WALLA WALLA, Wash.- The Pacific University women's basketball defeated #20 Puget Sound, 64-49 on Friday afternoon in the semifinal of the NWC tournament. With the win the Boxers advance to the championship game of the conference tournament.
The Boxers were able to earn the wire-to-wire win on Friday outshooting the Loggers behind the arc as well as from the free throw line. The Red and Black used their defense to contribute 25 points off of Logger turnovers.
Top Performers
- Brilie Kovaloff led all scorers with 20 points while shooting 4-4 from the free throw line.
- Rilee Price added 18 points while handing out two assists.
- Alexis Intong had a dominant presence on the defensive glass grabbing 10 rebounds all defensively.
How It Happened
Pacific came off the bus ready to start their Northwest Conference Tournament on both the defensive and offensive ends. They were able to jump out to a 9-0 lead over the first two minutes scoring on all four shots they attempted. Following a pair of
Sydney Gray free throws midway through the opening quarter, Pacific held a 15-5 lead. The Loggers would close out the quarter on a 10-4 run to make the score 19-15 at the quarter break.
The Boxers would open the second quarter in a similar fashion as they did in the opening quarter. A Kovaloff and Gray three-pointer on back-to-back possessions pushed the Boxer lead to 12 with 8:11 remaining. Puget Sound would shrink their deficit to seven by the time the two teams headed to the locker room. Pacific held a 32-25 lead at the end of the first half.
Puget Sound came out in the second half not ready to end their tournament early. Every time the Boxers seemed to put a run together the Loggers responded not letting the Boxers get a double-digit lead. The Red and Black was able to grow their first double-digit lead as they closed the quarter with back-to-back buckets to hold a 49-37 lead headed into the final quarter.
The Boxers were able to grow a 13-point lead over the first two minutes and twenty seconds of the final quarter. Over the next four minutes, the Loggers made a very strong comeback effort. It was a two-possession game with 3:06 remaining. The Boxers would close out the game with precision at the charity stripe shooting 7-8 over the final 19 seconds of the contest.
Up Next
The Boxers head to the NWC Championship tomorrow, February 25
th with a matchup against the tournament host Loggers. In the previous matchups this season, the two teams split the series at one apiece.
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