NEWBERG, Ore. -- After a back and forth battle with Warner Pacific, the George Fox women's Basketball team fell after a late foul sent the Knights to the line, where the two free throws were the deciding factor in a 54-56 loss.
How It Happened
After the Knights scored first, the Bruins jumped out to a lead that was quickly equalled again by Warner in a high-scoring first quarter. Though the Knights tried to extend their lead,
Jaela Eggers craftily drew a foul to send her to the line in the final minutes. The senior drained both of her free throws to tie the game, and though the Knights took a 19-18 lead with a late three pointer, the Bruins felt the momentum on their side heading into the second quarter.
The two teams were once again neck-and-neck in scoring in the second quarter, with Fox in a narrow four point deficit heading into halftime. The Bruins exchanged blows with the Knights the whole quarter, and though down by as much as six at one point in the quarter, they battled back to put themselves within striking distance heading into the half.
The third quarter was a bountiful for the Bruins, as they outscored the Knights 17-10 and took a 48-45 lead into the final quarter. As both offenses stalled in the middle of the quarter, it was the Bruins breaking out first, scoring five unanswered to go from one down to up by four. This extended run featured four consecutive buckets from
Jenna Lacey,
Alyssa Wells, and
Claire Hinds to re-energize the team and the crowd.
Following a high-scoring end to the third, both offenses took a turn in the fourth, with neither team taking the game away from the other. Fox only managed six points in the period., all of which occurred in the first half of the quarter; the final bucket of the game for the Bruins came on a
Jenna Lacey fastbreak layup to take a 54-49 lead. The Knights slowly worked their way back into the game, and late Bruin turnovers late gave them a chance at the game. With just 2.4 seconds left, Emily Brown was fouled on a layup attempt. Brown went to the line with a chance at the win, sinking both to hand the Bruins a heartbreaking loss.
Top Performers
Alyssa Wells led the Bruins' offense with 15 points and three assists. Wells was one of four double digit scorers, with
Jenna Lacey,
Claire Hinds, and
Erin Yoshitake all scoring 10.
Ella Roberts recovered six defensive rebounds and totaled two blocks. Wells also contributed four steals.
What It Means
The Bruins move to 1-4 overall and remain 1-1 in conference play. Warner Pacific improves to 5-1.
Whats Next
The Bruins take on their second NCAA Division II foe of the season in Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Seattle.
