Carpenter and Kitchin Lead Bearcats as Rally Falls Short against Bruins, 56-52

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Amanda Carpenter (Grad., G, Beaverton, OR/Sunset HS) scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds, while teammate Ava Kitchin (So., F, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) earned 10 points and eight boards, as the Willamette University Bearcats almost rallied past George Fox University, but the Bruins held on for a 56-52 win on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at Cone Field House. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 14 and was rescheduled for Tuesday.

The teams were tied 25-25 at halftime before George Fox outscored the Bearcats 18-9 in the third quarter for a 43-34 lead. GFU held a 48-35 margin with 8:10 remaining in the game, but Willamette went on a 17-5 run to pull within 55-52 on two free throws by Megan River (So., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) with 24 seconds to play.

Rachel Parks of George Fox, who scored all 16 of her points in the second half, hit two free throws for the Bruins with 20 seconds left for a 55-52 edge. After Carpenter missed a 3 -point shot with seven seconds to go, Emily Stephens of GFU grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and sank 1 of 2 free throws. Claire Bonnet (Jr., G, Boise, ID/Boise HS) of Willamette missed a 3-pointer with three seconds on the clock.

George Fox advanced its record to 10-10 on the season, 6-5 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette fell to 10-11 overall, 5-7 in the NWC. The Bruins are fourth in the nine-team NWC standings with a game-and-a-half lead on the Bearcats and Lewis & Clark College (5-7) in fifth. The top four teams in the final regular season standings will advance to the NWC Tournament, set for Feb. 24 and Feb. 26.

Carpenter's 19 points for the Bearcats included five 3-pointers. She has scored 42 trifectas this season and has connected on 115 three-pointers in her career, good for 10th on WU's all-time list. In addition to scoring 10 points, Kitchin was fouled 10 times by GFU and went 4 for 5 at the free throw line. Sami Riggs (Jr., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) and Bonnet each tallied eight points for Willamette. River achieved three assists, while Riggs and Carolyn Ho (So., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) each provided two assists.

The Bruins were led by Parks' 16 points. Cassidy Posey and Alyssa Wells each scored 12 points. Wells registered four 3-pointers and topped GFU with five boards. Ella Roberts earned three assists and two steals.

Willamette and George Fox played through five lead changes in the first quarter. GFU owned a 6-5 edge before the Bearcats put together a 6-0 run with 3-pointers by Ho and Bonnet for an 11-6 lead at the 5:27 mark. WU grabbed a 13-7 advantage on a jump shot by Riggs with 1:59 on the clock. A basket by Alexa Borter and a 3-pointer from Wells with 44 seconds left reduced the margin to 13-12. Riggs gave Willamette a 15-12 lead by hitting a jumper with one second left.

Riggs also scored first in the second quarter, pushing the Bearcats up by five points at 17-12. The Bruins countered with a 7-0 surge to move in front, 19-17. GFU's run ended with a 3-pointer by Wells with 4:40 remaining in the half. Willamette earned the next six points on a pair of long-range shot by Carpenter for a 23-19 advantage. WU was ahead 25-22 before Posey made a jump shot for GFU as the clock reached 59 seconds and Roberts added a free throw with 12 seconds left.

Although George Fox outscored the Bearcats by nine points in the third quarter, the Bruins held a slim 34-32 lead after Carpenter sank a 3-point shot at the 3:39 mark. The Bruins went on a 9-2 run to end the period.

GFU increased its lead to 48-35 when Wells put through a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the final quarter. Willamette began its rally with a 3-point basket by Bonnet with 7:16 to go, and then added a 3-pointer by Carpenter with 6:27 left to pull within 48-41. After a turnover by the Bruins, Carpenter sank another long-range shot to reduce the margin to 48-44 with 6:01 to play. A bit later, a jumper from Ho and a pair of free throws by Kitchin cut the deficit to 50-48 at the 2:51 mark.

The Bruins received a 3-point basket from Posey with 2:13 remaining for a five-point margin at 53-48. WU moved within three points on a layup by Kitchin 18 seconds later. Neither team scored again until River's two free throws with 24 seconds left cut the lead to 53-52.

Willamette and George Fox finished with similar shooting percentages from the field, as the Bearcats shot 38.0% (19 of 50) and the Bruins shot 37.7% (20 of 53). WU converted 8 of 27 three-point shots (29.6%), while GFU made 8 of 21 three-point tries (38.1%). Willamette was 6 for 7 at the free throw line (85.7%). George Fox sank 8 of 14 free throws (57.1%). Each team grabbed 32 rebounds.

The Bearcats will play at Lewis & Clark College on Friday, Feb. 11. Game time at the Pamplin Sports Center in Portland, Oregon, is set for 6 p.m. (PST).