NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's basketball team put together a clinical performance to blast by the Northwest University Eagles at home, notching a third straight win, 76-49.

How It Happened
It took Tara Ushiro just 18 seconds to drop their first three pointer of the game, setting the tone for an electrifying first period from the Bruins. Fox opened with a twelve point run that saw four different players score in the first four minutes. The Bruin defense held the Eagles to just two made shots outside of free throws, while closing out the quarter with another big run; this time adding nine straight points, five of which came from Alyssa Wells. By the end of the period Fox held a dominant lead, 28-9, thanks to tremendous ball movement — the Bruins had nine assists in the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of a back and forth between the two teams, though Fox still outscored the Eagles 17-11 for the period. Alexa Borter was lethal from the paint, putting up eight points to lead the Bruin offense, while Ushiro and Mia Skoro each added a three pointer. Though the Eagles had a strong end to the period with several layups, the Bruins took a resounding 25-point lead into halftime, 45-20.

It was the Eagles who scored first in the third quarter, but any momentum they hoped to generate was immediately squashed by Fox, who retaliated with a six point run after a layup by Borter was followed by two straight buckets from Skoro. The game went shot for shot through the middle of the period, before the Bruins were able to break away once again — going on another six point run with three minutes remaining. Borter and Skoro added two more shots from the paint, while Alexa Wells nailed a jumper. The offensive dominance was punctuated by one final layup, this time by Ushiro, sending the Bruins into the final quarter well ahead, 65-36.

Northwest opened with a five point run in the final period to try to narrow the gap. Though the two teams traded buckets back and forward for much of the quarter, the Eagles were never able to get within any real striking distance. Fox ended the game with a five point run of their own that featured back to back layups by Mary Corbett — earning their third straight win, 76-49. 

Top Performers
The Bruins put together a true team effort, with four different players putting up double digit performances. Mia Skoro led the way with her best game of the collegiate career thus far, ending the day with a career-high 20 points, eight rebounds and an assist. Alexa Borter finished with 16 points after going 8-10 from the floor, while Tara Ushiro was 3-4 from beyond the arc to put up 13 points. Alyssa Wells led the team in both blocks (3) and assists (6), while also scoring 11 points herself.

Coach's Thoughts
"I thought it was a solid team win tonight," Bruin head coach Lauren Howard said, "Everybody contributed the whole game. I'm super proud of everyone for facing adversity and grinding it out."

What It Means
George Fox continues their stellar run to move to 7-1 on the season — their best start since the 2019-20 season. Meanwhile, Saturday's contest counted as an exhibition for the Eagles, who remain at 3-6 on the year.

What Happens Next
Fox will return to the court for their last game before the New Year on Friday, December 20th, against UC Santa Cruz (4-7). The home matchup is scheduled to tip off at 6:00 p.m. in Wheeler Sports Center.