NEWBERG, Ore. --- For the second-straight year, the George Fox women's basketball team claimed the Northwest Conference Tournament Championship by beating the Loggers of Puget Sound, 76-57. 

Recap:
The Bruins slammed on the gas in the opening minutes, taking a 7-0 lead after just two minutes of play. Justine Benner opened up the scoring with a hard and-one, and Nicole Blizzard knocked down a deep three minutes later. Benner gave the Bruins their 7-0 lead after a steal in their press resulted in an easy layup.

The Loggers were able to settle down around the 6:15 mark, going on a 7-0 run of their own to force the first tie of the game, 7-7. Unfazed by the Loggers' run, the Bruins answered back and scored in back-to-back possessions to gain momentum and get the crowd on their feet. George Fox ended the first quarter with an eight point lead, 21-13.

In the start of the second quarter, both teams traded baskets back-and-forth, but Kaycee Creech lifted the Bruins to a 10 point lead after knocking down a three in the corner, 27-17. Benner was back at it again at the 6:27 mark with another and-one opportunity, 32-21. Anjenae Torregano went on a rampage, scoring the next eight straight points for George Fox to take a 17 point lead, 40-23.

With just under a minute left in the first half, Sammy Naluai found Blizzard in the corner, who hit a three to give the Bruins a 21 point edge, 47-26.

George Fox went into the break with a 19 point lead, 47-28. The Bruins held the Loggers to 39.1 percent shooting from the field and zero percent from the 3-point line (0-6). Only three Loggers scored for Puget Sound at half. Benner and Torregano led the Bruins with 11 apiece. The Bruins shot 56.3 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from 3-point land (7-11).

The Bruins got off to a strong start in the beginning of the third call, but after some costly fouls, the Loggers started to creep back into the game. At the 5:39 mark, the Bruins had four players with three fouls (Benner, Jamieson, Frost, Torregano), and the Bruins had to go to their bench. The Loggers cut the lead to 13 after an 8-0 run on back-to-back threes by Allie Wyszynski, 53-40. Despite the best efforts by the Loggers, the Bruins ended the third quarter with a 16 point lead, 64-48.

The fourth quarter was all Bruins, as they continued to keep their lead at a comfortable margin. The Loggers didn't back down, though, and showed heart and grit fighting all the way till the end.

Top Performers:
Benner led the way for the Bruins with 17 points. She also collected six rebounds and two assits. Torregano finished with 14 on 5-9 shooting and 4-6 from the 3-point line. Blizzard and Naluai both scored 11 apiece.

What It Means:
The Bruins are back-to-back Northwest Conference Tournament Champions and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Div. III National Tournament.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins will wait to see what's in store for them, as selection day will take place on Monday, Feb. 29 at noon. A story will be published late Monday letting fans know what's next for the No. 2-ranked Bruins.