2/4 - WHITMAN 62, GEORGE FOX 50: Missionaries Knock Bruins from Tie Atop NWC Despite Leith's 33
NEWBERG, Ore. - Kim Leith was a one-person show for the George Fox University Bruins with a career-high 33 points, but the rest of her teammates never got untracked offensively, resulting in a 62-50 loss for the Bruins to the Whitman College Missionaries in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
The loss knocked George Fox out of a first-place tie with the Whitworth College Pirates, a 65-56 winner at Linfield College, as the Bruins fell to 13-5 overall and 7-2 in the league. Their six-game winning streak also came to an end. Whitman, rebounding from a slow start in conference play, improved to 10-8 overall and 5-4 in the league with its fourth win in five games.
Whitman held the hot hand early, scoring the game's first five baskets, capped by a three-pointer by Laura Vertatschich, for an 11-0 lead, and never trailed in the game. The Bruins missed their first 7 shots before finally breaking the ice on a Leith three with 14:10 left in the half. With Leith scoring 12 points, the Bruins battled back for the game's only tie at 17-17 tie with 7:43 left, but the Missionaries went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Leith's three-point play with 8.2 seconds left, which gave her 17 in the half, cut the Whitman lead to 31-24 at the break.
Lizzy Washburn's rebound basket gave the Missionaries their largest lead of 14 points at 42-28 with 15:50 to play before the Bruins began a slow but steady comeback. With Leith scoring 8 points, the Bruins went on a 14-5 run to get within five at 47-42 with 9:31 remaining, but that was as close as they would get. Whitman closed with an 11-4 run over the game's final four minutes.
Leith was 12-24 from the field with 3 three-pointers and 6-7 from the free throw line, but the rest of the Bruins were 5-29 from the field, made only one three, and went 6-11 from the line. Only three other Bruins scored, none in double figures. Liz Clark led all rebounders with 14, and Tiffany Behary had 3 steals.
Washburn finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Missionaries in both categories, while Vertatschich added 16 points. Megan Higgins had 4 assists and 3 steals. The Missionaries did a good job of controlling the ball, out-rebounding the Bruins 43-38 and making only 10 turnovers when Bruin opponents were averaging over 26 a game.
The Bruins host Whitworth Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on Homecoming night, and need a win to pull back into a tie for first with six league games left. The Missionaries travel to McMinnville Saturday to play Linfield, also at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be followed by men's games at 8:00 p.m.