WALLA, WALLA, Wash. -- In their first Northwest Conference Championship game since 2020, the George Fox women's basketball team played No. 5 Whitman tougher than any opponent had all season; in one of the tightest games of the year, the Bruins came painfully close to an NCAA Tournament appearance, losing to the Blues, 45-48.

How It Happened 
Whitman, the conference regular season champion who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the D3hoops.com poll and No. 7 in the WBCA poll, got the early jump on the Bruins, scoring the first six points. Fox responded well, though, as Hanne Hopkins and Tara Ushiro got the Bruins on the board. Six points from Alyssa Wells gave the Bruins the lead late in the quarter, and the Bruins rode the hot streak to a 20-15 lead after one.

The tempo of the second quarter slowed as both teams dealt with foul trouble. Whitman stars Korin Backer and Carly Martin, who each had two, as did Hopkins and Alexa Borter. Wells stepped up in a big way for Fox with the four players out, ending the half with 13 points. Though the Bruins fell cold from the field, not scoring in the final 5:20 of the half, they still took a 29-25 lead into the break. 

The Blues roared out of the gates, outscoring the Bruins 10-3 to start the period and take their first lead since the first. Four straight points from Hopkins put Fox ahead again, and the teams exchanged the lead until the end of the quarter; Whitman's Holly Morgan made a lay-in with 14 seconds left to put the Blues ahead, 39-38.

Though the Bruins came painstakingly close to tying the game in the fourth, Whitman stayed a short step ahead each time. The score was stuck at 40-42 for four game minutes, with plenty of good looks from both teams. Martin and Baker broke the scoreless streak with 4:29 remaining with back-to-back tough jumpers at the end of the shot clock. Hopkins hit a free throw, but Whitman scored again to make the game 48-41 with 2:57 left. 

Fox never gave up, working their way back into the game. Hopkins drew two more free throws hitting both to cut the lead to five, before nailing to more to cut the deficit to three with 30 seconds left. The Bruin defense locked in, forcing a turnover on the sideline; suddenly, the Bruins had a chance to tie the game.

A wild sequence ensued on the inbounds, with Borter barely missing a lay-in and Mia Skoro pulled down the rebound. Skoro found Hopkins for an open three, but the sophomore's shot was just off. Again, though, the Bruins found a way to stay in the game with gritty effort. This time, they forced a held ball, and with the possession arrow favoring George Fox, the Bruins had another chance. Fox got a good look, with Kylie Ritter getting a three off in time — a shot that hit the front of the rim and bounced off, ending the game with a heartbreaking 45-48 loss.

Top Performers
Hanne Hopkins led the Bruins with 16 points on 4-5 shooting from the field and 8-10 from the line. Alyssa Wells, in possibly the last game of her career, had a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals.

What It Means
With the win, Whitman (26-1, 16-0 NWC) clinches the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. George Fox falls to a 20-7 (11-5 NWC) record.

What Comes Next
The Bruins, who sit at 76th in the overall NPI rankings, are not likely to be in line for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. If the Bruins are not chosen for a spot in the tournament, they end the season with the greatest single-season turnaround in program history, improving from six wins in 2023-24 to 20; no matter the case, Fox will be back in the 2025-26 season with a vengeance.