TACOMA, Wash. - Hannah Munger scored 12 of her game-high 15 points in the first half as the 5th-ranked George Fox University Bruins rolled past the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes 60-41 Saturday night here at Olson Auditorium, polishing off an unprecedented second straight perfect Northwest Conference  women's basketball season.

George Fox extended its winning streak to 19 while improving to 23-2 overall and 16-0 in the conference.  The only other team to ever go unbeaten in the NWC or its predecessor league, the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, was Willamette University (10-0) in 1985-86.  The Bruins were 16-0 last season en route to a 32-0 record and the NCAA Division III national championship, and have now won 35 straight against NWC competition.  Pacific Lutheran ends its season at 7-18 and 5-11 in the NWC, finishing 6th.

PLU jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead at the 16:41 mark of the first half on three-point baskets by Jordan Westering and Sarah Backstrom.  The Lutes then went scoreless for over seven minutes as the Bruins went on a 15-0 run, keyed by a three-pointer and two free throws by Arianna Mohsenian, to take a 17-6 lead with 9:41 remaining.  The Bruins built the lead to as many as 13 points four times in the half, the last being the halftime score of 31-18 after an Elise Kuenzi jumper with 30 seconds left.

The Bruins kept their momentum by making six steals in the first five minutes of the second half, Keisha Gordon making three of them on the way to seven for the game.  A 16-4 Bruin run pushed the lead to 49-30 with 9:23 remaining after a pair of Gordon free throws, effectively sealing the deal.  Their largest lead was 23 twice, the last at 60-37 on a Laura Silva three with 3:05 left.

In addition to Munger's 15, Kuenzi and Gordon each scored 10 for the Bruins.  Kuenzi and Mohsenian had a game-high eight rebounds apiece, helping the Bruins to a 43-41 edge in that category.  Lindsay Keener handed out four assists.  The Bruins shot .344 (21-61) in the game, but held the Lutes to a .283 mark (17-60).  George Fox owned a decided advantage at the free throw line, making 14-17 (.824) to 3-4 (.750) for Pacific Lutheran, and forced 20 PLU turnovers with 18 steals while making only 12 turnovers themselves.

Tracy Goehri scored a team-high 12 points for the Lutes, the only PLU player in double figures.  Melissa Pixler, Mackenzie Bieker, and Meghan Dowling tied for PLU rebounding honors with seven apiece.  Backstrom had five assist and three steals. 

NOTES: With Whitworth University winning 65-56 at Linfield College and the University of Puget Sound defeating Lewis & Clark College 67-53 at home Saturday, the field is now set for next week's Northwest Conference Tournament to determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.  #1 George Fox will host #4 Lewis & Clark and #2 Puget Sound will host #3 Whitworth Thursday, Feb. 25, with both games at 7:00 p.m.  The finals will be Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the home of the highest-remaining seed.  Puget Sound finished 22-3 and 14-2 in the conference, while Lewis & Clark was 16-9 and 10-6 and Whitworth was 14-11 and 10-6.  Whitworth got the tiebreaker by virtue of two wins over 5th-place Whitman College.