Photo credit: Whitman Sports Information

WALLA WALLA --- The George Fox women's basketball team traveled to face Whitman College in the Northwest Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday, Feb. 29, and outlasted the Blues in regulation to win 57-55 and claim the NWC Tourney crown.

Recap

The Bruins got off to a great start with an early 9-0 lead after holding the Blues scoreless through the opening eight minutes. During the first run of the night, the Bruins held the Blues to 0-8 shooting from the field and forced four turnovers.

The Blues snapped out of their funk after making a triple with 1:44 left in the first. That trey sparked a 17-4 run that carried deep into the second quarter. With five minutes left in the half, the Bruins got a layup from Emily Spencer to snap the run. An and-one layup and free throw by Haley Strowbridge made it 17-16 in favor of the Blues. The teams traded shots the rest of the way until the half and George Fox was able to retake a 27-23 lead at the break after getting buckets by Kylin Collman, Strowbridge, and Spencer.

Out of the break, the Bruins got layups from Spencer and Collman to try and grab the early momentum, but the Blues would not be defeated easily in front of their fans in Walla Walla. The game continued to be a series of runs through the third and deep into the fourth.

With seven minutes left in the game, the Blues took the lead with a trey and a layup to put distance between the sides on the scoreboard. The Bruins locked in down the stretch, however, and cut away at the lead with a coast-to-coast layup from Emily Stephens and a jumper by Strowbridge.

With the game in flux and one minute left, the Bruins got back-to-back buckets – including the game-winner – from Strowbridge and survived a last-second heave that clanked off the left side of the rim to take a heart-testing victory in the closing seconds.

Top Performers

Strowbridge would not be denied a win. The senior finished the night with a game-high 20 points, including six of the last eight in the game, and scored the Bruins' final three buckets to clinch the win. Spencer tallied ten points, and Emily Holder joined Strowbridge in the rebounding department with six boards apiece.

What It Means

The Bruins' seniors will go dancing for the fourth time in their careers after winning their third consecutive NWC Tourney crown. They improve to 21-6 on the year and the five starting seniors are now 92-20 in their four seasons at Fox.

What Happens Next

The Bruins will wait to see where they are headed next in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Mar. 2, after the NCAA Selection Show airs nationally with each bracket laid out in full.