New Hope Christian Defeats Bearcats, 85-62

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

EUGENE, ORE. -- New Hope Christian College shot 58.9% from the floor (33 of 56) on it way to an 85-62 victory over visiting Willamette University, on Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Rexius Event Center. Win the win, New Hope Christian improved to 7-9 on the season. Willamette dropped to 0-8 overall.

Deanna Tupai and Ellie Gould each scored 16 points to pace the Deacons. Tupai was 8 of 12 on field goals, while Gould hit 7 of 9 attempts from the field and led NHCC with nine rebounds. Chelsea Dyson contributed 11 points and seven assists, while Ginna Lorusso added 10 points and three steals.

Willamette's top scorer on the night was Daena Mau (So., G, Aiea, HI/Punahou School), with 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting, including 4 of 5 three-pointers.

The Bearcats led 6-2 less than two minutes into the game when Mau hit a 3-point basket. Willamette held a similar margin at 8-4, following a jumper by Kalugin.

New Hope Christian scored the next seven points, starting with a 3-pointer by Dyson, to move in front, 11-8. WU used a 7-4 run of its own to tie the score at 15-15. NHCC moved ahead on jumper by Gould at the 11:55 mark and owned a small margin for nearly the rest of the half.

The Deacons were in front by just four points, 30-26, after Kalugin hit a jump shot with 3:49 left. New Hope Christian outscored the Bearcats, 10-3, over the remainder of the half to take a 39-29 lead into the break. The run by NHCC included three baskets by Gould and a layup and foul shot by Dorian Perkey.

At halftime, Tupai had 12 points for NHCC, while Gould followed with 10 points for the Deacons. Kalugin led the Bearcats with eight points after the first 20 minutes.

Brand scored first in the second half to pull WU within eight points. The Bearcats eventually cut the lead to 41-36 with 17:13 remaining on a 3-pointer by Jojo DeLong (So., G, Santa Clarita, CA/Canyon HS).

NHCC countered with a 10-2 run that ended with successful 3-point shots by Dyson and Lorusso, giving the Deacons a 51-38 edge. Ali Babij (Fr., F, Ontario, OR/Ontario HS) of Willamette scored next with a pair of free throws at the 14:26 mark to cut the lead to 11-points.

Another offensive surge by the Deacons extended the lead to 62-45 with 12:00 left in the game. WU battled back to within 62-51 when Jo Johnston (Fr., C, Missoula, MT/Florence-Carlton HS) scored a basket, was fouled and made the free throw with 10:24 on the clock.

Willamette never got closer, as New Hope Christian continued its hot shooting. The Deacons connected on 64.0% of their shots in the second half (16 of 25). Willamette, which shot 44.0% (11 of 25) in the first half, cooled off to 33.3% (10 of 30) over the final 20 minutes. WU shot 38.2% overall (21 of 55), while making 8 of 20 three-pointers (40.0%).

At the line, NHCC was 13 of 19 (68.4%), while Willamette sank 12 of 17 attempts (70.6%).

The Deacons achieved a 40-25 rebounding margin. In addition to nine rebounds from Gould, NHCC also received eight boards from Perkey and seven from Lei Lolohea. Willamette's top rebounders were Johnston with six and Kalugin with five.

Willamette will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 8 with a home game against Montana State University-Northern. Game time at Cone Field House is set for 7 p.m. (PST).