NWC TOURNAMENT: Co-Champion Bruins Host Loggers as NWC Tourney Begins

NEWBERG, Ore. – Fresh from earning a share of their fifth consecutive Northwest Conference women’s basketball crown with an 83-55 win over the University of Puget Sound on Saturday, the George Fox University Bruins will turn right around and play the Loggers again Thursday in one semifinal game of the NWC Tournament. 

The Bruins (20-5, NWC 14-2), the No. 2 seed in the tournament, will host the No. 3-seeded Loggers (18-7, NWC 11-5) Thursday, while the No. 1-seeded Lewis & Clark College Pioneers (20-5, NWC 14-2) will host the No. 4-seeded Whitman College Missionaries (15-10, NWC 9-7).  Both games tip off at 7:00 p.m. Thursday.  The highest-seeded winner will host the championship game Saturday at 7:00 p.m., with an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament on the line. 

Though the Bruins and Pioneers shared the NWC regular season title, Lewis & Clark received the top spot by virtue of sweeping third-place Puget Sound while George Fox was splitting with UPS this season. 

Ticket prices for Thursday’s game (and Saturday’s if the Bruins should win and Whitman should beat Lewis & Clark) are $6 for adults and $3 for children, students, and senior citizens age 65 and older.  Students of the teams participating in each game will be admitted free with a valid student ID.  Tickets will be available on game day only at the door.

For fans who cannot make it to the game, George Fox will provide live statistics, a live video feed via Stretch Internet, and a a live audio feed from campus station KFOX radio on the internet.  Links for George Fox’s multimedia presentations:

Live stats - http://webservices.georgefox.edu/athletics/livestats/wbasketball/xlive.htm

Live video - http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/georgefox.portal

Live audio - http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/

George Fox and Puget Sound split this season, the Loggers ending an eight-game losing streak to the Bruins with a 56-40 win in Tacoma, Wash., on Jan. 21 before the Bruins returned the favor with Saturday’s 83-55 win in Newberg.  George Fox leads the all-time series 23-17 (16-5 home, 7-12 road).

The Bruins have appeared in the NWC Tournament seven times since joining the conference for the 1955-96 season (three straight years from 1996-98 and then four in a row from 2007-2010), winning it in 2007, 2009, and 2010.  The Bruins are 7-4 all-time in the tournament, which was not held from 1999-2005.