NEWBERG, Ore. – Jami Roos set a new George Fox University record with eight three-point field goals, but it took Hannah Munger's rebound basket with three seconds left to lift the Bruins over the visiting Warner Pacific College Knights 63-62 in their women's basketball home opener Tuesday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

Roos connected on 8-of-19 field goals, all from behind the arc, for 24 points, setting new Bruin records for threes made and attempted.  The previous marks were seven makes by Christy Brock vs. Whitman College on Jan. 8, 1999, and 14 attempts by Kim Leith vs. the College of St. Benedict in the NCAA Division III National Tournament on March 11, 2005.

George Fox improved to 4-2 on the season with its fourth straight win and collected its 37th consecutive home-court victory; the Bruins have not lost at home since a 64-51 defeat at the hands of NAIA power Lewis-Clark State College on Dec. 5, 2009.  Warner Pacific, a member of the NAIA and the Cascade Collegiate Conference, dipped to 3-5 on the year.

The game was a nail-biter throughout as there were 11 ties, 15 lead changes, and no lead larger than five points.  Warner got off to a 5-0 lead on a layup by Ali Campbell and a three by Chelsey Christensen, but the Bruins battled back to tie it 7-7 on two layups by Munger and a trey by Roos, and the joust was on.

George Fox took its largest lead of the opening period when Justine Benner broke a 15-15 deadlock with a layin and Hayley Cusick nailed a three to make it 20-15 with 7:06 left in the half.  The Knights rallied to go up by two at 26-24 on a three by KayLee Engen with 2:26 left, but the Bruins regained the advantage on a jumper by Cusick and two Munger free throws.  A basket by Christensen at the 1:01 mark left the score 28-28 at halftime.

The Bruins built five-point leads three times on three-pointers in the second half, twice by Roos, who scored 15 in the final period, and once by Nicole Blizzard, whose triple with 3:23 to play made it 56-51.  A jumper by Tori Carroll and a conventional three-point play off a rebound basket by Christensen, who scored 18 of her game-high 25 in the second half, knotted it for the final time at 56-56 with 2:37 to go.

Roos nailed her final three at 2:16 to give the Bruins a three-point lead, but Christensen made two driving layups to put the Knights up 60-59 with 1:01 left.  The teams exchanged leads on Munger's layup with 46 ticks left and Carroll's jumper with 27 seconds to go, setting up a wild finish.  Roos attempted a go-ahead three with six seconds left and Dacia Heckendorf rebounded under the basket but missed a contested layup, only to have Munger, the 6-5 All-American recently reinstated from knee surgery, make the putback with 0:03 showing.  Roos then picked off the Knights' half-court pass to preserve the Bruins' win.

Munger joined Roos in double figures for the Bruins with 12 points on 5-of-8 from the field.  Cusick nearly turned in a triple-double as she had nine points along with game and career highs of eight assists and seven steals.  Megan Hays had nine rebounds as the Bruins held a 37-29 advantage on the boards, including 14 on the offensive glass.

Christensen recorded a double-double for the Knights as she added a game-high 10 rebounds to her 25 points.  Carroll finished with 13 points and Engen had 11, along with a team-leading three assists and four steals.  Melissa Carey also had three assists. 

NEXT: George Fox, ranked 23rd in this week's WBCA national poll and 24th in the D3hoops.com poll, takes on another NAIA and CCC foe on Friday, hosting Concordia University-Portland at 7:00 p.m. ... Warner Pacific hosts New Hope Christian College next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.