Women's Basketball Release
12/3 - GEORGE FOX 64, WHITMAN 48: Leith Leads 2nd-Half Surge as Bruins Pull Away from Missionaries
NEWBERG, Ore. - Pre-season All-American Kim Leith scored a game-high 15 points, including 12 in a second-half surge as the George Fox University Bruins pulled away from the Whitman College Missionaries for a 64-48 Northwest Conference women's basketball victory Saturday afternoon here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.
After an early 6-2 Whitman lead, the Bruins came back to knot it 8-8 on a layup by Robin Taylor, and took the lead for good 10-8 on a rebound basket by Katy Campbell with 14:22 left in the first half. The Bruins extended the lead to 11 at 24-13 on a three-pointer by Campbell at the 7:57 mark, but the Missionaries responded with an 11-2 run to cut the gap to a pair at 26-24 with 4:35 to go. Another basket by Campbell, who had 13 points in the half, ended the threat, and the Bruins again pulled away for a 35-28 lead at the break.
Leith heated up in the second half as the Bruins extended their lead to double figures five minutes into the period and remained comfortably in front throughout the final 20 minutes. George Fox' biggest lead came at 1:30 when Melissa Marek-Farris hit a pair of free throws for a 21-point 64-43 margin.
In addition to Leith's 15 points, Campbell ended with 13, and Robin Taylor also had 13 to go along with 4 assists. Erin Powers led the way on the boards with 7 rebounds. The Bruin defense had 11 steals and forced 19 turnovers while holding the Missionaries' Kate Patneaude, the conference's leading scorer at 20.2 points a game, to only 5 points.
Leyla Khastou was the only Missionary in double figures with 10 points, while Megan Higgins handed out 5 assists. Patneaude did have a game-high 8 rebounds.
George Fox, ranked No. 6 in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, is now 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Whitman, which was picked to finish second to the Bruins in the NWC pre-season coaches' poll, falls to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the league. The Bruins host Cascade College in a non-conference game Thursday at 7:00 p.m., while the Missionaries return home to entertain Lewis-Clark State College at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.