Feb. 27 NWC Women’s Basketball Wrap (Stories provided by host SID)

Puget Sound 51, at Pacific Lutheran 46

Tacoma, Wash. -- Pacific Lutheran led by 10 points with 8:30 remaining in regulation, but Puget Sound rallied and scored the final seven points of the game to capture a 51-46 victory over the Lutes in a Northwest Conference women's game tonight at Olson Auditorium.

The outcome drops PLU into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with UPS and Whitman, all with 12-3 NWC records. The Lutes (18-5 overall) are at Pacific on Saturday to conclude the regular season, while Puget Sound (20-4 overall) travels to Linfield and Whitman hosts George Fox. If a tie for the league title remains after Saturday's games, a tiebreaker format will be used to determine the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III national playoffs.

The Lutes broke a 6-6 tie and eventually led by seven, 14-7, with 5:37 left in the first half. Puget Sound answered with nine straight points for a 16-9 lead, but PLU regained the lead on Kelly Turner's three-point play followed by a Turner three-point field goal . Turner also scored with two seconds left in the first half for a 24-20 Lute advantage.

PLU kept the lead until the 12:44 mark of the second half, when Jennifer McLuen ended a 7-0 run with a lay-up to put Puget Sound in front 31-30. Turner answered on the other end with a lay-up and the Lutes eventually stretched the lead back to 10, 41-31, on Turner's jumper with 8:30 left.

The Loggers trimmed the lead back to five, 41-36, as May converted a three-point play and Sarah Carnahan made a lay-up. Sara Wilcox's lay-up and Aundi Kustura both made a field goal as PLU went up by eight, 45-37, with 4:56 left. Shelby Ramirez connected on a three-pointer and Angie Straw made a pair of lay-ups to brint UPS back to within one.

Pam Isaacson made one-of-two free throws for a 46-44 PLU lead with 47 seconds remaining, but May hit a jumper and the ensuing free throw for a 47-46 Puget Sound lead with 35 seconds left. May then made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining and two more with three seconds left to clinch the win.

Turner led PLU with 14 points. Courtney Johnson had 12 rebounds and 9 blocked shots to go with 6 points. May led Puget Sound with 19 points, including 15-of-16 from the free throw line, and also had 7 rebounds. Straw finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

At Whitworth 64, George Fox 59

Spokane, Wash. -- Tiffany Speer's two free throws with 14 seconds to play sealed a 64-59 win over visiting George Fox in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Friday night, giving Whitworth a win in the final game of its 2003-04 season.

Dani Bielec led the Pirates with 19 points, draining four of six three-pointers. Sarah Shogren finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Tiffany Speer added 12 points and seven rebounds. Speer was 8/10 from the line after missing her first two attempts.

Darby Cave topped George Fox with 23 points, leading all players. Kellie Thomas posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Kim Leith chipped in with 11 points.

In the first half the Pirates outscored the Bruins 22-5 to turn an 18-11 deficit into a 32-23 lead with just over four minutes to play. Whitworth went into the locker room with a 37-29 lead.

George Fox remained within striking distance throughout the second half behind Thomas, who had 10 of her points and 11 of her rebounds after halftime. But each time the Bruins got close, Whitworth answered with a big shot. After Liz Clark pulled Fox to within 46-43, Shogren hit a three-pointer. When Leith made two free throws with 6:34 to play to make the score 54-50, Micki DesMarais drove in for a key lay-up. Thomas' three-pointer that pulled the Bruins within 59-57 with three minutes to go was followed by another Shogren three-pointer.

Whitworth finished 19-6 overall and 11-5 in the NWC. The Pirates placed fourth in the conference and have put together three straight seasons with at least 18 wins. George Fox fell to 13-11 and 7-8. The Bruins conclude their season at Whitman on Saturday evening.

Linfield 75, at Willamette 69

Salem, Ore. -- Monica Schwing scored 20 points, leading four Wildcats in double figures as Linfield College (10-14, 7-8 NWC) defeated the Willamette University women’s basketball team 75-69 Friday night in the season finale for the Bearcats.

Four Bearcats scored in double figures, led by Deanna Lund’s 22 points, as Willamette came back from an 11-point second half deficit to pull within one on a Brianne King 3-point shot with under a minute to play.

But Lindsay Sticka (12 points, six rebounds) converted a three-point play to put the Wildcats up by four. Two offensive fouls against the Bearcats in the final 40 seconds cost Willamette a chance to send the game into overtime.

Brandi Loring scored 16 points and Heidi Jergens added 11 for Linfield as the Wildcats shots 49% from the field for the game.

Senior Simmie Muth scored 16 points and Sarah O’Brien added 11 for the Bearcats. Willamette (4-21, 0-16 NWC) shot 39% for the game.

The Bearcats, behind 15 points from Lund and eight from Muth, took a 36-33 halftime lead. But the Wildcats went on a 15-4 run to open the second half and Willamette had to play catch up the rest of the way.

Down by 11, the Bearcats used three-point shots from King, Muth, Lund and O’Brien as they took a one-point lead twice in the final minutes of the game. Loring and Jergens responded with hoops just before the shot clock expired on two straight possessions, and Sticka’s three-point play spelled the difference.

Pacific 65, at Lewis & Clark 49

Portland, Ore. -- The Lewis & Clark College Pioneers played an inspired second half, whittling a 17 point deficit down to as few as eight points, but they just couldn't gain enough momentum to take the lead and fell 65-49 to Pacific.

The Pioneers shot just 19% in the first half, but came back from halftime and the senior night presentations a new team. Once again, they outscored their opponent in the second half, this time 34-33, but it was too little too late.

In their final game, seniors Lindsay Tarr and Lindsay Sweetland both had a great defensive game. Lindsay Sweetland ended the night with 11 rebounds. Lindsay Tarr pulled in seven boards. Marissa Wyatt led the Pioneers in scoring with 12 points. Chloe Hansen had ten points and six rebounds.

For Pacific, DeeDee Arnall had a game-high nineteen points and 11 rebounds. Tori Nelson had eighteen points. Katannya Kapeli had rebounds and five points.