ORANGE, Calif. -- The George Fox women's basketball team fell to Chapman following a tough fourth quarter, 72-60. 

How It Happened
The first quarter of the game was low-scoring as both teams put up strong defenses; after an initial triple from Chapman, it took another two minutes before George Fox was able to get on the board with a driving layup from Kylie Ritter. After another two minutes of defense, Mia Skoro followed Ritter with a layup of her own to give the Bruins their first lead, 4-3.

 In the span of a few seconds, the Panthers were able to go on a small six-point run to take their lead back; stopping Chapman from doing any more damage was Paige Macduff with an arching jumper, 9-6. With a little over a minute left, Hanne Hopkins swished a jumper to shorten the difference in score, and it didn't take long until she was back under the basket. With 30 seconds left, Hopkins sneaked in for an offensive rebound and passed it to Macduff for a smooth layup to end the quarter right at the Panther's heels, 13-10. 

Skoro brought some offensive aggressiveness for the Lady Bruins with the start of the second quarter; in just the first 30 seconds of the game alone, she found her way into the paint for two strong layups. While GFU's defense was still working hard — especially after a block from Emma Boehm to shut down Chapman —, their offense got hot and stayed hot as Bella Arrisgado swept in for a putback to give the Bruins the lead, 16-15.

Once again, the Panthers proved to be relentless and quickly took the lead back, but George Fox maintained their fight. Over the next few minutes, Sophia Hardy found her way to the net for a layup, Skoro was drawn to the line and made a free throw, Macduff earned an offensive rebound and swished a jumper right after, and Hopkins made both her free throws with ease to tie the game, 23-23. The Bruins continued their offensive rally and went on a 8-5 streak — thanks to free throws from Hardy and Hopkins as well as finishing layups from Hopkins and Skoro — to end the first half with a solid lead of 31-27. 

Within the first four minutes of the third quarter, Tara Ushiro and Hardy helped the Bruins pick up right where they left off and furthered their lead to 43-36. Ushiro was the first to score in the half with a free throw; she immediately followed it with a swishing trey as well as two layups. Hardy also wracked up some points thanks to two smooth layups of her own. Upsettingly, the Panthers crept their way back into the game after going on eight point rally to take the lead while also holding George Fox scoreless, 44-43. Breaking Chapman's streak was Ushiro with two made free throws, but CU responded with a free throw of their own to tie the game 47-47. 

Both teams stepped onto the court knowing it all came down to this fourth quarter. After Chapman made both their free throws, Macduff was ready to answer with a layup for the Bruins (49-49). However, the Panthers continued to claw their way back to the top after a 12-0 run. In the final four minutes of the game, the Bruins battled back, cutting the deficit to seven, but the damage was done as the Panthers aggressiveness was persistent. The 12-0 run was too much to overcome, with the Bruins falling, 72-60.

Top Performances
Leading the Lady Bruins in points was Tara Ushiro and Hanne Hopkins with 12 each, followed by Paige Macduff with 11. Macduff and Hopkins also tied for the most rebound with eight. Overall, GFU was very consistent at the free throw line; Hopkins went 8-8, Ushiro went 5-6, and Sophia Hardy went 4-4. For field goals, Macduff finished with 5-7 and was followed by Mia Skoro with 4-7. Kylie Ritter caused chaos on the court with three steals. 

What It Means
The Panthers rise to 2-0, and the Bruins fall to 1-2 in the young season. 

What Happens Next
In a quick turnaround, George Fox will be at Whittier on Saturday, November 22; the game against the Poets is set to start at 4:00 pm.