NEWBERG, Ore. - Overcoming an early and effective slow-down strategy by the University of Puget Sound, the 5th-ranked George Fox University Bruins advanced to their third straight "Sweet 16" with a 59-37 win over the 15th-ranked Loggers in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball West Regional Saturday night here at GFU's Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym.

George Fox (27-2) moves on to meet Carthage College (24-4) in a sectional Mar. 12-13 at a site to be determined by the NCAA Tournament Committee some time Sunday.  Also meeting in the same four-team sectional after Saturday night wins will be Mount Union College (26-4) and Washington University-St. Louis (25-2).  Washington is the team the Bruins defeated 60-53 in last year's national championship game.

After dropping all three of their previous meetings with the Bruins - two in the Northwest Conference regular season and then in the finals of the NWC Tournament - the Loggers started the regional game with a new game plan: tough, aggressive man-to-man defense and milk-the-clock on offense.  Taking about 20 seconds off the clock every time, even when they got offensive rebounds, the Loggers' strategy appeared to be working as the game stayed tight an low-scoring for the first 10 minutes.  When Claire Ely hit a pair of free throws with 10:14 left in the period, Puget Sound had a 9-8 lead. 

The plan began to unravel when the Loggers' offense also stalled, allowing the Bruins to take advantage.  Elise Kuenzi's three -pointer from the right corner at 9:33 gave the Bruins the lead for good and ignited a 12-0 run over a four-minute span.  A fast-break layup, foul, and free throw by Carrie Myers made it 20-9 with six minutes left, and the Bruins built it to 14 points as 26-12 with 1:48 left on a Hannah Munger layup. 

The Bruins led 27-14 at the half after holding the Loggers to a meager .161 shooting percentage (5-31) while hitting .526 (10-19) themselves.  Kuenzi and Keisha Gordon had nine points apiece to lead the Bruins, while the Loggers' top two scorers, Ely and Jocelyn Riordan, were a combined 2-19 in the half.

Layups by Munger and Gordon and a pair of Munger free throws extended the Bruins' lead to 19 at 33-14 three minutes into the second half, and the Bruins kept the margin between 16 and 22 points the rest of the way.  MJ Samples canned a three-pointer from the left corner with 40 seconds left for the final score, which was the largest lead of the night for the home team.

"We tried four different plans on them this season and none of them worked," admitted Puget Sound coach Suzy Barcomb.  "I thought our strategy tonight was sound; we just didn't hit the shots we needed to for it to work effectively.  I think there's a lid on the goal when we come down here."

George Fox coach Scott Rueck felt that the importance of the game might have played a role in both teams' slow offensive starts.

"This is the third time in the last fours years the NCAA has drawn up brackets where we and Puget Sound have met in the second round.  We've already met three times in the season, we know each other so well, now it is the national tournament and everything is on the line, it's a 'do-or-die' situation.  Emotionally, that is just draining for both teams, and I think it showed early in the game.  Their aggressiveness on defense allowed us to finally get some drives to the basket and draw some fouls, and eventually that paid off."

Kuenzi topped all scorer with 17 points for the Bruins, while Munger with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Gordon with 15 points and a career-high 13 boards each posted doubles, the eighth for Munger and first for Gordon.  George Fox finished with an even .500 shooting percentage (22-44), off-setting subpar efforts from three-point range (2-8) and the free throw line (.520, 13-25).  The Bruins controlled the backboards 43-31.  Kuenzi, Gordon, B.B. Gardner, and Lindsay Keener had two assists each. 

Ely with 14 points and Riordan with 10 paced the Loggers, who improved their shooting to .321 (9-28) in the second half but still finished with a low .237 mark (14-59).  The Loggers made only 3-6 from the line as they were whistled for 20 fouls to the Bruins' 10.  Riordan, Kelsey McKinnis, and Sha'Ran Lowe had six rebounds apiece, and Riordan and Ely handed out four assists each. 

Puget Sound ends its season with a 24-5 record.  George Fox, meanwhile, takes a 23-game winning streak into its fifth "Sweet 16" appearance in 11 seasons of NCAA eligibility.  The Bruins advance to the "Elite 8" in 2005, and won the national championship last season with a 32-0 record.