55) from the field and 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) from beyond the arc.

"They did a great job of not letting us get into any offense," NNU coach Steve Steele said. "We couldn't throw the first pass over and over again. That was the best thing they did, but they do a good job of adjusting and they adjust very quickly to whatever we are doing. We jumped out to an early lead and they adjusted and it took us a long time to find offense again."

NNU (15-6 overall, 10-3 GNAC) hit its first two 3-pointers in the first 70 seconds and it appeared like it was going to be another great shooting night for the Nighthawks at the Johnson Sports Center. The Seawolves (22-2, 12-1) quickly regrouped and closed the quarter on a 12-1 run.

The teams went back and forth in the second quarter before Clare Eubanks sank a jumper to pull the Nighthawks within 34-31 early in the third quarter. It was all Anchorage after that, though, as it went on a 15-1 run to take a 49-32 lead. The Nighthawks trailed by as many as 24 in the second half.

"I think that points in the paint and points off turnovers were key," Steele said. "Even if we aren't making shots, if we are more disciplined on defense and can figure out how to eke out points you can be successful. We didn't do a good job of staying consistent on the defensive side."

One bright spot for the Nighthawks was redshirt junior Zoe Wessels, who scored a career-high 13 points off the bench. She also pulled down seven rebounds and had two steals.

"I didn't come out with a mentality to score, but they just expect so much from the people who are our usual scorers," Wessels said. "I even heard their coach say, 'You know who she is. You don't to run out and guard her.' And the defender was like, 'But she just made a 3!'

"I knew I had to relieve some pressure. I didn't come into this game any differently, but I know it is Anchorage and I have to shoot it."

Wessels' aggressive play on both sides of the ball kept the Nighthawks in it for long stretches, but in the end the Seawolves were too much. Wessels' previous career-high was 10 points.

McKenna Emerson had 11 points and five rebounds, Erin Jenkins had 10 points and six rebounds and Albrecht had seven points and five rebounds.

"I think it is OK to be upset tonight, but we have a game on Saturday and six more conference games and hopefully the GNAC tournament," Albrecht said. "There are a lot more success opportunities to be had. So, we have to be forward looking."

Tennae Voliva and Safiyyah Yasin each had 12 points to lead the Seawolves.

The Nighthawks host Alaska at 5:15 p.m. Saturday as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. It is the annual Church Night and general admission tickets are just $4 and all kids 12-and-under get in free.