GEORGE FOX 71, OGLETHORPE 56: Bruins Punish Petrels for Second Trip to “Elite 8”

Box Score

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – An 18-0 run midway through the second half enabled George Fox University to turn a tie game into a runaway as the undefeated Bruins overwhelmed the Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels 71-56 in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship Tournament Sectional Friday evening here at Thomas More College’s Connor Convention Center.

With the win, the Bruins (29-0), who are No. 2 in the WBCA poll and No. 3 in the D3hoops poll, move from the “Sweet 16” to the “Elite 8” for the second time in their history, having also reached the quarterfinal round in 2005.  Oglethorpe (27-4), the last remaining team in the tournament from the 2008 Final Four, was ranked No. 9 in the WBCA poll and No. 5 by D3hoops.

A matchup with Hope College (28-1) and a berth in the Final Four awaits George Fox at 7:00 p.m. Saturday (4:00 p.m. Pacific time).  The Flying Dutch, who are No. 2 in the D3hoops poll and No. 3 in the WBCA poll, defeated the host Thomas More Saints (28-3) 67-51.  Hope and George Fox met last year in the “Sweet 16” in Brownwood, Texas, and the then-No. 1 Dutch eliminated the Bruins 47-40.

Oglethorpe scored the first four points of the game on baskets by Biz Richmann and All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference guard Katie Kulavic before George Fox got going.  A jumper by Keisha Gordon and a three-pointer by Sage Indendi sparked a 14-0 run that put the Bruins in front 14-4, and they would never trail again, though the Petrels had plenty of fight left. 

Getting consecutive threes by Arianna Mohsenian, Elise Kuenzi, and Mohsenian again, the Bruins pushed their lead to 14 points at 31-17 with 5:52 left in the period.  The Petrels stepped up their pressure and forced five Bruin turnovers over the next four minutes, closing within four at 31-27 on a basket by Tina Grace with 1:38 left.  George Fox regained control to finish the half, however, as B.B. Gardner hit a driving left-handed layup and Kuenzi sank two free throws with two ticks left for a 35-27 lead.

The teams traded baskets over the first three minutes of the second half before the Petrels embarked on a 9-0 run.  Richman hit a pair of jumpers in the lane around a three by Anna Findley, another All-SCAC guard, and Grace’s layup tied it 44-44 with 14:24 to go.  George Fox coach Scott Rueck, the Northwest Conference and WBCA West Region Coach of the Year, called a time out to settle his charges down.

“Our players were really upset with themselves at the time out,” said Rueck.  “They hadn’t allowed teams to make runs like that very often, and they were determined not to let it happen again.  The key to Ogelthorpe’s offense is to move the ball quickly for open shots, and we had to react faster to their shooters in our zone.  We also started attacking the hoop better ourselves.”

The adjustments paid off as the Bruins ripped off an 18-0 run over the next six minutes.  Indendi broke the tie with a three and Kuenzi ended the run with another trey as the Bruins hit seven of 12 shots in building their largest lead of the game to 62-44 with 8:26 left.  The Bruin defense held the Petrels to 0-for-7 shooting during that time and forced five turnovers.

Oglethorpe got no closer than 11 the rest of the way, at 67-56 on a pair of Richmann free throws with 1:36 left.  The Bruins completed the scoring with a pair of Gardner free throws and a layup by Gordon with three seconds left as the shot clock was running out.

Freshman wings Indendi and Gordon led the Bruins with 18 and 15 points respectively, while Kuenzi finished with 13 and Kristen Shielee had 10.  Shielee, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year, posted her 10th double-double of the year as she grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Bruins to a 42-34 advantage on the boards.  She also blocked two shots, upping her Bruin season record total to 106.  Indendi added five assists and made four steals.

Grace paced the Petrels with 17 points, Kulavic had 15, and Richmann tallied 13.  Findley, Oglethorpe’s leading scorer, was held to nine points, eight below her season average.  Richmann had a team-high nine rebounds, while Grace picked up five steals and five assists.

George Fox shot .422 (27-64) from the field to .350 (21-60) for Oglethorpe.  The Bruins bettered the Petrels at their own game on three-pointers as well, making 8-20 (.400) to only 4-17 (.235) for the Atlanta-based team.  In a fast-paced game that saw few fouls called until late in the game, the Bruins made 9-13 free throws (.692) while the Petrels made 10-12 (.833).