George Fox Wins, Share NWC Women`s Crown With UPS

Salem-News.com SPORTS

NEWBERG - Sparked by Katy Campbell’s second straight double-double, the George Fox University Bruins pulled away from the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers for a 78-62 win Saturday night at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym, earning a share of the Northwest Conference women’s basketball title and home court in the championship game of the upcoming NWC Tournament.

The Bruins, defeating the Pioneers for the 26th straight time, finished the regular season 17-6 overall and 13-3 in the conference, sharing the crown with the University of Puget Sound Loggers, 61-57 winners at Linfield College Saturday.

The Bruins swept the Loggers in their two meetings, however, earning the first-place tiebreaker.

The Pioneers fell to 16-9 overall and 9-7 in the league, sharing third place with Linfield, but the Wildcats held that tiebreaker by virtue of their 2-2 record against the league leaders as opposed to the Pios’ 1-3 record, earning the final spot in the three-team NWCTournament.

Linfield will play Puget Sound Thursday in Tacoma, Wash., Thursday, with the winner to face the Bruins in Newberg Saturday.

Both games are scheduled for 7:00 PM.

The winner of the conference tournament earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Lewis & Clark took a brief 4-2 lead when Allison Farr and Sarah Moon hit back-to-back jumpers following a Melissa Marek-Farris layup to open the game, but it was the only time the Pioneers would lead.

Robin Taylor, the Bruins’ lone senior who was honored before the game, tied it with a layup, and Campbell put the Bruins ahead for good with a layup with 17:39 left.

The Bruins held 10-point leads in the half four times before settling for a 36-27 advantage at the break.

Farr kept the Pios in the game with 14 first-half markers.

Three short jumpers by Samantha Jonasson and a basket by Moon keyed an 8-2 Pioneer run to open the second half, bringing the visitors within three at 38-35 with 16:37 left.

The Pios stayed within striking distance over the next eight minutes and were only down seven, 53-46, when the Bruins took off on an 8-0 run, taking a double-digit lead of 61-46 on a Campbell bucket with 5:52 left.

The Bruins then ran out the string as Elise Kuenzi scored eight points in the final five minutes and the team connected on seven of eight free throws in the final two minutes.

Campbell, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Bruins’ win over Pacific Lutheran University Friday, led everyone with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Taylor added 16 points, Kuenzi 12,and Marek-Farris 11.

Tiffany Behary handed out four assists.

The Bruins shot .474 (27-57) from the field, sizzled from the line with a .826 mark (19-23), and controlled the boards 36-33.

Farr finished with 19 points to pace the Pioneers, Crystal Castle added 12, and Moon had 11 with a team-high nine rebounds.

Moon and Carrie Centlivre passed out five assists.

The Pios shot .397 (23-58) from the field and .667 (14-21) from the line.

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