Bearcats Defeat Pacific 63-57 at Cone Field House as River Scores 20 Points

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University picked up a big win in Northwest Conference women's basketball action on Saturday, Jan. 14, as the Bearcats downed Pacific University, 63-57, at Cone Field House. The Bearcats were led by Megan River (Jr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS), who scored 20 points, and by Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil (Sr., F, Boise, ID/Timberline HS), who grabbed 11 rebounds. The win improved Willamette to 8-7 on the season, 3-3 in the NWC. Pacific, which lost an NWC game for the second day in a row, fell to 11-4 overall, 4-2 in the NWC.

The win was the Bearcats' second consecutive win. On Friday, Willamette scored the final five points at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, to earn a 60-55 victory. Willamette has held eight of 15 opponents to fewer than 60 points. Also on Friday, Pacific lost to the University of Puget Sound, 63-51.

On Saturday, River connected on 8 of 13 field goals and went 4 for 4 at the free throw line. She also provided three assists. Ascuena-Mercil's 11 rebounds helped Willamette gain a 35-32 rebounding edge, and she also contributed nine points. Sami Riggs (Sr., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) scored 12 points for the Bearcats to go along with six boards. Carolyn Ho (Jr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) supplied the Bearcats with six steals, five rebounds, five points, and four assists.

"Tonight was a big night for our program," Willamette Head Women's Basketball Coach Peg Swadener commented. "We had some incredible defensive performances, coupled with some high-level offensive plays. I am really impressed with the growth we are showing as a team. This was a gritty win that every one of our players should be proud of."

The Boxers were led by Brilie Kovaloff with 16 points, but she was held to just 4-for-15 shooting by the Willamette defense. Kovaloff hit two 3-pointers, went 6 for 6 at the line, and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Emily Holsan chipped in 14 points and Sydney Gray finished with 10 points.

Willamette started slowly and trailed 13-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bearcats led by a single point and halftime and never trailed during the second half. Pacific tied the score on three occasions early in the third quarter, but WU regained the lead each time.

For the game, Willamette shot 50.0% (25 of 50), including 61.5% in the third quarter (8 of 13) and 60.0% in the fourth quarter (6 of 10). The Bearcats limited the Boxers to 32.3% shooting (20 of 62) from the field. Both teams shot well at the free throw line, as Pacific made 11 of 11 shots and Willamette went 10 for 12 (83.3%).

Pacific scored the first seven points of the contest and led 13-2 before the Bearcats tallied the next seven points. The Boxers' early surge to an 11-point lead ended with one 3-pointer each by Gray and Rilee Price. WU's counter-surge at the end of the quarter started with a 3-pointer by Claire Bonnet (Sr., G, Boise, ID/Boise HS) and also included a jumper by River and a layup by Ascuena-Mercil.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Boxers tacked on jumpers by Gray and Holsan for a 17-9 margin with 9:09 left in the half. The Bearcats responded with an 11-0 run to take a 20-17 lead at the 2:29 mark. Ho provided five points during the outburst, including a 3-point shot to complete the run.

Schmidt and Price scored to give Pacific a 21-20 lead, but Kaitlin Imai (Fy., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) hit a jumper outside the paint to return the lead to Willamette with 56 seconds on the clock. River added a basket with 17 seconds to go for a 24-21 advantage before Price hit two free throws for the Boxers with three seconds remaining.

The Bearcats outscored Pacific 20-15 in the third quarter. After the Boxers tied the score three times, Bonnet put the Bearcats in front for good at 33-30 on a 3-point shot at the 7:34 mark. The teams exchanged baskets for several minutes, and then Willamette tallied five consecutive points for a 42-36 lead as the clock reached 1:59. Pacific cut the margin to four points on two free throws by Kovaloff, but Imai scored on a layup for WU with eight seconds to go.

Willamette recorded the first two baskets of the final period on layups by River and Ascuena-Mercil to extend its lead to 48-38 with 8:30 left. A bit later, the Bearcats owned a 54-45 edge, only to see the Boxers tally eight points in a row, ending with a traditional three-point play by Gray, to pull Pacific within 54-53 with 3:21 to play. The Bearcats regained control by scoring the next seven points -- including 5 of 6 at the line -- to increase the difference to eight points at 61-53 with 59.9 seconds remaining.