NEWBERG, Ore. --- While the George Fox women's basketball team was able to start out the first half strong, a tough fourth quarter let Willamette back into the game as the Bruins fell on Senior Night, 57-63.
How It Happened
Both teams came out firing to start the contest, as both Willamette and George Fox shot above 55% in the quarter. Alexa Borter led the Bruins with five points in the period, but seven different Bruins would score in the game to take a 19-16 lead. While Willamette did shoot a simmering 58%, the Fox defense forced five turnovers to stay in front.
Both teams cooled off significantly in the second quarter, with each team shooting 35% from the field. Impressively, both the Bruins and the Bearcats shot 5/14 from the field,1/2 from the line, and had two assists and three turnovers in an evenly contested quarter. At the end of the first half, Fox narrowly led, 32-28.
Though Fox was able to jump out to a seven point advantage, the Bearcats battled back, embarking on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 39. Ella Roberts and Cassidy Posey stemmed the tide with a triple and a three point play, and at the end of the third the Bruins led 47-43.
CarolAnn Edwards' layup with seven minutes remaining gave Willamette a 50-49 advantage, their first lead since the second quarter. The teams exchanged leads before Willamette grabbed a 56-54 lead. The game remained at that score before Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil nailed a triple to extend the Bearcat lead to five. Ultimately, only eight fourth quarter points from the Bruins doomed them as they fell, 57-63.
Top Performances
Roberts was the high scorer on the night, netting 11 points, while Jenna Lacey was close behind with her nine points. Roberts, as well as Alyssa Wells, led the team with five rebounds. With it being senior night, The Bruins honored their class of 2022 seniors in Posey, Rachel Parks, Kate Huguenin, and Lillie Abrahamson.
What It Means
The loss drops the Bruins back to .500 at 11-11 overall. Their NWC mark drops to 7-6 on the year.
Up Next
Fox wraps its regular season campaign on the road next week with games against Pacific (Ore.), Whitman, and Whitworth.
