FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The Pacific (Ore.) Boxers held off the visiting Whitworth Pirates to secure a 66-59 win in a Northwest Conference women's basketball matchup on Saturday night.

The Pirates (6-9 overall) dropped their second conference game of the weekend to draw even at 3-3 while the Boxers (6-9) earned their second conference win (2-4) and ended a three-game losing streak. 

Alex Goetz headed the Whitworth offensive attack early in the game and scored the first seven Pirate points. With two minutes to go in the first quarter, Pacific went on a 9-2 run capped off by a Lindsey Barden three-pointer to push the lead to 19-12. Skylar Tuckwood returned the favor with a three of her own to close the quarter.

The Pirates were held to just one field goal in the first four minutes of the second period but would not go away. Goetz again scored seven straight points and tied the game at 28 with a three-point bucket from the corner. The Boxers scored two unanswered baskets to take a 34-30 advantage at the half. The Pirates shot 31% from the field and had 10 turnovers in the first half. Goetz led Whitworth with 16 points on 5-10 shooting and had two steals.

Pacific pushed the lead to ten to open the second half, but the Pirates responded with a 9-0 run to get within one with 3:11 left in the quarter. Goetz, Ashlyn Neilsen and Addyson Gallatin all scored during the run. Both teams scored 13 points in the quarter and the Boxers went into the final quarter with a 47-43 lead.

The Pirates struggled offensively and were held to just two field goals in the fourth quarter, including no points for nearly eight minutes of game time. Pacific capitalized and jumped out to its largest lead of the game 55-43 after Ava Cook's layup with 8:16 to play. Whitworth's defense held strong and forced a four-minute Pacific scoring drought. The Pirates cut the lead to five after a pair of Ashlyn Peterson free throws, but they could not get any closer.

Whitworth shot 30.8% (16-52) from the field and went 6-18 (33.3%) from the three-point line. The Pirates turned the ball over 19 times and were outscored 26-18 in the paint. The rebound battle went to the Boxers by a thin margin of 41-40.

Goetz tied a season-high 19 points on 6-14 attempts to lead all scorers. Peterson was the only other Pirate in double figures with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Mya Bair also grabbed seven rebounds.

Emily Holsan led Pacific with 17 points and three steals. Cook grabbed eight rebounds and added 11 points.

The Pirates are back in action at Whitworth Fieldhouse against Whitman on Tuesday before Linfield comes to Spokane on Friday.