FOREST GROVE, Ore. — Linfield outscored Pacific 11-1 in the final four minutes to rally and stun Pacific 59-53 in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Saturday night at the Stoller Center.
The Wildcats improved to 9-8 on the season and to 2-6 in the NWC, while Pacific dropped to 8-9 overall and to 3-5 in conference play.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Boxers, who led from the beginning of the second quarter until 1:35 was left on the clock.
Lauren Lykins hit a reverse lay-up with four minutes left in the game, but that would turn out to be the last field goal of the night for the hosts. Linfield took the lead with just over a minute and a half left on a bucket by Audrey McMillan and they would never trail again. The Wildcats hit their free throws and Pacific couldn't find the range as the time ran out on the home team.
Jessica McMillan led Linfield with 18 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 7-of-10 shots from the floor and all four of her free throws.
Sarah Curl led Pacific with 14 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Kyla Siri added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds. Linfield controlled the boards on the night (47-29).
No team led by more than three points in the first quarter but Linfield took a 20-19 lead at the break, thanks in part to McMillan's (Jessica) 12 points. But the Boxers took over in the second quarter, using a 10-0 run to pull away. They would lead by as many as nine points (34-25) after a Lykins basket and would enjoy a 36-32 margin at the break.
Siri would score the first two baskets of the third quarter and
Jillian Ross hit a trey at the 7:20 mark to put the Boxers up 43-34. Siri would end up with eight points in the quarter as Pacific held a 49-42 margin heading into the final 10 minutes.
But Linfield outscored the Boxers 17-4 in the fourth stanza as the hosts hit only 1 of 13 field goal opportunities. On the night, Pacific shot just 28 percent from the floor and hit only 5 of 22 three-point attempts.
Pacific will hit the road for the next two weeks, first taking on No. 2 nationally ranked George Fox next Friday (Jan. 29) in Newberg.
