Last Second Shot Doesn't Send Boxers Home With Win
Box Score
SALEM, Ore. – With a score of 62-65 and 0.5 seconds on the clock,
Olivia Mayorga-Overtone (Jr., Oakland, Calif.) attempted to tie the game but was short, resulting in the Pacific women's basketball team suffering a 65-62 Northwest Conference loss to Willamette on Tuesday evening at the Cone Field House.
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The Boxers were trying to find ways to score quickly in the final three minutes. Mayorga-Overtone sunk a three with 2:30 left to play and a minute later she put two more points on the board, bringing the Boxers within one. All the Boxers needed at that point was a two. Sheldon fouled with six seconds left to gain possession of the ball. Willamette made both free throws to lead 65-62. Mayorga-Overtone sunk a three, which would have tied the game, but a timeout was called by the Boxers right before she shot with 0.5 seconds left on the clock. After the timeout, the Boxers put the ball back into Mayorga-Overtone's hands and she attempted the three, but was just short as time expired.
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The Boxers were ahead most of the first half, starting the game with a 6-0 run in the first two minutes.
Kati Sheldon (Sr., Paso Robles, Calif.) provided the first two points of the game with a made jumper. 40 seconds later
Olivia Cook (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) made two and
Nani Ostrom (Jr., Juneau, Alaska) capped the run with a made jumper that came from Cook.
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With 12 minutes left in the first half, Willamette came within one, but Cook regained a four-point lead at the eight-minute mark with another made jumper. The Boxers saw the game turn for the worse as the Bearcats came within one again after a made three-pointer from Alexa Beeson at 7:45. Another three-pointer from Willamette put the Bearcats ahead 18-16 with just under seven minutes to play in the half.
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Two made free throws from Cook at 6:16 tied the game at 18-18. Almost two minutes went by without a team scoring, but at 4:47 the Bearcats took the lead for good with a made jumper from Beeson. The Boxers struggled to get their offense going again as Willamette extended their lead to 14, their largest lead of the game, leading the Boxers 40-26 at halftime.
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Cook opened up the Boxers' scoring in the second half, starting the half off with a made layup and a minute later making a jumper to cut the lead to 10. The Boxers began to make a come back the rest of the half, cutting the Willamette lead to four with eight minutes left to play. A jumper from
Alex Pfefferle (Sr., Twin Falls, Idaho), two made free throws from
Annette Highley (Jr., Juneau, Alaska) and a layup from
Abby Jones (Jr., Haines, Alaska) put the Boxers within four with eight minutes left to play.
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The Boxers had a hard time regaining the lead as the Bearcats would always come back and add to their scoring. The Bearcats lead the Boxers 56-53 with five minutes left after a made layup from Cook.
Olivia Mayorga-Overtone brought the Boxers within one with two made free throws, but a three-pointer and jumper put Willamette back up by six.
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Cook was one rebound short of her third double-double on the season, scoring a team-high 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds. She was 6 of 15 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Mayorga-Overtone added 15 points and six rebounds while Pfefferle got her groove back to finish with 10 points. Mayorga-Overtone was 4 of 9 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. The Boxers shot 39.6 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
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The Boxers drop to 4-7 on the season and 0-3 in conference play. Willamette improves to 3-9 on the season and 1-2 in NWC play. The Boxers will be on the road again this weekend, traveling to George Fox on Saturday. Tip off is at 6 p.m.