McMINNVILLE, Ore. – With the Bruins down going into the fourth quarter after leading for much of the first three, they used clutch free throws and key defensive stops to defeat NWC rivals Linfield, 56-54.

How It Happened
The Bruins got going quickly, hitting three buckets and going up 7-0 in the first two minutes of the first quarter. Fox would stay up by five to six points for the majority of the half, holding a steady lead over Linfield. However, the Wildcats would pull closer at the end of the quarter, and after a pair of Linfield free throws, the quarter ended with the Bruins up, 15-12. 

The second quarter featured similar scoring numbers for the Bruins, but the Wildcats were much more efficient from the field in the second quarter, allowing them to pull within two points at the break. The Wildcats shot 63% from the field, while GFU shot 50%, however, the Bruins also buried four triples compared to just one for Linfield. The triples all came from starting guard Erin Yoshitake, who led the team in treys for the night. As the half came to a close, the Bruins found themselves up by four, looking to go into the half up by two possessions, but the Wildcats hit a floater in the final thirty seconds of the quarter to end the half with GFU up, 30-28.

The Bruins used their superior three-point shooting percentage in the first half to outscore the Wildcats by two, 30-28. Fox secured a halftime lead despite allowing the Wildcats to shoot 55% from the field as a team in the half. 

The Wildcats came out of the half swinging, going on an 8-2 run, to put Fox in a 36-32 hole. An Ella Roberts free throw and Jenna Lacey jumper brought the Bruins within one point with 6:02 to go in the quarter, then both teams went silent from the field for three minutes. Linfield broke the drought with a bucket, going up 38-35 with just over three minutes left in the quarter. Fox and Linfield went back and forth for the next few minutes, with neither side gaining, or losing significant ground. The quarter ended with the Wildcats in the lead, 41-38. 

The Bruins entered the final quarter in danger of losing a game that they had led for the majority of and in need of a scoring surge to break out of a third-quarter lull. The Bruins found that surge at the free throw line: GFU went 10-14 at the free throw line, while the Wildcats didn't make a single free throw in the quarter. Fox would slowly climb their way past the small margin that Linfield had on them, and take back the lead with a clutch three-pointer from Alyssa Wells with 6:50 left in the game. 

From that point on, the Bruins only made one more shot from the field – a driving layup from Lacey with just under four minutes left in the game – but they would hit eight free throws over that stretch, warding off the Wildcats. Ella Roberts hit three of those eight, and Wells closed the game out by hitting back-to-back free throws with six seconds left to put Fox up five. The Wildcats hit their final shot of the night from nearly half court, but it was inconsequential, and the Bruins left with a victory. 

Top Performers
Erin Yoshitake led the team in points, scoring 16 while hitting four from deep. Ella Roberts and Alyssa Wells both came up huge in the second half, with Roberts scoring 11 and hitting clutch free throws, and Wells scoring 12 while also icing out the game from the line as well. 

What It Means
The Bruins pick up their sixth win, and add another conference win to their record. They now sit at 6-16 (6-9 NWC), while the Wildcats fall to 11-13 (6-9 NWC).

What Comes Next
The Bruins play their last regular season game of the year on Friday, Feb. 16, at home against the Willamette Bearcats. Tip-off is at 6 pm.