Bearcats Put Together a 26-3 Run to Rally Past Bruins for 75-67 Win

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- In a game of offensive surges by both teams, the Willamette University Bearcats went on a 26-3 run starting late in the third quarter on their way to a 75-67 win over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 20. George Fox held a 53-41 lead with 1:43 left in the third quarter after completing a 26-2 run of its own. Willamette's counter-run gave the Bearcats a 67-56 advantage with 2:32 remaining in the game.

Willamette advanced its record to 9-7 overall and to 6-1 in the NWC. The Bearcats are one-half game behind the NWC leaders at Pacific University, who are 7-1 in the conference. Willamette is set to play at Lewis & Clark College on Monday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. PST in a game that was postponed on Friday, Jan. 19 due to the weather. George Fox slipped to 2-13 on the season, 2-6 in the NWC. The Bruins have lost seven games by five points or less this season.

Top scorers for Willamette were Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) with 19 points, as she went 6 of 9 on field goals, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers. Ho also contributed five assists, three steals, and three blocked shots. Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) chipped in with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Elyse Waldal (Jr., F, Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) and Ashley Collins (Sr., P, Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills HS) each tallied nine points. Megan River (Sr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) led all players with eight assists, while Kaitlin Imai (So., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Erin Yoshitake of GFU scored a game-high 22 points, including six 3-point baskets. She was joined in double figures for the Bruins by Ella Roberts with 16 points and by Alyssa Wells with 13. Wells hauled down a team-high five boards, while Mia Skoro supplied four assists.

Willamette held a 36-24 lead with 1:16 remaining in the first half after Peyton Gardner (So., G, Bend, OR/Bend HS) put through a layup for the Bearcats. Wells hit a 3-pointer for GFU with two seconds left to reduce the margin to 36-27 at halftime.

The 3-pointer by Wells started the Bruins' 26-2 run. Roberts tied the score at 41-41 with 3:38 to play in the third quarter when she sank two free throws. Wells moved GFU into the lead at 44-41 with a 3-pointer at the 2:55 mark. A bit later, the Bruins extended the margin to 51-41 by hitting 4 of 4 free throws on a personal foul by River and a technical foul on Willamette Head Coach Peg Swadener with 2:09 on the clock. Wells sank all four of the free throws.

GFU retained possession due to the technical foul, but a turnover gave the ball to Willamette. The Bearcats also committed a turnover, which led to a layup by Yoshitake for a 53-41 GFU lead at the 1:43 mark. Ho ended the Bruins' big surge and started WU's 26-3 run on a basket and a foul shot with 1:25 to play in the third quarter, pulling the Bearcats within 53-44.

Willamette added five additional unanswered points before the quarter ended with a layup by River and a 3-pointer by Waldal. WU trailed 53-49 entering the fourth quarter.

Roberts scored first for the Bruins in the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats answered with nine consecutive points. The 9-0 surge included a layup by Kitchin to take the lead at 56-55 and a layup from Collins to complete the string of points at 58-55 with 5:57 left. Jenna Lacey of GFU made 1 of 2 free throws to cut the margin to 58-56 with 5:37 remaining.

The Bearcats returned to their 26-3 overall run, finishing the offensive barrage with another 9-0 surge for a 67-56 lead at the 2:32 mark. Ho completed the run with a trifecta and two free throws. The Bruins pulled as close as 71-67 on a jump shot by Mia Skoro with 26 seconds left. Gardner and Kitchin each made 1 of 2 free throws in the next few seconds to give the Bearcats a 73-67 edge. After a turnover by GFU, Jasmine Shigeno (Sr., G, Brush Prairie, WA/Hockinson HS) completed the scoring by sinking a pair of free throws for Willamette.

Willamette shot 57.8% for the game (26 of 45), including 85.7% (6 of 7) in the fourth quarter. The Bearcats were 5 of 12 (41.7%) on 3-pointers and hit 13 of 18 free throws in the final 10 minutes to finish 18 of 28 at the line. WU attained a 31-25 rebounding margin and an 18-4 lead in bench scoring.

The Bruins were 21 of 53 on field goals (39.6%) and were 10 of 26 (38.5%) from behind the 3-point arc. GFU went 15 for 20 (75.0%) on free throws.