NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's basketball team beat the Pacific Boxers on Saturday night, as Senior Emily Stephens was celebrated for her four years on the team and the positive impact she left on and off the court.

How It Happened
Fox scored first (off a fitting driving layup from Stephens), taking the lead before Pacific found a rhythm offensively. Both teams had good but not great quarters shooting, and GFU ended the quarter down three.

Fox struggled mightily on offense in the second, going scoreless for a long stretch while Pacific was able to find ways to score in spite of energetic defense from the Bruins. GFU made just three shots from the field in the second and found themselves down ten with six minutes left in the half. Fox was able to muster up a few buckets to go into the half down six but still needed a serious energy boost if they were going to battle back.

The Bruins found that spark of energy in themselves to start the second half, going on a massive 9-2 run — not just bringing them back into the game, but taking the lead. While no one player was the sole reason for the uptick in energy, Jenna Lacey grabbed several key rebounds and provided a solid defensive presence. The Boxers responded with a run of their own, going up by seven points with a minute left in the quarter. After the exciting run to start the third, Fox ended the quarter down six, the same as they started.

In the fourth, Ella Roberts made a layup to start the quarter and cut the Boxers' lead to four. Roberts hit two free throws a minute later to make it a one-score game, and she continued her solo run with another bucket to tie it after that. After the 6-0 Roberts' scoring run, both teams wrestled back and forth the lead. With just seconds left on the clock, Erin Yoshitake drew a foul, then hit two free throws to give Fox the one-point lead. At first, it appeared that the Boxers had scored a heartbreaking layup on the final possession, but a Bruin timeout from coach Mike Coppolino negated the play. Pacific was unable to score with their final possession, and the Bruins won their final game of the season, 50-49.

Top Performances
Erin Yoshitake had 17 points, hitting four threes in the contest. Ella Roberts used a big fourth quarter to drop 11 points and swatted three shots as well. Emily Stephens ended her college career with five points in 12 minutes. For her career, Stephens shot 42% and grabbed 204 rebounds in 66 career games. 

Coach's Thoughts
"We will miss Steve next year," Coppolino said of his senior, "She was the heart and soul and soul of our team. Excited for the future of our program!"

What It Means
The Bruins finish the season 11-14, going 8-8 in conference play. With Willamette clinching the fourth seed with a win earlier that night, the Bruins have missed out on the NWC Tournament for the first time in 20 years. Pacific finishes the regular season 18-7 (11-5 NWC), the third seed in the conference.

What Comes Next
The Bruins head into the offseason and will come into the 2023-24 season with all of their starters returning.