NEWBERG, Ore. — The George Fox women's basketball team fell to the Whitman Blues, 79-66, after a highly competitive, close contest. 

How It Happened
The first quarter brought a flying start for the Lady Bruins — both on the offensive and defensive end. Mia Skoro came out hot after a stealthy steal which she turned into a driving layup. Not far behind Skoro was Sophia Hardy; after grabbing a quick offensive rebound, Hardy turned to the basket for an explosive putback. Not only did Hardy do it once, but she did it again less than a minute later to make the score 6-0. Kylie Ritter and Paige Macduff were quick to keep GFU's offense alive with plays of their own; after two made free throws from Ritter, Macduff snook her way through the Blue's attack for a steal which she turned into another transition layup for George Fox. 

Finishing Fox's stately 12-0 streak, Skoro drove into the paint for a layup. With less than two minutes left in the quarter, Whitman's offense came alive. After a couple of threes and well placed layups in the paint, the Blues were able to tie the game 12-12 with the end of the first quarter. 

Despite Whitman's comeback, the second quarter brought a chance for the Lady Bruins to continue their hot streak. Only seconds in, Bella Arrisgado showed off her skills on both ends of the court; after a smooth layup, Arrisgado kept her momentum going into her defense with a steal which she ripped it away for a breakaway layup. Hopkins followed hot on the heels of Arrisgado after hitting a floating jumpshot of her own to make the total score 18-14. It was then that the battle started between the Blues and the Bruins. For George Fox, Tara Ushiro was a consistent player on the offensive end. She started her steak with driving layup and, only seconds later, got into the paint for an arching jumper. With a little over five minutes left in the quarter, Ushiro took the lead for GFU 25-23 after turning a steal into a swishing trey. 

The back-and-forth continued between the two teams, but this time around, Macduff and Hopkins were creating chaos on the court. Keeping consistency at the free throw line was Macduff after being drawn to the charity stripe twice. In the paint, Hopkins was working the Blue's defense with her aggressive layups and offensive rebounds. With seconds left in the first half, Addison Dippel recorded her first points of the night off of free throws to put George Fox closely behind Whitman, 34-33. 

Despite the start of a new quarter, the back-and-forth did not stop between the two teams. After a Ritter free throw, Hardy found herself beneath the basket for an offensive rebound and a put-back. Macduff followed Hardy's lead and got her own rebound which she turned into a strong put-back as well. With six minutes left in the quarter, Ritter drove into the paint for a smooth layup to make the score 44-40 in WC's favor. While Whitman was putting up a solid fight, the Lady Bruins remained persistent in their offense. Hopkins aggressively attacked the rim and was rewarded with an and-one shot; Macduff followed closely behind with a charity shot of her own, 51-44. With seconds left, Ritter recorded a swishing three from behind the line which Skoro backed up with a strong layup to end the third quarter, 59-49. 

The Blues were the first to show aggression on the offensive end, but it didn't take long before Skoro and Hopkins once again kept the Lady Bruins' offense alive with an aggressive layup each to make the gap in score less than a 10 point difference (61-53). The battle of the back-and-forth continued on the court as Fox tried to balance the score; Skoro recorded another layup before Ushiro followed with an arching trey. After two free throws from Hopkins, Ushiro battled for a steal which resulted in a layup for Hardy to catch up with Whitman 68-62. 

With the score drawing closer and closer, both teams began to play the long game in hopes of gaining and keeping the upperhand. For George Fox, Skoro continued to wreak havoc through her offense with an aggressive layup in the paint. While Hopkins and Skoro were each drawn to the line, the Lady Bruins could not catch up to the Blues, and with two final WC free throws, the game ended in Whitman's favor, 79-66. 

Top Performances
Leading GFU in points was Hanne Hopkins with a total of 14 while also going 5-6 for field goals and 4-5 for free throws; following closely behind Hopkins in points was Mia Skoro and Tara Ushiro with 13 and 10, respectively. Sophia Hardy led the team in rebounds with eight, including her five offensive rebounds. It was a highly defensive night for Fox overall with four players getting three steals apiece: Ushiro, Hopkins, Hardy, and Paige Macduff. 

What It Means
The Blues rise to 9-6 (4-2 NWC), while the Bruins fall to 8-7 (4-2 NWC). 

What Happens Next 
The Lady Bruins will stay in Newberg for their next conference game against Pacific University on Tuesday, January 20. Tip-off against the Boxers is scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm.