Press Release
1/13 - GEORGE FOX 70, PACIFIC 59: Bruins Remain Tied for NWC Lead by Beating Boxers
FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Erupting for 33 points over the final 13 minutes of the game, the George Fox University Bruins overcame the upset-minded Pacific University Boxers and maintained a share of the Northwest Conference women's basketball lead with a hard-fought 70-59 victory Saturday night here at the Pacific Athletic Center.
George Fox improved to 9-4 overall with its fifth straight win and to 5-1 in the conference, keeping them in a tie for the league lead with the University of Puget Sound, a 68-56 winner at Whitman College. Pacific remained winless in conference play, falling to 0-6, and is 4-9 overall.
The first half was tightly contested through the first 11 minutes, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead. Robin Taylor sank a pair of three-point field goals to give the Bruins a nine-point lead of 30-21 with 2:54 to go in the period, but baskets by Kristina Stevens and Trisha Terhar pulled the Boxers back within five at 30-25 with 1:29 left. The Bruins upped it back to nine for a 34-25 halftime lead when Katy Campbell hit a pair of fast-break layups. Campbell had 10 first-half points, while the Boxers' Amy Pedersen nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Pacific opened the second half with an 13-3 run, capped by a jumper by Pedersen with 13:43 left, to overtake the Bruins for a 38-37 lead, but the Bruins regained the advantage on a basket inside by Melissa Marek-Farris. Two free throws by Campbell and a three by Tiffany Behary pushed the Bruins back up to a 44-38 lead with 8:51 remaining, and they eventually stretched it to 13 points at 57-44 on a three-pointer by Nicole Hudson with 4:36 to go. Campbell gave the Bruins their largest lead at 64-49 with a pair of free throws at the 2:39 mark.
Jaime Hubka led a quartet of Bruins in double figure-scoring with 16 points, 10 in the second half, while Campbell added 15, and Taylor and Behary had 11 each. With Marek-Farris in early foul trouble, Kristen Shielee came off the bench and grabbed eight rebounds, leading the Bruins to a 33-30 advantage on the boards, and blocked four shots. Hudson had five assists. The Bruins shot .480 from the field (24-50), including .550 (11-20) in the second half, and were 9-20 from three-point range.
Pedersen finished with a double-double for the Boxers with 17 points and 10 boards, and Terhar added 14 points. The Boxers also shot over 50% in the second half at .522 (12-23), ending with a .404 mark (21-52) for the game.
George Fox visits Pacific Lutheran University and Pacific goes down the road to Linfield College for conference games Friday, both at 6 p.m., followed by men's NWC games at 8 p.m.