SPOKANE, Wash. - A 17-6 second quarter dominated by George Fox lifted the visiting Bruins over Whitworth in a Northwest Conference women's basketball game on Friday night.
The Pirates fall to 9-15 and 4-11 in NWC competition. The Bruins move to 12-12 overall and 8-7 in NWC play and have clinched the fourth and final spot in the upcoming NWC tournament.
George Fox scored their first basket of the game with just under six minutes in the quarter on a Rachel Parks layup to bring the game within one. The Pirates scored the next six straight on layups from Genevieve Symons and Quincy McDeid, and Dorney added two more free throws. Alyssa Wells hit a three to end the quarter for the Bruins and close the gap 11-7.
George Fox dominated the second quarter, starting off with a 12-0 run to take a 19-11 lead. Seven of those points belonged to Parks. Tara Kanashiro broke up the drought with a free throw, and Quincy McDeid hit a three-pointer to cut into the lead 21-15. The Bruins added three more points to their second-half total of 17, and McDeid capped off the quarter with two free throws to go into the locker room down 24-17. The Pirates made only one out of nine shots in the quarter.
Emily Stephens opened the third quarter with a jumper for the Bruins, and Megan Dorney responded with a jumper of her own. The teams traded shots for the rest of the half, each scoring 15 points. The teams entered the fourth quarter with George Fox leading 39-32.
Whitworth opened the final quarter with five straight points to pull within two. The Bruins called a timeout, and Cassidy Posey hit a three on George Fox's next possession. Another McDeid free throw and a Devyn Cope layup brought the Pirates within two again, but the Bruins responded with a 5-0 run to go ahead seven. Whitworth followed that up with a four-point run of their own. The teams traded shots and free throws the rest of the quarter. The Pirates missed their last three shot attempts, and George Fox won it 57-53.
Dorney and McDeid led the Pirate offense with 15 points each. Dorney also tallied nine rebounds. Whitworth finished the game 15-49 (30.6%) from the field.
Parks led the attack for the Bruins with 16 points. George Fox was 21-51 (41.2%) from the floor.
Whitworth finishes their season Saturday at 4pm in the Fieldhouse against Lewis and Clark.
