Press Release
2/7 - GEORGE FOX 54, LINFIELD 53: Bruins Hold Off Upset-Minded Wildcats to Remain in NWC Race
NEWBERG, Ore. - What a difference a month makes.
When last the George Fox University Bruins and Linfield College Wildcats squared off back on Jan. 10 in McMinnville, the visiting Bruins coasted to the largest victory ever between the two, 75-43. Tuesday night here at GFU's Miller Gym in the Wheeler Sports Center, the Bruins won again over their Yamhill County rivals, but had to hang on for dear life in a 54-53 Northwest Conference women's basketball squeaker.
Linfield opened the game with baskets by Porcia Jackson and Jessica Hanato for a 4-0 lead, but the Bruins responded with consecutive three-point goals by Robin Taylor and Tiffany Behary twice for a 9-4 lead. The Bruins never trailed again, but the stubborn Wildcats stayed with them the rest of the way.
With the Bruins holding a slim 25-24 lead late in the half, Tiffany Schmidt nailed three straight treys from the right corner in the space of 47 seconds, then hit two free throws to give the Bruins their largest lead of 12 points at 36-24 with 4:21 to go. A layup by the Wildcats' Mary Findlay cut the gap to 40-33 at the intermission.
Taylor canned a three to open the second half for a 43-33 George Fox lead, but the Bruin offense went cold from that point on, hitting only 21.1% (4-19) in the half and scoring only 14 second-half points. The Wildcats went on a 9-0 run, capped by a jumper and a three by Ashley Covey, narrowing the margin to 43-42 with 15:58 to go, and remained within five points the rest of the way, cutting the Bruin lead to one on three more occasions, but could never take the lead.
Erin Powers' jumper with 4:06 left was the last score for the Bruins, giving them a 54-51 lead. The Wildcats then committed two turnovers and missed three shots in the time remaining, getting a layup from Bayley Coblentz to make it 54-53 with 1:36 left for their only score. The Bruins missed a shot with nine second left as the shot clock was about to expire, giving the Wildcats one last chance for the upset, but Jackson's jumper in the key was short and Taylor grabbed the rebound as time expired.
Schmidt paced the Bruins with 15 points, all in the first half, and 8 rebounds, while Kim Leith chipped in with 13 points. Behary had 6 assists. The Bruins connected on 10-21 from three-point range, with Behary and Schmidt hitting 3 each.
Hanato and Coblentz topped the Wildcats with 12 points apiece, while Jackson grabbed 8 rebounds in leading Linfield to a 40-30 advantage on the boards. Casey Stepan had 5 assists. The Wildcats, who hit 50.0% (13-26) in the first half, were held to 27.6% (8-29) in the second.
George Fox improved to 17-5 overall and 8-5 in the conference, guaranteeing themselves at least a share of third place in the standings in the battle for the third and final NWC playoff spot. The Bruins entered the evening in a four-way tie for third with Whitworth College, Whitman College, and Lewis & Clark College. Linfield fell to 11-11 overall and 5-8 in the league.
The Bruins host Lewis & Clark Friday while the Wildcats host Willamette University Saturday. Both games are at 6 p.m., followed by NWC men's games at 8 p.m.