Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. - Senior center Melissa Marek-Farris posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, leading the 18th-ranked George Fox University Bruins past the Linfield College Wildcats 69-36 and back into a share of the Northwest Conference lead in women's basketball action Saturday evening here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

The Bruins dominated play early, hitting their first five shots (tow each by Marek-Farris and Katy Campbell and one by Tiffany Behary) to take an 11-2 lead four minutes into the game. They eventually built up a 14-point lead of 20-6 on a Jaime Hubka three-pointer from the right corner with seven minutes left before the Wildcats rallied with nine unanswered points, cutting the lead to 20-15 with four minutes to go. A layup by Katy Campbell ended the Wildcats' streak, and the Bruins clung to a 25-18 lead at the break.

George Fox shot .417 (10-24) in the first half while holding Linfield to .211 (4-19). An 8-10 performance from the line kept the Wildcats in the game. Marek-Farris had eight points and Campbell seven in the half for the Bruins, while Jenny Carlos led the Wildcats with seven.

The Bruins then exploded for a 13-0 run to start the second half, building a 20-point margin of 38-18 with 15 minutes remaining on a pair of Marek-Farris free throws. Casey Stepan finally put the Wildcats on the board in the second half with a three from the left wing at 14:09, but the visitors got no closer than 12 the rest of the way. The Bruins' largest lead was 34 on a three by MaryAnne Samples from the right wing with 1:10 left that made it 69-35.

Playing before a crowd estThe Bruins burned the nets for a .519 percentage (14-27) in the second half to finish at .471 (24-51) for the game while holding the Wildcats to a .220 mark (9-41). Rebounds were a big factor in the game as the Bruins doubled the Wildcats on the boards 42-21 and, including a 16-5 advantage in offensive rebounds.

Marek-Farris connected on 5-11 from the field and 9-13 from the line for her 19 points, and also had three steals and four of the Bruins' nine blocks in the game. Campbell narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points and nine boards, and she and Behary passed out five assists apiece.

No one reached double figures in points for the Wildcats; Stepan and Emily Shoemaker were the top scorers with eight each. Shoemaker pulled down seven rebounds, and Stepan had three steals.

George Fox (19-2, NWC 11-1), now tied atop the league standings with the 17th-ranked University of Puget Sound, which was idle Saturday, returns to action Friday for its final road game of the season against Lewis & Clark College at 6:00 p.m. Linfield (9-12, NWC 2-10) travels to Willamette University Tuesday, also at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be followed by NWC men's contests at 8:00 p.m.