2/8 - PACIFIC 59, GEORGE FOX 54: Boxers Brush by Bruins Behind Lindburg's Career-High 20
FOREST GROVE, Ore. -Mary Lindburg scored a career-high 20 points, helping Pacific University come back from a five-point deficit early in the second half, as the Boxers beat the visiting George Fox University Bruins 59-54 in Northwest Conference women's basketball action Saturday (Feb. 8) here at the Pacific Athletic Center.
Pacific took early control of the contest, taking an 18-8 lead on Tori Nelson's jumper with 10:56 left. From that point on, the Bruins chipped away and then broke it open with an 11-0 run over the final 8:11 of the half to take a 26-22 lead into the break.
The teams traded leads several times in the second half before a Lindburg lay-in sparked a 10-2 run to give the Boxers a 55-48 lead with 3:27 remaining. A long jumper from Sarah Myhre closed the gap to 55-52, but Lindburg responded with another lay-in at the 1:07 mark. Liz Clark brought the Bruins back to within three at 57-54 with 47 seconds left, but with a chance to tie on their next possession, the Bruins turned the ball over, and Nelson hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to ice the game.
Kim Leith led George Fox with 12 points and Myhre contributed 10. GFU out-rebounded the Boxers 37-34, Amy Fitch grabbing 5 boards to lead the way, but the Bruins turned the ball over 18 times to only 10 for the Boxers. Leith and Kellie Thomas had 3 assists each.
Lindburg was the only Boxer in double figures, hitting 18 of her 20 in the second half. DeeDee Arnall had 5 rebounds and Katannya Kapeli had 6 assists. Both teams had flat shooting nights, Pacific hitting 39.3% (22-56) and George Fox hitting 38.2% (21-55).
The loss dropped the Bruins to 12-9 overall and 7-5 in the conference, dealing a blow to the 4th-place Bruins' efforts to secure one of the three NWC Tournament spots. The victory for the Boxers, who climbed to 6-12 overall and 3-8 in the NWC, not only snapped a 7-game losing skid, but broke a 9-game losing streak to the Bruins.
The Bruins are on the road in Tacoma next weekend, first to taking on the University of Puget Sound Friday (Feb. 14) at 6:00 p.m. The men's game follows at 8:00 p.m. Pacific is at Lewis & Clark College Tuesday (Feb. 11), also at 6:00 p.m.