NEWBERG, Ore. -- In their first Northwest Conference game of the 2025-26 season, the George Fox women's basketball team blew by Willamette in an offense-heavy competition, 78-63.

How It Happened
The game began with an early Bruin point with a layup from Paige Macduff; while GFU came out aggressive offensively, the Bearcats were ready to battle back. In the first three minutes, it was a back-and-forth between the two teams as they kept trading buckets. For George Fox, Mia Skoro followed Macduff's lead and went on a streak with three separate driving layups to give GFU the lead, 8-6. The Lady Bruins were able to further the gap in the score with a swishing three made by Sophia Hardy; Hardy was quickly followed by a Macduff offensive rebound and putback to make the total 13-8. 

Within the last four minutes of the quarter, GFU was able to maintain their lead thanks to a tough driving layup made by Bella Arrisgado, a turn around jumper from Hanne Hopkins, and another layup from Skoro. The first quarter ended with a Bruin 19-13 lead. 

At the sound of the buzzer for the second quarter, it was clear the Bearcats were ready to put up a fight. While Willamette was the first to score, Skoro continued her hot streak and scored two more layups for George Fox — putting her at 12 points on the day in the first 12 minutes of game time. After a couple of free throws and a costly three pointer, WU was right at GFU's heels, 23-22. The Lady Bruins continued to play their game despite the pressure — especially after a layup in the paint made by Tara Ushiro and another arching three from Hardy. 

With less than five minutes left in the quarter, George Fox's offense began to put a serious dent in the score. What started with two made free throws from Hopkins, turned into a swishing trey from Kylie Ritter and a Hopkins offensive rebound turned jumper to give the Bruins a significant 35-28 lead. Hopkins continued to produce with a turnaround jumper which was followed by a three from Skoro to end the quarter and the half, 40-32. 

At the start of the third quarter, it was clear Hopkins' run didn't end at the half; she was the first to score for the Lady Bruins with a layup and recorded an and-one because of her aggression on offense, 45-36. Macduff and Skoro followed Hopkins' lead with a hook shot and swishing trey, respectively. 

The game became one of defense as each team began scoring less and less within the final five minutes of the quarter. Despite this, the Lady Bruins still found a way to let their offense shine: Hardy made her way into the paint for a layup, Laney Snelling found her first points of the game with a floating jumpshot, Arrisgado added another trey to her record, and Ritter turned a defensive rebound into a hook shot, 59-43. At the sound of the buzzer to end the quarter, Ritter swished a last second shot from behind the arch to give the Bruins an impressive 62-45 lead.

Just like in the first quarter, George Fox was the first to score, but this time it was because of a smooth layup made by Macduff. It took two more minutes until the Bruins scored again; Arrisgado pulled up from behind the three-point line to swish a trey and make the score a 20 point difference, 67-47. GFU went scoreless for two minutes, and in that time, the Bearcats were able to start closing the gap in the score. Macduff resumed her hot streak with less that four minutes left in the quarter; after driving in for a layup, she recorded an and-one to make the total 70-56. 

In the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Bruins kept their foot on the gas pedal to finish the game. Hopkins and Skoro each drove to the basket, and Skoro was also able to record yet another and-one for GFU — giving her 21 points on the night, a career-high. Hopkins and Ritter also found their way to the line shortly after due to the Bearcat's strategically trying to slow down the game. However, they couldn't stop George Fox's aggression on offense, and the Bruins took the game, 78-63, after an impressive night. 

Top Performances
Mia Skoro had a great night for GFU with a career-high 21 points, going 9-15 for field goals and 2-4 from deep; Skoro was followed by Hanne Hopkins with 16 points and Paige Macduff with 11. Macduff led George Fox in rebounds with six, and Hopkins led in assists with eight. Over the course of the game, the Bruins were very successful at the free throw line, only missing one shot from behind the line. Sophia Hardy and Bella Arrisgado both went 2-2 from behind the three- point line. Skoro and Arrisgado recorded two steals each as well. 

What It Means
George Fox rises to 4-2 (1-0 NWC), and Willamette falls to 2-5 (0-1 NWC) in the young season.

What Happens Next 
The Lady Bruins will stay in Newberg for their next game on Wednesday, December 10 against Division II Seattle Pacific. The contest at Wheeler Sports Center is set to begin at 6:00 pm.