Farmer's Two Free Throws with 0:01 Left Clinch Win over Pomona-Pitzer, 65-63

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

CLAREMONT, Calif. -- Drew Farmer (Jr., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) sank two free throws with one second remaining in the game to give Willamette University a five-point lead in a 65-63 win over Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Voelkel Gym. The Sagehens scored the game's final basket on a 3-pointer by Renae Tamura at the buzzer, but Farmer's charity shots gave Willamette in insurmountable lead.

The Bearcats improved to 2-3 on the season, while Pomona-Pitzer fell to 1-2. Willamette will play its fourth game in six days on Wednesday, Nov. 21 when the Bearcats take on California Lutheran University at 3 p.m. (PST) in Thousand Oaks, California.

Willamette led 45-39 at the start of the fourth quarter and took a 55-45 advantage on a basket and foul shot by Farmer with 3:04 left. Carly Leong answered with a 3-point basket for the Sagehens at the 2:43 mark. The Bearcats gained a 57-48 lead on the fourth shot of their next possession when Morgan Yamane (Fr., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake HS) scored on a layup with 2:11 to go. With 1:26 remaining, WU led 59-50 after Yamane hit a jump shot.

Pomona-Pitzer cut the margin to 60-54 on a layup by Leong at the 0:42 mark. Farmer hit two free throws four seconds later to give the Bearcats a 62-54 lead. Leong sank a 3-pointer with 0:29 left, and added three free throws when she was fouled on a missed 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. The free throws reduced Willamette's lead to 62-60.

Farmer sank the second of two free throws with nine seconds left for a 63-60 margin. Yamane stole the ball from Tamura with two seconds to play, and Farmer was fouled with one second on the clock. Farmer stepped to the line and made the clinching free throws for the Bearcats.

Britanny Kochenderfer (Sr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) topped Willamette with 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. She connected on 4 of 7 three-point attempts, and also provided two steals, one assist and one blocked shot. Kochender's 19 boards tied her with Molly Fillion ('09) for second on Willamette's all-time single game list.

Fillion holds the Willamette record with 20 rebounds against Haverford College (Pa.) on Nov. 7, 2007. Fillion hauled down 19 boards against Corban University on Nov. 27, 2007 and earned 19 rebounds against Concordia University (Ore.) on Dec. 29, 2008. Kochender has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in all five games this season.

Joining Korchenderfer with double-digit scoring were Elizabeth Logsdon (Jr., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS), Amanda Carpenter (So., G, Beaverton, OR/Sunset HS) and Farmer. Logsdon tallied 14 points and was 7 for 11 on field goals. Carpenter produced 12 points, including two 3-pointers. Farmer scored 10 points and hit 6 of 7 free throws. Farmer earned six assists and five rebounds, while Logsdon recorded five boards.

Leong scored a game-high 26 points for the Sagehens as she hit 10 of 18 field goals and made two 3-point shots. Three Sagehens scored six points each and three more added five points apiece. Amara Chidom topped Pomona-Pitzer with six rebounds. Keilani Ikehara provided five points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Pomona-Pitzer recorded the game's first points on a 3-pointer by Kamil English, but Willamette followed with an 8-0 run that began and ended with layups by Logsdon. Later, the Sagehens grabbed a 10-8 lead on a layup by Vanessa Hsia with 2:14 on the clock. Two free throws by Carpenter and one by Avery Mickelsen (Fr., C, Ephrata, WA/Ephrata HS) gave WU an 11-10 lead, before English put in a layup for the Sagehens with 11 seconds left.

The Bearcats began the second quarter with another eight-point surge for a 19-12 lead. Kali Vickery (Sr., G, Glide, OR/Glide HS) sank a 3-pointer during the run. Pomona-Pitzer battled back for a 20-19 lead on a 3-pointer by Cameron Edward with 4:08 remaining. The basket started a string of seven lead changes before the half ended. Leong earned the final basket of the second quarter on a  layup with 26 seconds left, giving the Sagehens a 27-26 halftime lead.

Willamette went on a 7-0 run to open the second half for a 33-27 edge. Logsdon started and finished the run with a layup, while Kochenderfer added a 3-pointer. The Bearcats held a 38-29 lead on another 3-pointer by Kochenderfer with 3:22 left. The Sagehens got within three points three times, but a 3-pointer by Carpenter at the buzzer kept WU in front, 45-39.

For the game, WU shot 37.5% from the field (24 of 64) and went 7 of 19 on 3-pointers (36.8). The Bearcats sank 10 of 14 free throws (71.4%). Pomona-Pitzer hit 39.7% of its shots (25 of 53), including 9 of 16 (60.0%) in the final quarter. The Sagehens made 6 of 18 three-pointers and 7 of 9 free throws. Kochender led the Bearcats to a 42-31 rebounding margin.

Big Moment of the Game for Willamette

Britanny Kochenderfer grabbed her 19th rebound of the game
with 1:51 left. It was a defensive rebound with the Bearcats
holding a 57-50 lead on their way to a 65-63 win. Kochenderfer's
19 boards tied her for second on Willamette's all-time single game
list. She has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in every game this year.
She leads the Bearcats in scoring and rebounding with 14.4 points
and 13.2 rebounds per game.