SALEM, Ore. – The Pacific University women's basketball made it five wins a row with their 62-56 win over Willamette, Friday night inside Cone Field House
The Boxers (18-6, 12-3 NWC) put themselves in a position to take the number-two seed in the Northwest Conference Postseason Tournament with tonight's victory. Pacific and Puget Sound both sit at 12-3, meaning the winner of tomorrow night's game will host in the first round of the tournament.
Camy Aguinaldo (Senior/Honolulu, HI) bounced back from a tough night on Tuesday by dropping a game-high 26 points. The senior hit four three-pointers and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Rilee Price (Junior/Brea, CA) made two clutch shots down the stretch and finished with 12 points on the night. Price made three shots from beyond the arc and made her presence felt on the defensive end with four steals.
Taya McCallum (Freshman/Chehalis, WA) had a good game off the bench with six points two boards.
How It Happened
Aguinaldo opened the contest with a sweet left-handed finish at the rim before Price came up with steals on back-to-back possessions to create easy scores on the other end, giving the Boxers a 7-0 lead.
Hannah Stein (Sophomore/Eugene, OR) knocked down a turn-around jumper and found McCallum with a great pass on the next time down the court to make it a 10-point advantage. Willamette would close the quarter with a solid spurt, making the score 16-10 after 10 minutes played.
Price and Aguinaldo each hit a three-pointer to start the second period, extending the Pacific lead. McCallum netted two consecutive baskets just before the end of the half and the Boxers would take a 28-19 lead into the break.
The Bearcats started the second half on a 9-1 run, cutting the lead to just one points. Five straight points from Aguinaldo finally ended a scoring drought that last nearly four minutes. Price and
Kaylee-Brooke Manuel (Junior/Nanakuli, HI) followed with a pair of lay-ins to make it a double-digit lead once again. On Pacific's final possession of the third quarter, Aguinaldo nailed a step-back three to make the score 44-32 going into the final period.
Willamette roared back into the contest by putting together a 13-2 run to make it a two-point game with four minutes remaining.
Emily Holsan (Freshman/Sammamish, WA) came up with a huge bucket, knocking down a triple to give Pacific some breathing room. After the Bearcats made it a three-point game, Price drilled back-to-back threes to put the game out of reach. This allowed the Boxers to slow the game down for the final two minutes and walk away with the 62-56 victory.
By The Numbers
- Pacific forced 16 turnovers and committed just seven.
- Willamette scored 25 bench points.
- The Boxers recorded nine steals on the night.
Up Next
The Boxers take on Puget Sound tomorrow night at 4 p.m., with the winner earning the No. 2 seed in the NWC Tournament. It will also be Senior Night inside the Stoller Center, where lone senior
Camy Aguinaldo will be honored prior to tip-off.
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