Logsdon Breaks Tie with 17.8 Seconds Left, as Bearcats Win 51-49 at Pacific

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- Elizabeth Logsdon (Jr., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS) scored on a five-foot jump shot with 17.8 seconds left to send Willamette University to a 51-49 win over Pacific University in Northwest Conference action at the Stoller Center on Tuesday, Jan. 8. The Bearcats improved to 6-8 overall, 1-4 in the NWC. Pacific ended the night at 6-8 as well, but fell to 0-5 in the NWC.

With the teams tied at 49-49, Willamette called a timeout with 38.2 seconds left to discuss the next play and advance the ball into the frontcourt. Logsdon completed the ensuing possession with the go-ahead score following a pass from Britanny Kochenderfer (Sr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.).

After Logsdon's jumper, the Boxers called their own timeout and advanced the ball. Alexa Hinkley missed a contested layup with seven seconds left. The rebound led to a held ball, and the Boxers kept control with six seconds on the clock. Elliott missed another contested shot, this time a short jumper, as time expired.

Kochenderfer moved past the 500-point mark in career scoring for the Bearcats. She recorded 13 points against the Boxers, advancing her total to 509 points. Kochenderfer also grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. She has earned 366 rebounds for the Bearcats since transferring to Willamette prior to the 2017-18 season.

Willamette's leading scorer on Tuesday was Kassin Hopkins (Jr., Connell, WA/Connell HS/Bellevue College), who topped all players with 17 points. She was 6 of 11 from the field and 4 for 6 on 3-pointers. Amanda Carpenter tacked on 11 points, while Drew Farmer (Jr., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) supplied six boards and a game-high five assists.

Logsdon finished with six points, six rebounds and two blocked shots, including a block on a layup by Charli Elliott of Pacific late in the game with the score tied at 49-49.

The Boxers were led by Elliott with 12 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Liana Tanaka produced 11 points and three assists, while Ashley Jones achieved 10 points, six boards and two steals.

Willamette outrebounded Pacific, 37-35, and the Bearcats shot 40.4% for the game (19 of 47) compared to 26.3% for the Boxers (15 of 57). Pacific hit 13 of 16 free throws (81.3%), while the Bearcats went 7 for 11 (63.6%) at the line. The Boxers forced WU into 19 turnovers, while Pacific lost possession 12 times. Each team made six 3-pointers, as Willamette went 6 for 15 and Pacific finished 6 of 25. The Boxers attained a 13-8 margin in points off turnovers. Willamette led in bench scoring with a 17-7 advantage.

Pacific scored the game's first four points, but the Bearcats tallied the next five. A bit later, the Boxers took an 8-5 lead on a layup by Tanaka with 5:12 on the clock. WU countered with a 7-0 run, starting with a 3-pointer by Carpenter and continuing with jumpers by Hopkins and Kochenderfer. The Bearcats led 12-8 with 3:14 left in the quarter.

The Boxers cut the margin to 14-13, but Willamette earned the final three points of the quarter. Carpenter sank 1 of 2 free throws with 1:14 to go, and Kochenderfer hit a jump shot with 39 seconds remaining.

A 3-pointer by Kochenderfer 41 seconds into the second quarter gave WU a 20-13 lead. Pacific registered seven consecutive points to tie the score on a pair of free throws by Elliott with 6:19 to play in the half. The Bearcats surged out to another seven-point lead at 27-20 after Hopkins put through a 3-pointer at the 4:05 mark, but Pacific responded to force a 27-27 tie at the break. Jones provided the tying points on a 3-pointer with 1:23 left.

In the third quarter, Pacific held a 32-29 advantage following a layup by Hinkley at the 8:32 mark. WU took a 34-32 edge a bit later on a 3-pointer by Hopkins as the clock reached 6:35. Megan Huynh added a 3-pointer for the Boxers with 5:30 left in the quarter for a 35-34 lead. The margin reached three points before a 3-pointer by Hopkins with 1:40 remaining created a 37-37 tie at the end of the quarter.

The teams remained close the rest of the way. The Bearcats grabbed a 39-37 lead on a jumper by Kochenderfer with 9:47 left in the game. One quick sequence began with a layup from Kochenderfer to give WU a 44-41 advantage with 4:57 to go. Tanaka hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds later to tie the score, only to see Hopkins put in a 3-pointer at the 4:21 mark, as Willamette regained the lead at 47-44.

Later, the score was tied at 48-48 before Megan Wesel made the first of two free throw attempts with 2:33 on the clock. Wesel missed the second shot, and Logsdon tied the score by sinking the first of two free throws with 2:01 remaining.

Willamette will play at University of Puget Sound on Friday, Jan. 11. Game time in Tacoma, Washington, is slated for 6 p.m. (PST).

Big Moment of the Game for Willamette

Elizabeth Logsdon hit the game-winning shot on a five-foot
jumper with 17.8 seconds left to give WU the 51-49 win. A bit
earlier, Logsdon provided a big defensive play when she blocked
a layup by the Boxers. Logsdon helped the Willamette defense
limit Pacific to just 26.3% shooting, including 6 for 25 (24.0%)
from 3-point range.