Defense Stifles Missionaries as Bruins Tie For Top of NWC

Robin Taylor led all scorers with 15 points for the Bruins

Salem-News.com SPORTS

WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Displaying a stingy defense that forced 21 turnovers and held their opponent to barely 20% shooting, the George Fox University Bruins pulled back into a first-place tie in the Northwest Conference women’s basketball race with a 53-31 thumping of the Whitman College Missionaries Friday night at the Sherwood Center.

Completing a sweep of the home-and-home series with the Missionaries, George Fox improved to 13-5 overall and 9-2 in the conference, the same record as the idle University of Puget Sound.

Whitman saw its record even out at 10-10 overall while dipping to 5-6 in the NWC.

Michelle Krall scored seven straight points to give Whitman a 10-5 lead six minutes into the game, but the Missionaries then went without a field goal for over 13 minutes as the Bruins took over.

A 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by Tiffany Behary, put the Bruins ahead for good 12-10 with 9:11 left in the half, and after Krall made a free throw with 8:11 to go, the Bruins went on a 10-1 run to take a 10-point lead of 22-12 with 55 seconds left.

Katie Patneaude finally broke the Missionaries’ basket-less streak with a layup 30 seconds before the break, making it 22-14 Bruins at the intermission.

Whitman managed only a .185 shooting percentage (5-27) in the period, while the Bruins shot .320 (8-25).

Patneaude hit two free throws and a layup to open the second half, bringing the Missionaries within four at 22-18 with 17:19 remaining, but that was as close as the home team would come.

Robin Taylor hit a bucket and two free throws to key a 7-0 run over the next three minutes as the Bruins moved ahead 29-18, and they eventually led by as many as 22 when MaryAnne Samples canned a three to make it 51-29 with 1:13 left.

Taylor led all scorers with 15 points for the Bruins, the only player in the game to reach double figures.

Katy Campbell grabbed 13 rebounds as the Bruins controlled the boards 41-36.

Kaleigha Ramey had three assists, and Melissa Marek-Farris blocked three shots.

The Bruins finished with a shooting percentage of .327 (17-52) while holding the Missionaries to a .213 mark (10-47).

Krall topped the Missionaries with nine points, but only one in the second half.

Kelsey Krumdieck, the Missionaries’ top scorer and second in the conference at 14 points a game, was in early foul trouble and went scoreless while going 0-5 from the field.

Emily Shubin was the leading rebounder with eight, and Kristina Francis had three assists.

The Bruins head to Spokane Saturday for a conference tilt with Whitworth College at 6:00 PM.

The Missionaries hosts Linfield College Saturday at 4:00 PM.

Both games will be followed two hours later by men’s NWC games.

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