NEWBERG, Ore. - Using their size on the boards and defensive pressure, the George Fox University Bruins took control early and coasted to a 67-47 win over the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in Northwest Conference women's basketball Saturday here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

With the win, the first half of the NWC schedule is finished and the Bruins are 8-0, 14-2 overall. The victory also extends the George Fox conference win streaks to 27 in both regular season play and in all games including conference games and postseason play dating back to the end of the 2007-08 season. 

The Bruins held a 30-6 advantage in the post, where Hannah Munger had her way, finishing with 12 points, 14 rebounds - seven on the offensive end - and six blocks.  Despite turning the ball over five more times than the Lutes, George Fox capitalized by turning Pacific Lutheran's 21 turnovers into 26 points.

Keisha Gordon drained a three-pointer at 19:11 to start an 8-0 opening run that included an Elise Kuenzi driving layup and another Gordon long ball. Meghan Dowling hit a jumper at 16:53 to make the score 8-2, and it would be the closest PLU would get the rest of the game.

George Fox continued to extend the lead, using a 32-11 run that spanned the rest of the first half. At 8:18, with the score 18-9, B.B. Gardner sank a trey ball followed by two Laura Silva free throws and a Munger fast break lay-in when MJ Samples hit the streaking post for the easy basket, and the Bruins led by 16, 25-9.

A jumper by Mandy Wall interrupted the home team's scoring burst, but Gordon's third three of the game got the Bruins right back on track. Over the last three minutes, the Bruins shot 7-for-8 from the foul stripe, Arianna Mohsenian turned a steal into a layup, and Lindsey Keener drained a three to make the score 40-11. A jumper by Melissa Pixler, who led the Lutes with 19 points, with 10 seconds left made the halftime score 40-13.

George Fox shot .462 (12-26) in the half and committed 13 turnovers, but Pacific Lutheran shot only .231 (6-26) and scored only two points off GFU's miscues.

The visitors outscored George Fox in the second half, thanks to Pixler's 14 points off 5-of-9 (.556) shooting - 4-of-7 from downtown - but the hole was too deep for the Lutes.  Both teams played even during the first 10 minutes of the second half, going back and forth until a three-pointer by Pixler got PLU on a 14-4 run. A put-back by Munger at 8:39 and a beautiful open-court pass from Samantha Simmons that led to a lay-up by Laura Silva were the only Bruin scores during that period.

The Lutes outscored the Bruins 19-13 in the second portion of the second half as PLU improved its shooting to .393 (11-28) and George Fox cooled off to .370 (10-27). Pacific Lutheran finished the game shooting .315 (17-54) and the home team shot .415 (22-53).

Gordon led the Bruins with 14 points on 3-of-6 (.500) from the field, including 3-of-5 on threes, and 5-of-6 (.833) from the foul line. She had five rebounds, as did Kuenzi, Mohsenian, and Breezy Rinehart-Young. Carly Towne added six rebounds for GFU, who held a 52-25 advantage on the boards.  Gardner led the Bruins with five assists and Rinehart-Young recorded two blocks.

Tracy Goehri had nine points for the Lutes, now 5-12 and 3-5 in the NWC, grabbed four boards, and dished out four assists. Dowling had six points and seven rebounds. Mackenzie Bieker had five assists.

NOTES: George Fox travels to Forest Grove Tuesday to play Pacific University, with tip off set for 6:00 pm. ... The GFU men will play the following game at 8:00 pm. ... Pacific Lutheran is off until Friday, when the Lutes host Linfield College at 6:00 pm., with the men's NWC game to follow at 8:00 p.m