NEWBERG, Ore. --- With a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line, George Fox gave an energized crowd reason to celebrate with a commanding performance in defeating the University of Puget Sound, 67-49, in the Second Round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament on Saturday night.

For the fourth time this season the Bruins and Loggers matched up with more at stake each time. Early on the game looked to mirror the Northwest Conference Tournament Championship Game from a week ago where the Bruins won in a tight 66-61 finish.

Energy pulsated through the gym with the teams trading baskets for the first six minutes of the game. The Bruins used an 8-0 run at the 8:37 mark to take its first double digit lead of the game at 27-14.

After the quick scoring spree, George Fox continued to keep its foot on the gas increasing its lead to 22 after a 13-2 run, 40-18. During that spurt Nicole Blizzard knocked down two threes, while Kimberly Frost added one.

The Bruins hustled into the break with a 42-24 lead. George Fox scored 18 points off of the 12 turnovers they forced in the first half. The Bruins shot 46.2 percent from the three point line, while the Loggers shot a 12.5 percent clip.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game going in," said head coach Michael Meek. "We knew after playing them three times previously that it would be a good match-up. I am proud of our women and how they came out with such poise and energy. Nicole hit some big shots tonight, as well as Jami. We had a great overall team effort tonight."

The Bruins got off to a sluggish start in the second half, as the Loggers used a 7-4 run to cut the deficit to 15 points, 46-31. The lead was cut to 13 moments later, but that would be the closest the Loggers would get the rest of the night.

Both teams matched each other shot for shot down the stretch, and the biggest shot of the night came from Blizzard when she hit her fourth three to erupt the Bruin faithful and put the game out of reach.

"Our goal every day is to go 1-0, and tonight we knew it would be tough with a team we have faced three times before," said senior Lauren Codling. "I thought we did a great job defensively, which makes our offense flow much better. I was proud of my team and how we grinded it out for 40 minutes tonight."

The Bruins finished the night shooting 43.1 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from the 3-point line and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Jami Morris led all scorers with 22 points and five assists, while Blizzard went a perfect 4-for-4 from the 3-point line for 14 points. Justine Benner added 12 points and was just one rebound shy of her third double-double. Codling recorded 11 rebounds, eight points, four assists and four steals.

"Tonight was a huge win for us," said Benner. "We came out with a ton of energy and kept that up the entire game, which allows us to play off of each other. Also, the way our crowd has been so energetic and supportive is awesome to see and we feed off that energy as well.  On to the Sweet 16 and I couldn't be more excited for what this team will bring!"

The Bruins improve to 29-0 on the season, while the Loggers conclude their season at 24-5.

George Fox now waits to find out the opponent and destination of their eighth Sweet 16 appearance since 2000.