By Joshua Nutter

NEWBERG --- The George Fox University women's basketball game was a special one on Friday night as the Bruins honored five seniors in their final regular-season home game at Miller Gymnasium. The Bruins faced off with Lewis & Clark and rolled to an 89-55 win on senior night.   

Recap

George Fox honored its starting five of seniors Emily Holder, Kylin Collman, Hailey Hartney, Haley Strowbridge, and Emily Holder before the contest. The senior five have been instrumental in the success of the George Fox program for the last four years. The group has accounted for a combined 530 games played, 275 games started, and 3884 points in their four years at George Fox. 

The Bruins and Pioneers got off to a slow start from the field before Strowbridge found the bottom of the net from three to get both teams moving. She scored seven of the Bruins' nine first points in the opening five minutes to lead 9-7 at the 5:00 mark. The Bruins closed out the quarter on a 9-5 run to take an early 18-12 run into the second quarter. 

Fox dominated the second quarter, holding the Pioneers to just seven points in the frame and pouring in 19 of their own to command a 37-19 lead at the break. Strowbridge led all scorers with 11 going into the half, followed by Cassidy Posey, who came alive for ten points on 3-for-4 from the floor in the second. The Bruins shot a strong 46.2% from the field and held the Pioneers to just 22.6% from the floor. 

The Bruins didn't take their foot off the gas in the third quarter. Fox sprinted out to a 53-25 lead at the five-minute mark in the period thanks to aggressive play led by Spencer, who pushed the pace and created several opportunities. Strowbridge and Posey continued to lead the scoring effort for the Bruins with Strowbridge getting seven more points in the first five minutes of the frame. The Bruins extended their lead to as much as 32 points in the third and refused to give the Pioneers any room to make a comeback. Fox led by a powerful 30 points heading into the fourth quarter, up 62-32.

GFU closed out the game without letting up, continuing to outscore Lewis & Clark through the fourth quarter. The Bruins added another four points to their margin of victory, closing out the Pioneers by a final score of 89-55. 

Senior Sentiment

The Bruins seniors had much to say about their four years together:

"It's such a surreal feeling playing at home for possibly the last time. It still doesn't seem like this is all real. 

The past 4 years have actually flown by, and looking back we can confidently say playing at home have been some of our favorite memories. We can't put into words how thankful we are for the community-wide support we have received during our time here. We have such great fans from foster friends, to teachers, to parents, to fellow classmates, to alumni ... the list goes on and on. It feels special to be a part of something so much bigger than basketball. We want to continue supporting the Bruins long after we graduate.    

The last four years have meant so much to us. We have grown so much as people and players with the help of our coaches. We could not be any more grateful for our time with Mike Meek and his staff- Tom, Ruble, Kevin, Kelsey, and Keisha. I'm also thankful for Coach Cop and Lauren and how they've helped us with the coaching transition. They have been so intentional with our team and have such a drive to succeed.  

We've laughed together, cried together, and have made so many memories on this court. But we're not done yet."

Top Performers

Haley Strowbridge and Emily Spencer finish out their careers at Miller gym in double figures. Strowbridge 's 17 were a game-high and Spencer reached double figures with 10. Strowbridge was efficient on the night, going 7-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep. 

What It Means

Fox holds on to second place in the NWC with a chance to host an NWC tournament game if it can win at Puget Sound on Saturday and Pacific (Ore.) loses. 

What Happens Next

The Bruins will visit Puget Sound to close out the regular season on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.