Bruins get best of Loggers

Photo by sean dean

HOST WITH THE MOST. Claire Ely attacks the defense of George Fox on her way to scoring the 1,000th point of her career.

Playing for a chance to take the NWC lead, the Puget Sound Loggers took their shot against undefeated George Fox, but their hopes were lanced by the Bruins, 60-51.

The Loggers returned to Memorial Fieldhouse 24 hours later and shook off the loss and beat Linfield, 75-56.

The weekend’s action left No. 15-ranked UPS 8-2 in the conference standings, two games behind the No. 5-ranked Bruins, for whom this was their 26th straight NWC victory.

 The Loggers improved to 16-3 overall. Two of those losses are to the Bruins.

The Loggers played PLU earlier this week, but the result was not available by presstime.

George Fox aggressively attacked the paint, both over the top with passes into 6-5 freshman post player, Hannah Munger and with forays from the wing by senior forward Elise Kuenzi. Munger finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Kuenzi finished with 13 points.

The Bruins shot 43.9 percent from the field, including six-of-19 from behind the three-point arc.

The Loggers relied on the perimeter shooting, which didn’t really warm to the occasion until the second half. The first five minutes of the game was marked by cold shooting and turnovers by both teams, producing a total of eight points and a 4-4 score.

Appropriately responding to the horn section at the end of half-time, which was playing the refrain, “so glad you made it,”  from rock band Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Loving,” the Loggers started dropping some 3-pointers, but nevertheless fell behind by 12 points midway through the second half, unable to shut down the Bruins’ inside game.

The Loggers, behind the shooting of Claire Ely and Jocelyn Riordan, pulled within four points at the six-minute mark, but could get no closer as the Bruins’ lead drifted back to double digits with a minute left in the game.

Ely scored her 1,000th career point and finished the game with 20. Riordan finished with 16 and Natasha Ludwig scored eight points and had six rebounds.

Against Linfield, the Loggers displayed balanced scoring, with four Loggers finishing with double figures.

Kelsey McKinnis, a freshman from Ashland, Ore., put up 18 points and had a team-high seven assists. As a team, the Loggers recorded a season-high 21 assists.

Riordan finished with 16, Ely with 14, and Lindsay Layland with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

UPS men slip

The Logger men’s team fell to 3-7 in the Northwest Conference standings after suffering two defeats last weekend, to George Fox and Linfield.

Austin Boyce led the Loggers with 26 points against the Bruins, who unloaded 59 points in the second half to take the victory, 87-75.

Edric Egberuare came off the bench to score 14 points and Kaleb Shelton scored 13 points.

Boyce and Shelton came back with 22 and 17 points respectively the next night in another 87-75 defeat by Linfield.

PLU swim triumph

In preparation for the NWC swimming championships at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Feb. 12-14, the Pacific Lutheran women had an impressive outing against Willamette.

Pacific Lutheran won nine of the 11 women’s events, including both relays. Casey Jackson, Gina Wittman, Jessie Klauder and Elizabeth Althauser opened winning the 200-medley relay. Althauser then won the 1,000 freestyle in 11:35.03.

Klauder clocked a 2:04.17 to take the 200 freestyle, and Jackson followed with a 26.83 in the 50 freestyle.

Kasey Dorcas won the 400 individual medley in 5:04.86, and Jackson won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.58. Then it was Klauder with a victory in the 500 freestyle in 5:37.64. Rachel Troutt won the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.67. The Lutes finished with a win in the 200 freestyle relay. Elisabeth Simpson, Dorcas, Tessa Heck and Courtney Karwal combined for a 1:51.61 time.

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