Box Score           

NEWBERG, Ore. – Led by senior center Kristen Shielee's fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, the 7th-ranked George Fox University Bruins cruised to their 18th straight win, 77-46 over the Whitworth University Pirates as the second half of the Northwest Conference women's basketball schedule got under way Friday evening here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

Both teams came out of the blocks hot, the Pirates making their first three shots and the Bruins their first four as the home team took a 9-8 lead three minutes into the game.  A layup by Sage Indendi, a three-pointer by B.B. Gardner, and two free throws by Keisha Gordon boosted the Bruin lead to 16-8 with 14:37 left in the half, and they eventually stretched their lead to as many as 16 before the period ended with the Bruins up 43-28. 

Shielee had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone.  The Bruins connected on 17-29 shots (.586), including 5-6 on threes.  The Pirates struggled on 9-25 shooting from the floor (.360), but did make five treys, although they needed 16 attempts to do so.

Gordon and the Pirates' Cassie Pilkinton traded threes to open the second half, but the Bruins reeled off nine unanswered points thereafter, capped by a Shielee layin, for a 55-31 lead with 16:43 to play, essentially sealing the win.  Whitworth, held to a shooting percentage of .219 (7-32) in the second half, got no closer than 18 points the rest of the way.  The final score was the largest margin of the game.

George Fox finished with a .536 shooting mark (30-56) to .281 (16-57) for Whitworth.  The Bruins were 9-17 (.529) from beyond the arc to .250 (7-28) for the Pirates.  The Bruins also dominated on the boards, 44-28, and had seven blocked shots, five by Shielee, who ranks fifth nationally in that category.

In addition to Shielee's big game, Indendi added 16 points and three assists, Elise Kuenzi hit 6-7 from the field en route to 15 points, and Gordon scored 13 with three assists.  Gardner had three steals.

Kim Bluff paced the Pirates with 13 points off the bench and Alida Bower chipped in with 11.  Tiffany Corigliano had a team-high six rebounds and had two assists, as did Leah Pomante.

The Bruins, completing a sweep of the season series with the Pirates, extended their records for best start to a season and most consecutive wins in climbing to 18-0 overall (one of two unbeaten teams left in the NCAA Division III) and 9-0 in the conference.  The Pirates fell to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the NWC.

George Fox hosts Whitman College and Whitworth visits Pacific University Saturday, both games starting at 4:00 p.m.  NWC men's games will follow at 6:00 p.m.