NEWBERG, Ore. -- In front of a large crowd for School Night Out, the George Fox women's basketball held the Linfield Wildcats to under 30% from the field on their way to a 54-47 win.

How It Happened 
From the opening tip, it was clear that the game was going to be a defensive bout. The contest was scoreless for the first two minutes before the two teams traded buckets to kick off the scoring. With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the score was knotted at eight before Fox rattled off on an 8-2 run to take a 16-10 lead going into the second.

Fox struggled mightily on the offensive end in the second, making just one field goal in the quarter. The Bruins relied heavily on their defense in the quarter, holding the Wildcats to just 10 points. While Fox was outscored 10-5 in the frame, they found themselves up one going into the half, 21-20, thanks to their work in the first quarter.

Erin Yoshitake hit a jumper to open up the scoring in the third quarter, as the Bruins rushed out to a four-point lead. The Wildcats fought back to trade the lead with GFU several times before they eventually ended the quarter up two. After shooting 7% in the second, the Bruins shot just 30% in the third as they trailed, 33-35.

George Fox responded to the challenge in the fourth quarter, shooting over 40%. Their offense exploded for 21 points in the frame, jumping to as many as a ten-point lead. Yoshitake came in clutch, scoring 11 points in the quarter to propel the Bruins' offense forward. With Linfield in a position where they had to foul in the final minute, Fox scored eight points on free throws — a vast difference from their earlier game against Linfield where they missed many crucial free throws. The high-scoring quarter, the third straight fourth period where Fox scored 20-plus, pushed the Bruins to a 54-47 victory.

Top Performances
Yoshitake had 15 points and two steals, leading the Bruins in scoring once again. Ella Roberts had her best game in recent memory, with a line of eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks. 

Coach's Thoughts
"It was a good team win on a night when we missed a lot of shots we usually knock down." Bruin head coach Mike Coppolino said, "It's important that we keep building next week into February."

What It Means
George Fox gets back to .500 in NWC play again, with a conference record of 5-5 and a total record of 8-11. Linfield falls to 8-11 (4-6 NWC).

What Comes Next 
Fox travels to Pacific Lutheran University on Feb. 3, where tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm.