PORTLAND, Ore. – The George Fox women's basketball team put up 20 points in the final period to surge past the Multnomah Lions, 64-55, and keep their unbeaten start alive.
How It Happened
Both teams were explosive from the opening whistle, trading buckets back and forth in a close first quarter. The Bruins went on a six point run early in the period —
Alexa Borter nailed a jump shot and two free throws to put Fox ahead, 8-3. Multnomah retaliated immediately, however, going on a ten point run of their own to edge into the lead. After vying for ball possession in the closing minutes of the frame,
Kylie Ritter drilled a crucial three-pointer for Fox, putting the final touches on an electric opening quarter and giving the Bruins a one point lead.
Alyssa Wells came out on fire to open the second quarter, dropping two straight shots from beyond the arc to extend Fox's lead, 21-14. Wells went on to make two more jump shots on her way to putting up 10 points in the second frame alone. Despite her hot start, the Lions refused to go down quietly, outscoring the Bruins 18-15 for the period after going on several runs of their own. Heading into halftime the Bruins trailed by two, 30-32.
Multnomah continued this momentum into the early stages of the second half, going on another four point run to pull ahead, 36-30. Two more threes from Wells and a jump shot from Borter leveled the scores with four minutes left in the frame, though the Lions responded with yet another flurry of points to instantly regain their six point lead. Sophomore
Tara Ushiro was the last Fox player to score in the period, hitting an and-one floater in the final 20 seconds to narrow the gap. However, the Bruins were still behind headed into the final frame, 44-49.
The Bruin offense was lethal in the final period, bursting out with outscoring the Lions 15-0 to start the fourth to take a 10-point lead.
Hanne Hopkins struck first with two free throws, before a three point run from Wells was followed by a deep three by Ushiro. The defense also came alive, holding Multnomah to just six points for the entire period — their lowest of the game. While the Lions did manage to get back within six points, five converted free throws from Fox in the final two minutes of play sealed the victory, 64-55.
Top Performances
Senior
Alyssa Wells led the way for the Bruins in a dominant performance, drilling 7-9 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc on her way to 22 points.
Alexa Borter and
Tara Ushiro also notched double digit performances, scoring 13 and 10 points respectively, and both going 3-3 on three pointers.
Hanne Hopkins also had an impressive day, leading the team with eight rebounds and six assists and making all seven of her free throws.
What It Means
The win puts the Bruins 3-0 early in the season, giving them great momentum headed into several big games against tough SCIAC competitors.
What Comes Next
The Bruins (3-0) will take to the court next in a road matchup against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2-0) on Friday, November 22nd. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
