Riggs Earns 17 Points in Loss, as Loggers Pull Away Late for 83-68 Win

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Sami Riggs (Fy., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) of Willamette University scored 17 points, while shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 on 3-pointers, but the University of Puget Sound pulled away late in the game to defeat the Bearcats, 83-68, on Saturday, Jan. 25, at Cone Field House. Puget Sound improved to 8-9 overall, 2-6 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette dropped to 10-7 overall, 4-4 in the NWC.

The Loggers entered the fourth quarter with a 60-50 lead, only to see Willamette reduce the margin to 67-64 with 3:26 left on a 3-point basket by Kassin Hopkins (Sr., Connell, WA/Connell HS/Bellevue College). Puget Sound went on a 10-2 run, including five points by Mara Henderson, for a 77-66 margin with 42 seconds to go. The Loggers secured the win by hitting 6 of 8 three throws the rest of the way.

Jamie Lange of Puget Sound led all scorers with 33 points and also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. She was 12 of 18 on field goals and 9 for 9 at the free throw line. Puget Sound converted 23 of 27 free throws (85.2%), while Willamette was 11 of 17 at the line (64.7%). Also for the Loggers, Cassidy Daugherty earned 13 points, while Henderson accumulated 11 points. Raeann Allen scored 10 points and brought down 11 rebounds.

Riggs was one of two Bearcats with double-figure scoring. Drew Farmer (Sr., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS) scored 12 points to go along with six rebounds and seven assists. Hopkins and Ava Kitchin (Fy., F, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) each tallied nine points. For the second game in as many days the Bearcats played without Elizabeth Logsdon (Sr., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS), who missed both games due to an injury.

Farmer's seven assists increased her career total to 308 assists, as she moved into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list. The WU record for career assists is 518 by KayLyn Charriere from 1995-99.

The teams exchanged baskets for the first five minutes of the game, before Willamette went on a 7-0 run to claim a 17-12 lead with 3:24 on the clock. The surge by the Bearcats started with a 3-pointer by Riggs, and included scores in the paint by Hopkins and Kitchin. Puget Sound tied things up at 17-17 on a 3-pointer by Henderson with 1:04 left in the quarter.

A jumper by Kitchin at the 41-second mark gave Willamette the lead. The Bearcats tacked on a free throw by Claire Bonnet (Fy., G, Boise, ID/Boise HS) with 15 seconds to go and two free throws by Farmer with three seconds left to end the quarter with a 22-17 advantage.

The Loggers reduced the margin to 22-21 after Lange hit two free throws with 8:51 remaining in the half. Farmer put through a 3-point shot 21 seconds later, and the Bearcats held between a one-point and a four-point lead for several minutes. The Bearcats were in front, 31-27, with 4:45 to play, but Puget Sound recorded the next six points, grabbing a 33-31 lead on a 3-point shot by Grace Pytynia-Hillier with 2:21 to play. The Loggers were ahead 39-35 at the halftime break.

Puget Sound opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to build the lead out to 14 points at 51-37 with 6:17 remaining in the period. The first 10 points in the run were scored by Lange. Pytynia-Hiller completed the outburst with a jump shot in the paint.

A bit later, the Willamette trailed 55-33, before the Bearcats registered seven unanswered points -- ending with a 3-point shot by Riggs -- to pull within 55-50 at the 2:28 mark. A 3-pointer by Daugherty and a pair of charity shots by Lange gave Puget Sound a 60-50 lead after three quarters.

Willamette's deficit was 64-55 with 7:37 left, following a layup by Katie Minnehan. The Bearcats countered with a 9-3 run, ending with a 3-pointer from Hopkins, to get within three points at 67-64.

On Puget Sound's next possession, Rebeka Dasalla scored on a jump shot with 3:05 remaining to start the key run of the game. During the run, Morgan Yamane (So., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake HS) of Willamette hit a fast-break layup at the 1:37 mark to cut the lead to 71-66. Henderson of Puget Sound followed with a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead. A bit later, Lange's layup with 42 seconds on the clock increased the advantage to 77-66.

Puget Sound shot 46.6% on field goals (27 of 58) and made 6 of 18 long-range shots (33.3%). The Loggers gained a 46-24 rebounding edge, including a 19-10 lead on the offensive glass, which led to a 27-9 margin in second-chance points. Willamette connected on 24 of 58 shots from the field (41.4%), including 9 of 27 on 3-point attempts (33.3%). The Bearcats held a 16-14 edge in bench scoring, while Puget Sound narrowly outscored Willamette 32-30 in the paint.

The Bearcats will take on Lewis & Clark College on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in Portland, Oregon. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST).