The Pioneers took an early 5-2 lead on a three-pointer by Shawna Castle, but Tiffany Behary and Kim Leith hit back-to-back threes to put the Bruins ahead for good 8-5 with 16:28 left in the half. Hitting 8-11 from beyond the arc, the Bruins eventually stretched their first-half lead to 16 at 29-13 on a trey by Behary with 5:50 to go. Seven unanswered points by the Pios briefly cut the Bruin lead to nine, but a Katy Campbell free throw with 4 seconds gave George Fox a 10-point lead, 34-24, at the break.
Thomas hit four free throws and Behary a fast-break layup to start the second half and get the George Fox lead back up to 16 at 40-24, and the Bruins were never seriously threatened again. The Bruins twice took 20-point leads, the last at 56-36 on a three by Campbell with 5:08 left.
Thomas and Campbell had 12 points apiece and Leith and Behary finished with 11 each to lead the Bruins. Campbell was the top George Fox rebounder with 7, and Thomas had 3 assists. Leith made 6 of the Bruins’ 17 steals as the Bruins forced 31 turnovers by the Pios.
Crystal Castle led Lewis & Clark with 17 points, the only Pioneer in double figures. Talia Hristou’s 7 rebounds led the Pios to a 31-24 edge on the boards, while Kayla Kennedy passed out 3 assists.
With its 5th straight win, George Fox improved to 13-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference, maintaining at least a share of the league lead with Whitworth College and Pacific Lutheran University. Lewis & Clark fell to 5-11 overall and 1-6 in the conference.
The Bruins are off until next Friday, Feb. 4, when they will host Whitman College at 6:00 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 8:00 p.m. The Pioneers go to Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. contest, also followed by the men’s game at 8:00 p.m.