The Boxers (9-9, 4-7 NWC) shot only 32 percent from the floor in the first half and 37 percent for the game, led by DeeDee Arnall’s 18 points. Katannya Kapeli came off the bench to score 17 and Tori Nelson hit all of her 11 points in the first half to keep Pacific afloat.
Liz Clark had a career night for the Bruins (12-9, 6-7 NWC), connecting for a game-high 23 points. Kellie Thomas and Kim Leith each had 14 and Darby Cave finished with 13. As a team the Bruins shot 54 percent for the contest.
Both teams traded leads throughout the first half until Melissa Alexander’s three with 5:25 left sparked a 14-2 run that closed the half. Pacific compounded the run three turnovers as the Bruins left with a 39-27 halftime lead.
Clark continued the run almost by herself to open the second, hitting a pair of three-pointers and a third long jumper to open up a 52-31 lead with 14:43 left. Clark extended the lead to 24 points on a lay-in at the 12:25 mark before the Boxers started to chip away at the lead. Pacific went to the inside game and Arnall and Lauryn Jones to cut the lead to nine, 65-56, with 3:11 left.
The Bruins, however, responded to the inside game by hitting their shots at the charity stripe. Thomas made two sets of free throws to extend the lead to 11 with 2:11 left. From that point GFU made only 4 of 10 from the line as Pacific played the foul game, but the Boxers missed five of their last seven shots to keep the Bruins out of reach.
Pacific returns to action next weekend by hosting the eastern Washington schools. Whitworth visits on Friday, which will feature Spirit Night activities sponsored by the Student Alumni Council, followed by Whitman on Saturday.