Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. – Setting a new school record for wins in a season while keeping their perfect record intact, the George Fox University Bruins improved to 26-0 with an 85-47 win over the Whitman College Missionaries in the semi-finals of the Northwest Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Thursday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

By beating Whitman (18-8), the Bruins topped the previous record for wins set by last year's “Sweet 16” team that went 25-5 and moved one step closer to a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  George Fox, ranked 2nd in the WBCA poll and 3rd by D3hoops.com, will host the University of Puget Sound Loggers (18-8) Saturday night at 7:00 p.m., the third straight season in which the two have squared off with the tournament title on the line.  The Loggers advanced with a 71-53 victory over the Pacific University Boxers (11-14) in the other semi-final game Thursday in Tacoma, Wash.

The Bruins' shooters opened the game on fire, hitting four of their first five shots to post a 10-0 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the game.  Keisha Gordon hit three-pointers around a pair of layups by Kristen Shielee for the quick Bruin start before Rebecca Sexton's layup at the 16:37 mark got the Missionaries on the scoreboard.  The Bruins then hit four of five shots again in a 12-2 run that made it 22-4 with 13:36 left.

George Fox eventually built a 29-point first-half lead of 51-22 on a pair of Shielee free throws with three minutes to go, and took a 53-26 lead into the break as Shielee put back her own missed shot at the buzzer.  Three players - Gordon with 13 points, Sage Indendi with 11, and Shielee with 10 - were all in double figures by the end of the half for the Bruins, who wound up shooting .588 (20-34) from the field en route to their largest scoring half of the season.  Whitman hit .393 (11-28).

The Bruins cooled off somewhat in the second half, hitting .419 (13-31) from the field, but the defense also tightened up against the conference's highest-scoring team, holding the Missionaries to a .321 mark (9-28) in the final 20 minutes.  A three by Gordon gave the home team its first 30-point lead of the game at 61-31 with 16:20 remaining, and they never went under it again.  George Fox twice held 38-point leads, at 77-39 on an Arianna Mohsenian three with 7:26 left, and the final score, which came on a Samantha Simmons layup with 49 seconds to go.

George Fox ended with a .508 shooting percentage (33-65) to .357 (20-56) for Whitman.  The Bruins were also hot from the three-point line, making 11-24 (.458) to only 2-16 (.125) for the Missionaries. 

Gordon finished with a game-high 20 points, Indendi had 13, and Shielee 12.  Shielee led the Bruins to a 39-33 advantage on the boards and blocked three shots, extending her single-season record to 99.  Indendi and B.B. Gardner passed out five assists apiece, and Elise Kuenzi made four steals as the Bruins pressured the Missionaries into 20 turnovers while committing only 11 themselves.

No one reached double figures in points for Whitman, Sexton finishing with a high of nine.  Michelle Krall had a team-high seven rebounds, Anna Forge had six assists, and Jennifer Keyes made three steals.