Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. – Leading from start to finish, the 19th-ranked George Fox University Bruins stretched their season-opening winning streak to 10 in a row with a Northwest Conference-opening 68-50 win over the Whitworth University Pirates in women's basketball Friday evening here at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

The Bruins jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes with two goals apiece by Elise Kuenzi, Sage Indendi, and Keisha Gordon, including three-pointers by Kuenzi and Gordon at each end of the run.  The Pirates responded with a 7-0 run to get within three at 14-11 with 10:42 to go in the half, and cut the deficit to two at 21-19 on a jumper by Ren Mallory with 8:10 left.  The Pirates never could take the lead, however, and the Bruins took a 30-25 lead into halftime after Kuenzi hit a layup with 10 seconds left to close out the first-half scoring.

In the second half, the Bruins maintained their lead between five and 11 points before pulling away late in the period.  A pair of free shots by Kuenzi gave the Bruins the double-digit lead for good at 55-45 with seven minutes remaining, and they stretched the margin to as much as 18 points at 66-48 with two minutes to go on two more Kuenzi freebies.

Kuenzi led all scorers with 18 points for the Bruins, tying her career high set earlier this season at the University of Dallas.  Gordon added 17 points, Kristen Shielee scored 12, and Indendi had 10.  As a team, the Bruins shot a season-best .480 (24-50) from the floor.  Gordon and Breezy Rinehart-Young led the Bruins on the boards with six rebounds apiece, and Indendi and B.B. Gardner passed out five assists each.  Shielee had four blocked shots.   

Four players - Tiffany Corigliano, Liz Horiatis, Leah Pomante, and Alida Bower - scored eight points each for the Pirates, who were limited to a .340 shooting percentage (18-53).  Corigliano, Horiatis, and Pomante had six rebounds apiece as the Pirates owned the boards 34-29.  Cassie Pilkinton had three assists.

With the win, the Bruins closed within one of their record for the best start to a season.  The 2001-02 and 2005-06 teams began those seasons with 11 straight wins.  The George Fox record for the most consecutive wins at any point in a season is 12 by last year's team from Dec. 18 through Feb. 1.

If the Bruins (10-0, NWC 1-0) are to equal their best start, they will have to do so against another nationally-ranked team, the 23rd-ranked Whitman College Missionaries (8-1), Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash.  Game time is 6:00 p.m.  Whitworth (6-4, NWC 0-1) hosts Pacific University Saturday, also at 6:00 p.m.  Both games will be followed by NWC men's games at 8:00 p.m.