NEWBERG, Ore. – After trailing 29-27 at halftime, the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team found multiple ways to score late in the second half and left last year’s NCAA Division III champion in the dust on Saturday night. The Warriors defeated George Fox University 64-51 to improve to 9-2 on the season.
LCSC held a single digit lead for the majority of the second half, but the Bruins seemed to be closing the gap and at the 4:32 mark the lead was down to 48-44. It was at this point that the Warriors turned on the jets and took control of the game.
Kirsi Voshell got the ball rolling with an offensive rebound and a put-back to make the score 50-44. Kenna Reiter followed this with a steal and assist to Jasmine Stohr who hit a layup and drew contact for a 3-point play.
The Bruins attempted to respond, but Nikki DePeel traveled around a pick and hit a 3-pointer near the top of the key to make the score 56-46. A couple plays later DePeel dodged her way through the Bruins’ full court press to find an open Voshell who nailed a jump shot.
From here George Fox attempted to slow the clock up with fouls, but the Warriors hit six of their last eight free throws to seal the deal.
For the Bruins, who are now 4-2 this season, it was their first loss at home since March 3, 2007.
DePeel, who was 3-for-6 from 3-point territory, led LCSC with 16 points and five assists. Also reaching double digits, Voshell finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, and Stohr had 10 points and four rebounds.
Coming off the bench for the Warriors, Ashley Honeycutt contributed six points, eight rebounds, and two of LCSC’s eight blocks.
LCSC shot exactly 50 percent from the field and was benefited by a 6-for-11 clip from long range, and a 10-for-14 performance at the foul line.
Opposite of the Warriors, it could be argued that George Fox lost the game because of its shooting from the charity stripe and the 3-point line. The Bruins were 11-of-23 at the free throw line, and 4-of-16 from behind the arc.
The first half featured hot streaks by both teams. The Warriors first used a 9-2 run to jump to a 23-11 lead, but the Bruins answered by outscoring LCSC 18-4 over the final eight minutes to hold the lead at halftime.
The Bruins, who went 32-0 last year en route to the national championship, were led by the 19 points and three steals of Keisha Gordon. George Fox was also helped by 6-foot-5 freshman Hannah Munger who collected 10 points and seven rebounds, and B.B Gardner who had 10 points and three assists.
LCSC defeated George Fox 67-59 on Dec. 9, 2006, in Lewiston, Idaho, in the teams’ only previous meeting.
After going 5-1 in six straight road games, the Warriors will play their next games at home in the three-team Wells Fargo Tournament. The event will feature LCSC and fellow Frontier Conference member Great Falls at 6 p.m. on Friday, Great Falls and Pacific Union at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and LCSC and Pacific Union at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
