NEWBERG, Ore. -- In the George Fox women's basketball team's first game in two weeks, they were outshot by the Willamette Bearcats, snapping their two-game win streak with a 54-69 loss.

How It Happened
George Fox fell behind 7-0 early as the Bruins missed their first six shots. An Alyssa Wells triple with 5:32 remaining opened up the scoring for Fox, and the Bruins came within three points after Emma Reed hit from deep to make the score 9-6. The Bearcats responded however, leaving the Bruins down 13-8 going into the second quarter. Both teams shot below 25%, Fox slightly edging out Willamette with a 21.4% shooting percentage. 

Fox shot much better in the second, but the Bearcats came out cooking. GFU tied the game early in the frame, following a 7-2 run to open the quarter. After the tie, Willamette went on an 11-3 run as they extended the Bearcat lead to 13 by the end of the quarter. The Bearcats hit six triples in the corner to take a 35-22 lead into the locker room.

Fox struggled to get stops defensively to open the third, negating their improved offense by allowing Willamette to score efficiently. The Bruins did manage to grab five offensive boards in the quarter but were unable to convert any second-chance points. At the end of the third, the Bruins fell 23 points. Though the Bruins played a much better fourth quarter, outscoring the Bearcats 20-12, the Bruins dropped their first game in two weeks, 54-69. Fox shot 50% from the field in the fourth, their best mark of the game.

For the game, the Bruins shot 34%, and struggled from three, hitting just six triples in 28 attempts. After shooting 1-7 from behind the arc in the first, the Bearcats scored 22 points in both the second and third quarters. Fox did manage an impressive 10 steals in the game.

Top Performances
Erin Yoshitake hit three treys and scored 12 points — she has now scored over ten points in four straight games. Alyssa Wells was the second leading scorer with 11 points, while Alexa Borter was the team leader in boards snagging nine rebounds.

What It Means
The Bruins are now four games under .500, at 7-11 (4-5 NWC), while the Bearcats improve to 10-8 (5-4 NWC).

What Comes Next
The Bruins play their second home game in two days on Saturday, tipping off against Linfield at 4 pm for School Night Out. All K-8 students and their families will get in free to the game.