NEWBERG, Ore. --- The No. 2/3-ranked George Fox women's basketball team hosted the Pioneers of Lewis & Clark College Saturday evening, as the Bruins beat the Pios, 72-57.

Recap:
Both teams came out swinging in the first quarter as the pace of play was extremely fast. The Pios kept up with the top-ranked Bruins for the most part, but the Bruins' press proved to be too difficult, as the Pioneers coughed up eight turnovers. Justine Benner was excellent in the early going, as she scored eight of the Bruins' 14 points after 10 minutes of play.

Although the Bruins led after one quarter of play, 14-13, the Pioneers were on a mission in the second. The Pioneers jumped out to a 26-21 lead with four minutes left in the second after going on a 10-4 run. LCC continued to pounce on the Bruins extending its lead to 10 after scoring six straight points, 34-24. The Bruins were able to cut into the deficit and bring it to eight, 35-27, but that score would stand as both teams went into the break.

Justine Benner led the Bruins with 11 at half, while Natalie Kelly of LCC matched her. The Bruins shot 27 percent from the field and went 0-12 from the 3-point line.

In the start of the third, it was a completely different Bruins squad. George Fox turned that eight point deficit into two, 35-33, after just two minutes of play. It didn't take long for the Bruins to regain their lead after Kaycee Creech drilled a three from the quarter at the 5:38 mark, 41-39. The crowd started to play a factor as well, with each shot falling for the Bruins, the crowd continued to get louder and louder. Sammy Naluai hit another three for the Bruins a minute later to give the Bruins a five point edge, 46-41.

It seemed as if the Bruins came out of the phone booth in the second half, utilizing their press to force 12 turnovers in the third quarter. The Bruins finished the quarter out-scoring the Pioneers, 31-11, to enter the fourth with a 12 point lead, 58-46.

The Bruins continued to bring it in the fourth, increasing their lead to 21, 68-47, after five minutes of play. The lead never dipped below double digits, as the Bruins closed out the game on top.

Top Performers:
Benner led all scorers with 24 and added three assists to her performance. Naluai finished with 12 and recorded four assists and four steals. After going 0-12 in the first half from the 3-point line, the Bruins turned it around in the third and went 4-5 from deep.

What It Means:
With the win, the Bruins improve to 21-0 on the season and 12-0 in the Northwest Conference.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins will travel up to Washington next week when they take on Whitworth on Friday, Feb. 12 at 6:00p.m. They will then play Whitman on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.