PORTLAND — For the third-straight season senior Sarah Curl led the Pacific women's basketball team in scoring on the opening day of the season, but 21 points from Curl was not enough as the Boxers fell 66-50 to Multnomah at Jim Skagen Court.

Pacific fell behind early as the host Lions shot out to a 5-0 lead off the opening tip. Multnomah led wire-to-wire on Wednesday evening, with the Boxers cutting the deficit to one-point at the 7:55 mark of the first period on a 3-pointer by senior Nikki Gilbert (East Wenatchee, Wash.).

The first period ended with a 19-6 Lions lead, with Gilbert leading the Boxers in scoring with her 3-point make.

Period two opened with another 3-pointer by Gilbert, cutting the deficit to 10, but a four-point swing to the Lions put Multnomah up 23-9 with 8:58 remaining in the half.

Multnomah extended its lead to 18 points late in the half, before a layup by Curl (Portland, Ore. ) cut the Lions' advantage to 16, only to see it return to 18 in the final 45 seconds of the second period.

After the Lions' lead reached 20 points in the early part of the second half, Curl hit a jumper to begin a 7-2 Pacific run, which included a made 3-pointer by senior Karli McHone (Glenns Ferry, Idaho) and another Curl jumper. The Boxers' run left Multnomah with a 41-26 lead at the 6:21 mark of the third period.

As the Boxers hit a cold streak on the offensive end, the Lions took advantage of the opportunity presented to them and pushed out to a 24-point lead by the end of the third quarter.

Pacific made a push in the final period of regulation as Curl tallied four-straight points, followed by a pair of free throw makes by McHone and a layup by junior Kaela Collins (Snohomish, Wash.), which cut the deficit to 14 points. The Lions and Boxers exchanged makes in the final four minutes of play, with the Boxers pulling within 13 at the 2:14 mark after Curl hit a 3-pointer.

Collins netted Pacific final basket of the evening with 42 seconds remaining in regulation as her layup put the score line at 66-50 in the Lions' favor.

Curl led Pacific with 21 points, marking the third-straight season opener where she not only led the Boxers in scoring, but also scored 20 or more points. Gilbert wrapped the season opener with a team-high three points and three assists, while Collins led the Boxers with seven rebounds.

Pacific will open its home slate on Saturday looking for win number one against visting Warner Pacific. The Boxers and Knights are scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. inside the Stoller Center on Saturday.