Press Release
1/19 - GEORGE FOX 50, PACIFIC LUTHERAN 47: Bruins Make It Six Straight with Win over Lutes
TACOMA, Wash. - Katy Campbell scored the go-ahead basket with two minutes left, then blocked Trish Buckingham's last-second three-point attempt for a tie, preserving a pressure-packed 50-47 win for the George Fox University Bruins over the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in a Northwest Conference women's basketball thriller Friday night here at Olson Auditorium.
It was the sixth straight win for George Fox, which improved to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the conference, assuring the Bruins of remaining tied for the league lead with the University of Puget Sound. Pacific Lutheran, the pre-season conference favorite, dropped its third in a row and fell to 8-7 overall and 3-4 in NWC play.
The first half was a tight defensive struggle, as both teams had trouble getting shots to fall and neither team held more than a five-point lead. Robin Taylor's three-pointer gave George Fox an early 5-2 lead before PLU reeled off eight in a row, taking its largest lead of 10-5 on a jumper by Nikki Johnson six minutes into the contest. The Bruins took a 21-19 lead on two foul shots by Melissa Marek-Farris with 3:51 left, but the Lutes went into the intermission with a 22-21 lead following Trish Buckingham's three-point field goal with 1:05 remaining in the half.
A layup by Marek-Farris and another three by Taylor gave the Bruins a 26-22 lead to open the second half, but the Lutes responded with buckets by Buckingham and Nikki Scott to tie it 26-26 with 15:21 left. The teams virtually traded scores over the next 13 minutes as there were 10 ties and three lead changes during that span, neither team leading by more than three.
George Fox took the lead for good when Campbell made a spin move in the lane to break a 47-47 deadlock with 1:51 to play. When Johnson missed a shot for a tie with 20 seconds left, Nicole Hudson grabbed the rebound for the Bruins, was fouled, and hit the front end of a one-and-one to make it 50-47 with 16.4 seconds to go.
The Lutes tried to set up lefty Kyle Haag, who had already made three treys in the second half, for a tying three, but she was closely guarded and had to pass off to Buckingham, a post player at the top of the key. Unable to find another guard, Buckingham finally had to toss the ball up herself, and Campbell cleanly blocked it as time ran out.
Marek-Farris led the Bruins with 10 points, nine rebounds, and five blocked shots, while Campbell had nine points and eight boards and Tiffany Behary scored nine on three three-pointers. Campbell and Jaime Hubka had three assists apiece. The Bruins held a 39-36 edge on the board, and finished with a .432 shooting percentage (19-44) after hitting .550 (11-20) in the second half.
Buckingham led the Lutes with 14 points, Johnson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Haag scored nine. Scott handed out three assists. The Lutes never did get untracked offensively, shooting only .297 (19-64) for the game.
George Fox continues its conference road swing Saturday, visiting Lewis & Clark College for a 6 p.m. game. Pacific Lutheran hosts Pacific University Saturday, also at 6 p.m. Both games will be followed by men's NWC games at 8 p.m.