2/6 - PUGET SOUND 65, GEORGE FOX 61: Late Bruin Rally Falls Just Short as Loggers Prevail
TACOMA, Wash. - Kim Leith scored 9 of her game and career-high 23 points in the final three minutes in a valiant effort to rally the George Fox University Bruins against the University of Puget Sound, but the home-standing Loggers prevailed in the end, 65-61, in Northwest Conference women's basketball Friday night here at Memorial Fieldhouse.
George Fox jumped ahead by 11 at 22-11 on a jumper by Kellie Thomas with 7:42 left in the half, but the Loggers out-scored the Bruins 15-3 to close out the first 20 minutes and take a 26-25 lead into the break. The second half was played evenly early on, with six ties and six lead changes in the first 10 minutes, until Puget Sound scored six unanswered points to stretch their lead to 8 with just over six minutes to play. Angie Straw's free throw with 4:28 remaining gave the Loggers their largest lead at 59-50.
Leith hit a 3-pointer and 3 other baskets in the final 2:50, her last shot cutting the Logger lead to 63-61, but there were only three seconds left on the clock. Kilty Keaton, the league's top free throw shooter, hit a pair of free throws with 0:01 left to secure the win for the Loggers.
Leith hit 10-16 from the field with a couple of 3-pointers to keep the Bruins in the game, and Thomas added 16. Darby Cave had 8 rebounds to lead the Bruins in that category, and Leith added 4 assists.
Lindsay May led UPS with 17 points, and at the 9:35 mark of the first half, on a free throw, she became the 9th player in Puget Sound history to score 1,000-plus points for a career. She now has 1,012 points in 69 games in a Logger uniform. Keaton added 14 points, and Straw was one point shy of a double-double, finishing the night with 9 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
George Fox dropped to 9-8 overall and 3-6 in the conference with its 3rd straight loss and 5th straight to the Loggers, while Puget Sound stayed in the thick of the NWC chase by improving to 15-3 overall and 7-2 in the league.
The Bruins stay in Tacoma Saturday (Feb. 7) to play league-leading and 16th-ranked Pacific Lutheran University at 6:00 p.m., while the Loggers also return to the court Saturday, playing host to the Boxers of Pacific University. Both games are at 6:00 p.m., followed by men's games at 8:00 p.m.