Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. - Beating the nation's best defensive team at their own game, the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers held the 12th-ranked George Fox University Bruins to their lowest point total of the season and made off with a 45-35 upset of the league co-leaders Friday evening here at the Pamplin Sports Center.

With their first loss to the Pioneers since 1994, the Bruins, who allowed only 42.6 points per game coming in, fell to 19-3 overall and 11-2 in the league. They remained in a first-place tie with the University of Puget Sound, however, as the Loggers suffered a 53-51 reversal at Whitman College Friday. Lewis & Clark, snapping a 27-game losing streak to George Fox, improved to 13-9 overall and solidified its hold on third place in the conference at 9-4.

The Bruins scored the first eight points, capped by a three-pointer from Tiffany Behary four minutes into the game, but the Pioneers responded with an 11-0 run of their own. Allison Farr's three-pointer with 10:45 remaining in the period gave the Pios their first lead at 9-8, and Tallera Rich followed with a layup to make it 11-8. A layup and free throw by Elise Kuenzi enabled the Bruins to tie it at 11-11, but a jumper by Farr with 9:14 left broke the tie and the Pios never trailed again. It was 25-20 at the half, thanks largely to 13 Bruin turnovers while the home team committed only four.

The Pios extended their lead to eight at 30-22 on a trey by Shawna Castle with 15:24 left in the game, but the Bruins came back with a layup and a three by Katy Campbell and a jumper by Melissa Marek-Farris to get within one at 30-29 with 13:25 to go. The Bruins again got within one at 34-33 on a layup by Kuenzi with 9:05 left, but then went scoreless for seven minutes while the Pios pulled away. A three-pointer from the right corner by Castle, a driving layup by Kimberly Kittell, and a jumper by Kelly Vega extended the L&C lead to eight at 41-33 with 3:25 to go, and Marek-Farris's basket with 2:05 left was the Bruins' last gasp.

Campbell led the Bruins with 12 points and 11 rebounds, her seventh double-double of the season. The Bruins shot .318 (14-44) as a team, including .269 (7-26) in the second half, and wound up with 20 turnovers to only seven for the Pios. George Fox did control the boards 37-29. Behary passed out three assists, Jaime Hubka had three steals, and Marek-Farris blocked five shots, one short of her career high.

Castle with 12 points and Vega with 10 topped the Pioneers, who shot .380 (19-50) for the game. Castle also led the team with six rebounds, while Kittell handed out three assists.

George Fox closes the regular season with three home games, starting Saturday against Pacific University at 6:00 p.m. Lewis & Clark visits Willamette University Saturday, also at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be followed by NWC men's contests at 8:00 p.m.