SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The George Fox women's basketball team started off their season against No. 18-ranked Hardin-Simmons. Despite their buzzer beater win last year, the Lady Bruins came close again, but fell to the HSU in a close match-up, 67-65
How It Happened
It was only a matter of seconds before the competitive Cowgirls, who entered the game No. 18 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the D3hoops.com poll, were able to get on the board, but
Addi Dippel was just as quick to answer back with a swishing three of her own to cut the deficit, 4-3. A small five-point run gave HSU a small lead once again, but just like before, the Bruins were more than ready to answer back.
Tara Ushiro started things off with an arching jumper in the paint before freshman
Emma Burlison followed with a clean layin for her first career points, 11-7.
From there, Fox went on a six-point run to put them within striking distance of Hardin-Simmons;
Hanne Hopkins put up a good mid-range bucket, Burlison recorded another basket off the glass from a fastbreak, and freshman
Rylee Stupnik also recorded her very first career points at the block to make the score a one-point difference. HSU managed to pull away slightly, but a
Emma Boehm three along with a Dippel smooth layup tied the game to end the first quarter, 18-18.
This time around, the second quarter began with some GFU points from Stupnik who continued to be a threat in the paint. Fox continued their aggressive offense, even through the pressure the Cowgirls brought to the court.
Aiga Unutoa — another freshman for Fox — secured her first points with a smooth bucket at the block; not long after, Boehm and Hopkins were there to back her up with layups of their own to give the Bruins an advantage, 26-20.
Once again however, Hardin-Simmons proved why they are ranked so highly and managed to sneak their way back into competition. A battle began on the court as both teams fought for the lead, only for it to be taken away in the very next play. For George Fox, Hopkins made a crucial free throw to tie the game (27-27), and Burlison put up a shot behind the outside arch to ignite the Bruin's fire once again — especially for Dippel.
Over the next minute, Dippel was the only one to score on the court for a combined total of seven points; after starting off with a jumper, she made a clean trey, and finished things off with a swift layin to give GFU a 37-31 lead. While HSU was able to get some back, the damage was done and it was only fitting that Dippel ended the second quarter, and the first half, with a good free throw, 38-34.
If the first first half was a battle, the third quarter was even more of a back-and-forth between the two teams. Despite not going for long range shots as often, the Lady Bruins made sure to utilize the key as much as possible. Boehm made two buckets in the paint, Dippel followed with a driving layup, and Hopkins continued her consistency at the line with a free throw to maintain GFU's lead, 45-39.
Burlison had a swishing jumper while Unutoa followed seconds later with two good shots from behind the charity stripe. Stepping up next for George Fox was Stupnik and Ushiro; each recorded crucial jump shots, but Stupnik wasn't done and showed off her range with an all-net triple. Ending the quarter with a free throw, Burlison kept GFU ahead with a score of 57-53.
Unlike the rest of the game, the fourth and final quarter started off slow, but Hardin-Simmons made the most of it. Their scrappy gameplay soon gave them a one-point lead before two Hopkins free throws put Fox back on top; however, she later put up two more shots from behind the line to once again keep GFU alive, 61-60.
With a little over three minutes left, pressure began to rise with each passing second. Despite this, the Lady Bruins kept playing their game. A GFU offensive rebound led to a Boehm jumper before Hopkins made an arching basket of her own. Hardin-Simmons responded with a jump shot of their own to give them a one-point advantage. While Fox put the pressure on the Cowgirls, HSU once again remained steady; in the final 14 seconds they were drawn to the line and that was all they needed to make a single free throw and take the game, 67-65. Fox had a final chance, but a pass down low was deflected in the final seconds.
Top Performances
Throughout the game, Fox had many players who showed-up and showed-out on the court.
Addi Dippel was an offensive weapon with a total of 15 points as well as going 6-9 for field goals and 2-3 behind the three-point line. Behind Dippel in points was
Hanne Hopkins and
Emma Boehm with 12 and 11, respectively. Along with her points, Hopkins showed off her consistency behind the free throw line with a record of 6-8, while also leading the team in rebounds with seven.
Coach's Thoughts
"The team played hard tonight and there were a lot of really good things," Bruin head coach
Lauren Howard said, "There is plenty to work on as always but I'm proud of how we showed up and competed."
What It Means
No. 18 ranked Hardin-Simmons is now 1-0, while Fox is 0-1 at the start of the young season.
What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins have a quick turnaround and will remain in Santa Cruz, Calif. For their next game against UC Santa Cruz on Sunday, November 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
