TACOMA, Wash. -- The George Fox women's basketball team played their hearts out in a close matchup against the Puget Sound Loggers, battling back from a 10-point deficit twice to take a lead before ultimately falling, 60-64.

How It Happened
Though the Bruins trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, the Fox women fought hard throughout the period, inching within three points. The Loggers jumped out to an early lead, extending it to 17-7 with 2:44 remaining; from there, the Bruin defense blanked Puget Sound — and after an Erin Yoshitake triple with 10 seconds left, the team was within three, 14-17.

The defense continued to stay strong in the second quarter, holding the Loggers without a field goal for the first six minutes of the period. While Fox never took a lead in the first half, they stayed close — and after another last-second triple, this one from Alyssa Wells, the Bruins were within one point at the break, 27-28.

It was a neck-and-neck affair throughout the third, with neither team grabbing a hold of the game. A Jenna Lacey trey tied the game, 40-40, before UPS's Paige Gerhart nailed two triples to give the Loggers a six-point lead, their largest since the first quarter. Fox stayed close, though, trailing by just five heading to the final stanza, 43-48.

Offensive rebounding was the Bruins' Achilles heel to begin the fourth, as the Loggers pulled in four offensive boards in the first two minutes; those rebounds helped Puget Sound's lead stretch to 10. Once again, the Bruins raced back, using a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three. Finally, after 38 minutes of basketball, Fox grabbed their first lead, 58-56, on a Yoshitake jumper.

The Loggers quickly countered with a contested layup from Sophie Nilsson to tie the game. Seconds later, Nilsson split a pair of free throws to give the Loggers a 59-58 lead with 38 seconds remaining. After two more UPS free throws, Wells had a chance to tie the game as she was fouled on a three-point attempt. The junior missed her first but knocked in the next two to cut the lead once again to one. Wells got a second look at a triple in the waning seconds, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim. A final free throw from the Loggers was the clincher, as the Bruins fell in another close game, 60-64.

Top Performers
Jenna Lacey had a standout night, putting up a career-high 18 points while pulling in six rebounds. Alyssa Wells was next up, scoring in double figures for her ninth consecutive game with an 11-point performance. Ella Roberts led the team in both rebounds and assists, pulling in eight boards and dishing out five assists.

What It Means
With the loss, Fox drops to 2-14 overall, 2-7 in NWC play, and a painstaking 0-7 in games decided by five or less. Puget Sound improves to 13-6 (7-3 NWC).

What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel back to Newberg for a home tilt against Lewis & Clark (3-14, 1-8 NWC). Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM.