At George Fox 70, Puget Sound 49

Newberg, Ore. -- (From Blair Cash, George Fox SID) Reserves Liz Clark, Jill Barram, and Sarah Myhre combined for 42 points, giving the George Fox University Bruins the lift they needed to defeat the University of Puget Sound Loggers 70-49 in Northwest Conference women's basketball Tuesday night at the Wheeler Sports Center.

With the Bruin starters struggling on offense, Myhre and Clark came off the bench to score 9 and 7 points respectively in the first half, enabling the Bruins, ranked 16th in the latest NCAA Division III national poll, to forge a 26-26 halftime tie. George Fox shot only .333 (10-30) in the half while Puget Sound managed a .391 mark (9-23).

In the second half, it was Barram with 12 points, Clark with 10, and starter Nicole Prazeau with 8 that sparked the Bruins to an eventual runaway victory. Leading only 45-42 after the Loggers' Angie Cashman made a pair of free throws with 10:06 left, the Bruins went on a 17-0 run over the next six minutes for a 62-42 lead and firm control of the game. The Bruins' shooting improved to .529 (18-34) in the final half while the defense held the Loggers to .318 (7-22) from the field.

Clark finished with a career-high 17 to lead all scorers, Barram had 14 in her first extensive action since rejoining the team during the holidays after a knee injury, Myhre had a career-high 11, and Prazeau added 11. Myhre and Prazeau grabbed 7 rebounds apiece to carry the Bruins to a 37-33 edge on the boards. Prazeau and Heather Doud had 4 steals each as the Bruins forced 20 UPS turnovers while making only 11 of their own. Becky Thompson had a game-high 6 assists.

The Loggers were led by Julie Vanni, the league's leading scorer at 17.8 points per game, with 13, and Jen McLuen came off the UPS bench to score 11. Vanni had a team-high 6 rebounds.

George Fox got back on the winning track after suffering its only loss of the season Saturday at Pacific Lutheran University, improving to 12-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Puget Sound slipped to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.

The Bruins next visit Lewis & Clark College Friday (Jan. 11) while the Loggers are at Whitworth College Friday. Both are conference games at 6:00 p.m., followed by the men's games at 8:00 p.m.

At Pacific 73, Lewis & Clark 49

Forest Grove, Ore. -- (From Blake Timm, Pacific SID) Pacific scored four in double figures, led by Katannya Kapeli's 12 points, as the Boxers ran away with a 73-49 victory over Lewis & Clark Tuesday night in Northwest Conference women's basketball action at the Pacific Athletic Center.

The Boxers (5-7, 2-3 NWC) have now won two straight games, while a much improved Pioneer squad fell to 7-5, 1-2 NWC.

However, the game looked to be a low scoring affair at the start, with the teams managing only an 11-11 tie midway through the first half. The Pioneers then went on an 8-2 lead, culminating on Lindsay Sweetland's three-pointer, to go up 19-13. The Boxers clawed back and took a one-point lead on Jessica Cooper's jumper with 4:33 left. The teams traded leads until Kapeli hit a jumper with two minutes left to start an 8-2 run for the 33-25 halftime edge.

In the second half the Pioneer shooting went ice cold while the Boxers bolted out to hit 51 percent of their shots for the stanza. The Pioneers stayed within nine until the 10:31 mark, when Louise Walcott's three-pointer ignited a 19-6 run that gave the Boxers the insurmountable lead. Walcott and Kristine Callan led the way, each scoring eight of their 10 points in the half. Sweetland led the Pioneers with 18 points. Nnenna Lewis finished with 11.

Pacific starts a three-game road trip on Saturday, traveling to Salem to face Willamette. The Pioneers head home for a Friday night match-up with nationally- ranked George Fox.