ABILENE, Texas – The George Fox women's basketball team found themselves fighting to stay within striking distance of the McMurry War Hawks for most of their game Wednesday, and they eventually fell, 86-69.

How It Happened
The first quarter started with a pair of triples for the War Hawks, who would jump out to an 8-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game. The Bruins were down by as much as 11 points in the quarter before they pulled within five points at the 2:30 mark of the third quarter – In which Fox used an Erin Yoshitake three to cap off the run. 

McMurry would end the quarter on a six-point burst to end the first frame; the final score at the end of the first quarter was 21-10 in favor of McMurry. The second quarter was largely the same, with McMurry taking advantage of the faster pace of the game to create shots in the paint –they outscored GFU by 22 in the restricted area – and the half ended with the War Hawks leading the Bruins by a large total, 39-22. 

The third quarter started very similar to how the game started, with GFU giving up two quick three-point shots to the War Hawks to start the half. The rest of the quarter was much more productive for Fox offensively though, as they had their best output in the third quarter, scoring 31 points (the highest total for either team during a quarter for the game), unfortunately, the defense wasn't able to limit McMurry, as they scored 27 points to maintain a 13 point lead. 

With the Bruins needing their offensive outburst of the third to continue, they weren't able to maintain pace. They went scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter and watched as the deficit ballooned to 19 points. Fox was never able to bring the game even within ten points in the final frame, as they eventually fell by 17 points, 86-69. 

Top Performances
Erin Yoshitake led the team in points with 21, shooting 7-13 from the field and 3-7 from deep. Alyssa Wells also joined Yoshitake with 21 points, hitting a season-high five triples on the day. Jenna Lacey added 16 points, while also grabbing a team-high six rebounds. 

Coaches Thoughts
"We are still working on putting a full game together. We are working hard and figuring out how to compete all 4 quarters. This trip was about growth and learning. I'm very proud of the fight the team showed this week." – Head coach Lauren Howard.

What It Means
George Fox slips to 1-7 (1-1 NWC) on the season, losing their sixth straight non-conference game. McMurry improves to 10-1, winning their third straight contest.

What Comes Next
The Bruins return to Newberg for a December 29th contest against Michigan's Calvin University. Tip-off is at 6 pm at the Wheeler Sports Center.