FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The Pacific University women's basketball got back in the win column with their 65-55 win over Willamette on Saturday night inside the Stoller Center.
After dropping back-to-back contest against the top two teams in the Northwest Conference, the Boxers (12-5, 5-2 NWC) regrouped to take down a solid Willamette team. Pacific wasn't necessarily clicking on all cylinders as they shot just north of 40% on the night, but found a way to grind out the victory.
Willamette (8-7, 3-3 NWC) struggled to create any rhythm on the offensive end and scored just 20 total points in the first half. The Pacific defense proved to be quite dominant, forcing 14 turnovers. The Boxers held Amanda Carpenter, the Bearcats' leading scorer, to just six points. Willamette saw a decent performance from Ava Kitchin who tallied 19 points and seven rebounds.
Brilie Kovaloff (Junior/Honolulu, HI) was excellent on Saturday night with 24 points to lead all scorers. The shooting guard was 9-of-17 from the floor and hit two three-pointers. Kovaloff was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and very effective when creating her own shot.
Camy Aguinaldo (Senior/Honolulu, HI) didn't have her best shooting night but still reached double-digits with 15 points to her name. The senior pulled down seven rebounds and snatched two steals.
Rilee Price (Junior/Brea, CA) and
Sydney Gray (Junior/Central Point, OR) each registered five points and made quite the impact on the defensive end as the duo combined for 12 rebounds.
How It Happened
Price and Kovaloff would open the game with a pair of layups to get the Boxers on the board in the early minutes. Kovaloff would then find some space on the next possession and nail a three-pointer before hitting two free throws to give herself seven points in the first quarter. Aguinaldo joined the offensive barrage by connecting from beyond the arc before
Madison Dunlop (Sophomore/Palmer, AK) drilled a three of her own to give Pacific a 15-8 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The Boxers made it a 10-point advantage in the second quarter after
Kaylee-Brooke Manuel (Freshman/Nanakuli, HI) chipped in with a layup. Gray got involved with her first basket of the night before
Hannah Stein (Sophomore/Eugene, OR) found the bottom of the net with her jumper. In what would prove to be a low-scoring half, Pacific would hold a 30-20 lead going into the break.
Willamette started the second half very well and cut the deficit to just five points, forcing a Pacific timeout. The timeout was well-timed as the Boxers quickly jumped to a 10-point lead to create a nice cushion at the four-minute mark in the third period. Kovaloff continued her hot shooting with a jumper on Pacific's final possession in the third quarter, giving her team a 46-36 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
The two teams would trade buckets for most of the fourth quarter with Kovaloff leading the way on the offensive end. The Bearcats cut the lead to six points, but the Boxers made their free throws down the stretch to wrap up the first half of conference play with a win.
By The Numbers
- Pacific scored 26 points in the paint.
- Pacific won the rebounding battle 33-29.
- Three Boxers (Kovaloff, Gray, Price) played over 30 minutes.
Up Next
The Boxers hope to start a new streak when they head to Tacoma, Wash. on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. to take on Pacific Lutheran.
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