McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- The George Fox women's basketball team made sure to bounce back quickly after a loss the night before, heading into McMinnville and taking down a previously unbeaten Linfield Wildcat squad, 66-56.

How It Happened
It was clear from the opening tip the game would feature two powerhouse teams. Hanne Hopkins scored the opening points of the game, but the Wildcats countered with nine straight points to take a seven-point advantage. Fox quickly got back in the game, using a triple from Alyssa Wells and 3-3 shooting from Hopkins to cut the lead to two. A three-pointer from the Wildcats in the closing seconds of the quarter gave Linfield the 19-13 lead after one.

Linfield's shooting helped widen the lead in the early stages of the second, as the Wildcats knocked in their first three from beyond the arc to extend the lead to 12, 28-16. However, the Bruin defense locked down the 'Cats attack in the final five minutes, holding Linfield to two points as Fox closed the gap. A 10-2 run to close the half was punctuated by an Alexa Borter layup with one second left, as the Bruins went into halftime trailing, 26-30.

After hanging around for much of the game, the third quarter proved to be the breakout quarter for Fox. Though the Wildcats scored the first four points of the half, the press that George Fox instituted began to weigh on them; the Bruins went on to force five turnovers in the third. An 8-0 run by the Bruins in the middle of the third gave them their first lead since the opening seconds of the game. And once again, a Borter layup ended the quarter — but this time, Fox was up, 44-42.

The start of the fourth quarter was neck-and-neck, with Linfield taking a brief lead, but the Bruins slowly began to pull away. Hopkins, Bella Arrisgado, and Kylie Ritter proved to be crucial bucket-scorers down the stretch, scoring all four of the Bruins' field goals as Fox extended their lead to 10 with a 12-1 run. 

The Bruin offense was nearly perfect in the fourth, as Fox shot 80% from the field and knocked down 14 of their 16 free throws to keep the Wildcats at bay. After making their first three three-point attempts, the Bruins held Linfield to 1-9 shooting — a stat that proved to be crucial as Fox wrestled away control of the game. When all was said and done, Linfield was unbeaten no more, and the Bruins were victorious, 66-56.

Top Performers
Hanne Hopkins poured in a career-high 17 points, shooting 6-7 from the field, while Alexa Borter came one rebound away from a double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds. Bella Arrisgado had a noticeable impact off the bench, notching a career-high of her own with 14 points. Alyssa Wells rounded out the double-digit scorers, finishing with 11 points.

Top Performers
"I am proud of this squad for bouncing back after a tough loss last night," Bruin head coach Lauren Howard said, "We played hard for 40 minutes and executed our game plan."

What It Means
The Bruins improved to 9-2 on the season, with a 1-1 mark in NWC play. The loss is the Wildcats' first of the season, as they fall to 10-1 (1-1 NWC).

What Happens Next
The Bruins play a rare Tuesday game, traveling to Forest Grove, Ore. to face Pacific on January 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.