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TACOMA, Wash. - Katy Campbell missed a triple-double by one
rebound and the George Fox University Bruins shot over 60 percent
for the game, building a 20-point lead before hanging on against a
desperation University of Puget Sound comeback to defeat the
Loggers 72-66 in the NCAA Division III National Tournament West
Regional final Saturday night here at Memorial Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Bruins are now 25-4 on the season and have
advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament for the third
time in their fifth post-season appearances. The Bruins' next
opponent will be Hope College (29-0), which has been ranked No. 1
in the nation the last nine weeks, at a sectional site that will be
announced by the NCAA on Sunday.
Puget Sound took an early 4-1 lead on a three-pointer by Laura
Hirsh, but there were six lead changes and three ties in the first
six minutes of the contest. George Fox took the lead for good on a
three by Jaime Hubka to make it 13-11 with 13:41 left in the first
half. The Bruins shot .636 (14-22) from the field in the first half
and Melissa Marek-Farris scored eight of her 10 first-half points
in the final six minutes of the period as the Bruins built a
17-point lead of 38-21 before settling for a 38-23 halftime bulge.
The Loggers twice cut the margin to 10 points in the first two
minutes of the second half, but the Bruins responded with five
three-pointers - two by Tiffany Behary and one each by Hubka,
MaryAnne Samples, and Nicole Hudson - to take a 60-40 lead with
10:51 remaining.
Fueled by seven points from Marissa Cain and six George Fox
turnovers, the Loggers exploded for 15 unanswered points over the
next six minutes to climb within five at 60-55 with five minutes to
play. A pair of Campbell free throws slowed the run, but Hirsh hit
three big baskets to pull the Loggers within one at 67-66 with 1:38
left. It was the last gasp for the home team, however, as Behary
hit two free throws with 1:19 to go, the Loggers missed two
potential tying threes, and Campbell sank a pair of freebies with
17 seconds left to build the margin back to five. A Hubka free
throw with seven ticks left ended the scoring.
The win for the Bruins on the Loggers' home court gained the
team a measure of satisfaction for last year, when Puget Sound had
done the same thing to George Fox in the 2006-07 regional in
Newberg. Puget Sound finishes with a 23-5 record, tying the school
record for best won-lost percentage (.821), and was 16-1 at home.
Campbell led the Bruins with 16 points, 12 assists, and nine
rebounds in what probably would have been the first triple-double
by a GFU women's basketball player. Marek-Farris had 14 points on
6-8 shooting and nine rebounds, and Behary added 14 points while
making all four of her shot attempts, all three-pointers. The
Bruins held a 29-18 advantage on the boards and shot .611 (22-36)
for the game, including 11-18 (.611) on threes. They also shot .773
(17-22) from the free throw line.
Cain led all scorers with 21 points for Puget Sound, hitting
10-15 from the floor, while Hirsh added 17, giving her 1,010 in her
career, and Claire Ely scored 10. Ely also led the Loggers with
four rebounds and four assists. The Loggers shot .567 (17-30) in
the second half to finish at .473 (26-55) from the field for the
game, were 6-18 (.333) on threes, and made 8-11 (.727) from the
line.
