Photo Taken By: Jake Ryan 

TACOMA, Wash. --- The No. 7/8-ranked George Fox women's basketball team fell to the Loggers of Puget Sound, Saturday evening, as the Loggers edged the Bruins, 86-85.

Recap:
The game was physical from the start, as both teams combined for 14 fouls in the first quarter. Plagued by foul trouble early on, the Bruins were forced to go to their bench early. The Loggers controlled most of the first quarter, as the home team went to the free throw line 12 times, while the Bruins found the stripe just three times. The Loggers did well to make the most of the charity stripe, hitting 11 of their 12 free throws in the first quarter. Puget Sound ended the first quarter with a 25-19 advantage.

The Bruins tightened up their play in the second quarter, and the Bruins' press proved to be the difference. The Loggers enjoyed a 10 point lead at the 8:16 mark, 30-20, but that deficit was cut to three points after the Bruins forced three quick turnovers in a one minute span. The momentum shifted, and appeared to be in favor of the Bruins, but the Loggers continued their impressive shooting.

George Fox went into the half down by six, 43-37. The Bruins shot 11.1 percent from the 3-point line (1-9) and 54.5 percent from the free throw line (6-11), while the Loggers went 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (3-9) and 88.9 percent from the stripe (16-18).

The second half was extraordinary.  

The Bruins opened up the third quarter with six quick points to record the fifth tie of the game at, 43-43. The Loggers bounced back, and went on a run of their own, but George Fox seemed unfazed. Puget Sound continued to take the advantage as time ran down, but the door opened up at the 3:58 mark when Kaitlin Jamieson made a free throw, 52-51. The score flipped back and forth in the final two minutes of the third, and George Fox closed the quarter out with a one point lead, 61-60.

Both teams buckled in for the fourth quarter, as tension filled the air for the final 10 minutes of play. The Loggers were the first to strike, using a 7-0 run to go up by six, 69-63. The Bruins wasted no time answering back, going on a 7-1 run of their own to even the score up at 70-70. With five minutes left on the game clock, Loggers' Samone Jackson hit a three to spark another 7-0 run for the home team, 77-70.

Fans watched as both teams traded body blow after body blow, but neither team could sustain the lead. The lead changed hands four times from 8:18 to 1:50, and each lead changed after both sides went on a seven point run.

With the score tied at 77-77, the Loggers hit a well-timed three at the 1:40 mark to go up, 80-77. Kaycee Creech found the free throw line, but only converted 1-2 to put the Bruins down by a possession. Kylin Collman forced a steal on the in-bounds and made the fast break layup to tie the score at 80-80. A costly foul put the Loggers on the stripe with 1:05 showing on the scoreboard. The Bruins answered, though, as Kaitlin Jamieson made a nice move in the paint to give the Bruins an 82-81 edge.

The final 30 seconds of the game was hectic, as the Bruins were forced to foul after a Logger layup put them down by one, 83-82. Free throws continued to be a factor, and the Loggers made three to go up by four, 86-82, with 16 seconds left. Kimberly Frost rushed down the court and found Collman in the corner. The freshman drained the three to keep the Bruins' hopes alive, and the score within one, 86-85. The Bruins put the Loggers on the line, and the home team missed both, but with only six seconds left in the game it was too little too late.

The Bruins forced the Loggers to turn the ball over 31 times. The score was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands 14 times in the game.

Top Performers:
Kaitlin Jamieson led the Bruins with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds. Emily Spencer and Kimberly Frost both finished with 13. Frost also recorded seven assists and seven steals. Kaycee Creech was the final Bruin in double figures with 12.

What It Means:
With the loss, the Bruins break a six year streak, as the last time the Loggers beat the Bruins was Jan. 21, 2011. The Bruins are 6-1 on the season and 1-1 in the NWC.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins will put NWC play on hold until 2017, as they host Whittier and Bethesda University in the coming weeks. The Bruins play next against Whittier on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4p.m.