The game began as a tight one, with six ties in the first 12 minutes of play, and the game was knotted 21-21 with 8:12 left. The Bruins made only two field goals the rest of the half, however, enabling the visiting Wildcats to go on an 18-10 run to end the half with a 39-31 lead. By the end of the period, the Wildcats had nearly doubled the Bruins in shooting percentage (.583, 14-24 to .296, 8-27) and in rebounds (19-10).
Linfield took its largest lead of 12 points twice in the second half, the last at 45-33 on a layup by Kendra Victor with 16:31 left in the game. The Bruins twice got within four points, but the Wildcats still appeared firmly in control after Britany Mock’s layup with 8:10 to play made it 58-50 … and then the Bruins broke loose.
A three-pointer by Robin Taylor, baskets by Kellie Thomas and Kim Leith, and a pair of free throws by Thomas gave the Bruins their first lead since midway through the first half, 59-58, with 5:33 on the clock. Two free throws by Leith, a steal and layup by Liz Clark, a three by Leith, and two freebies by Clark made it 68-58 before two free throws by Heidi Jurgens broke the spell with 1:52 remaining. Thomas kept the Bruins in front by hitting three free throws in the final 42 seconds. The Bruins improved their shooting to .526 (10-19) in the second half while holding the Wildcats to .241 (7-29).
Leith finished with 20 points to lead the Bruins. 13 in the second half, while Thomas had 14, Clark 12, and Taylor 11. Katy Campbell had 8 points, a team-high 7 rebounds, and 3 steals off the bench. Thomas passed out 5 assists.
Jurgens topped the Wildcats with 12 points, Brandi Loring added 11, and Lindsay Sticka had 10, all in the first half. Victor’s 9 rebounds led the Wildcats to 35-28 edge on the boards, and she also had 4 assists. Shannon Schiele made 3 steals.
George Fox is now 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Linfield slips to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the league. The Bruins visit Willamette University Tuesday, while Linfield hosts Pacific Lutheran Friday. Both games are at 6:00 p.m., followed by men’s games at 8:00 p.m.