NEWBERG, Ore.—Olivia Mayer scored 23 points to lead visiting Whitworth to a 72-62 win at George Fox, its first road win over the Bruins in seven seasons.
Whitworth (7-10 overall, 2-6 in the Northwest Conference) had four players reach double figures. The Bruins (5-9, 1-4) never led in the game.
Quincy McDeid and Kimberly Dewey got the Pirates out to a 5-0 lead. The Bucs then went on an 8-0 run, led by Mayer, to increase the lead to 13-2. George Fox responded with an 11-point run to narrow the gap 16-15. Whitworth ended the quarter with a Madison Hagen three pointer for a 21-17 lead. The Pirates' lead might have been larger if not for eight turnovers in the quarter.
Both teams cooled off in the second quarter. The Bruins pulled within 33-30 late in the period, but Mayer's three-point play with under a minute left sent Whitworth into the half with a 36-30.
The Bruins opened the second half with a Rachel Parks three pointer to cut the Whitworth lead to three. The team traded shots for most of the third quarter until a five-point Pirate run extended the lead 45-37. Mayer scored six of the last eight Whitworth points to close out the quarter and enter the final period ahead 51-44.
The Pirates opened the final quarter with a 7-0 run, led by Devyn Cope and Mayer, to lead 58-44. George Fox responded with their own six consecutive points on the back of a Jordan Ryan three-point play. Whitworth scored another six unanswered to lead 64-50. The Pirates shot five consecutive free throws late in the quarter to go up 72-57. The Bruins scored the last five points of the quarter but fell short 72-62.
Mayer recorded her second double-double of the weekend for the Pirates with her 23 points and 12 rebounds. McDeid had 16 points, and Tara Kanashiro and Kimberly Dewey each had 10. Dewey also had four rebounds. Whitworth finished the game 23-49 (46.9%) from the floor, including 8-16 (50%) from three-point range. The Pirates had 42-31 advantage in rebounds against the taller Bruins, earning their first win in Newberg since Feb. 15, 2014.
Ryan had 15 points for George Fox, and Alyssa Wells and Cassidy Posey each had 13 points. Ryan also had three rebounds. The Bruins finished 36-69 (37.7%) from the field.
Whitworth concludes their road trip with a Tuesday, Jan 25 matchup at 8th-ranked Whitman in Walla Walla at 6pm.
