FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- The George Fox women's basketball team put up a dominant performance against Pacific, ending the night triumphant over the Boxers, 65-59, thanks to a standout fourth quarter. 

How It Happened
After a short break and with Hanne Hopkins returning to the court after an injury, the Lady Bruins were ready to compete. Tara Ushiro was able to score the first points of the night with a good look in the paint; Ushiro was almost immediately followed by Sophia Hardy who recorded a swishing jumper. While the Boxers were able to even out the score and more, it didn't take long for George Fox to answer right back. Emma Boehm found the net for a good jumpshot before Hardy continued her offensive streak with two aggressive lay-ins. With 30 seconds left, Bohem fought her way to the block for a smooth basket to end the first quarter right on the Boxers heels, 15-12. 

While GFU displayed good offense in the first quarter, they dominated in the second. Hardy began the 8-0 run with a jumper and a clean finish at the board; right behind Hardy was Hopkins and Boehm contributed a jumpshot apiece to put the Bruins back in the lead, 20-15. With less than four minutes left, it was clear George Fox wasn't slowing down anytime soon. After battling into the paint, Boehm put up a tough jumper that earned her an and-one shot as well. Maddie Schumacher and Addison Dippel recorded their first points of the night with a fast-break layup and a bank shot, respectively, to maintain their lead at the end of the second quarter, 27-24. 

Things started to heat up with the new quarter as both teams fought back-and-forth, trying to pull away from each other. For the Lady Bruins, many players created chaos on the court with their offense; after an early Pacific bucket, Paige Macduff answered back with a lay-in of her own. Not long after, Bohem contributed two finishes at the basket while Bella Arrisgado earned her first points of the night with a floating jumper, 37-33. 

With a little over four minutes left, Hopkins found the board for another bucket, and later found herself at the for a made free throw. Following Hopkins, Boehm once again brought her fire to the court; after a smooth finish in the paint, she set up behind the arc for a swishing three. It was with two seconds left that Hopkins fought her way to the basket to end the third quarter with yet another layup to bring the score to only a one-point differential, 46-45. 

Ushiro was the first to put the ball in motion on the offensive end for GFU with an arching trey to make the score even once again. It was only with two made free throws from Macduff along with a clean shot from Hopkins in the paint that the Lady Bruins took the lead once more, 52-48. Macduff continued to be a consistent shooter from behind the line and contributed another made free throw before Kylie Ritter got into the mix for her first points of the night with a fast-break to the hoop. 

With less than half of the quarter left to go, Hardy turned up the heat and went on a dominant 6-3 run. After starting her run with two finishes at the rim, Hardy went on to record another fast-break lay-in for George Fox, 61-53. The Boxers began to play the long game as they began fouling the Lady Bruins in hopes of regaining the lead. For GFU, Hopkins and Hardy found themselves behind the charity stripe and went 4-4 combined in those final seconds. Pacific attempted one last shot, but were unable to catch up to the Bruins, ultimately leading to a George Fox win, 65-59. 

Top Performances
At the end of the night, three players had a double digit night: Emma Boehm and Sophia Hardy each had 18, while Hanne Hopkins followed with 11; For Boehm, it was a career-high in points (her previous high of 11 was set the game before). Along with their points, Boehm and Hardy both were aggressive in the paint and finished 8-10 for field goals, while Hopkins recorded two steals. Paige Macduff and Kylie Ritter each had four assists; Ritter also contributed on the defensive end with an incredible 11 rebounds. 

What It Means
George Fox rises to 14-10 (10-5 NWC), while Pacific falls to 9-15 (4-11 NWC). 

What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins will return to their home court in Newberg, Ore. on Saturday, February 21 for their Senior Night against Linfield (20-3, 13-1 NWC); tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.