By: Jake Bienvenue

SALEM --- The No. 15-ranked George Fox women's basketball team made the short trip to Willamette University on Saturday, beating the Bearcats in the Northwest Conference showdown, 75-49.

Recap:

The first quarter went back-and-forth between the Bearcats and the Bruins. Kylin Collman and Emily Holder hit shots to put George Fox up by five, then the home team responded with a pair of buckets of its own. Tavin Headings hit a pair of shots, giving the Bruins a 10-4 lead, then the Bearcats retaliated and cut the lead to just one.

In the final minutes of the quarter, Haylee Hutzler struck twice from long range to give the Bruins a solid 20-13 lead heading into the second.

The sides traded buckets to start off the second quarter, and then Haley Strowbridge and Headings caught fire, finishing the half on a 13-2 run in a span of just under seven minutes. Strowbridge poured in seven points and Headings, five.

The Bruins led 41-21 heading into the break.

Willamette began to sink its shots in the third quarter, but with every bucket, the Bruins had an answer. They stayed firmly in the lead, keeping pace with the Bearcats' offense. Willamette had 21 in the quarter, the Bruins had 22. Matney Jamieson got it done in the third frame, chipping in six on 3-3 shooting from the field.

Up 63-42 heading into the final period, the Bruins locked in on defense. They held the Bearcats to just seven points on an abysmal 2-11 shooting. No Bruin scored more than two points in the quarter, but six different players found the bottom of the net.

They executed down the stretch to win easily, 75-49.

Top Performers:

The Bruins shot a scorching 66.7% from long range and over 50% from the field as four players found their way into double-figures. Emily Holder led the way with 14 and five rebounds, while Headings was right behind her with 13. Jamieson and Hutzler each scored 10, and Hutzler chipped in seven rebounds and four assists as well.

What It Means:

The Bruins move to 7-1 in conference play and 14-3 overall.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins play Puget Sound on the road on Friday, January 25 at 6:00 pm.