FOREST GROVE – For the second straight game, Erica Schultz (Jr., Medford, Ore.) proved to be the difference in a close contest as the Boxers got themselves into the Northwest Conference win column with a close 71-66 victory over Willamette in women's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
Schultz led the way with a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds and scored the final six points of the game, all on free throws, pulling the Boxers out of a one-point deficit for the win. Pacific (5-6, 1-2 NWC) finished the game by scoring the final eight points and 12 of the last 14 over the final 2 minutes, 15 seconds. Schultz went 6 of 10 from the field and 9 of 13 from the free throw line to lead the Boxers to their third straight win.
Brittney Anderson (Jr., Missoula, Mont.) added 12 points and seven rebounds and Alissa Nergaard (Fr., Covington, Wash.) came off the bench to score 10. The Boxers shot 46.7 percent from the field (21-45) and out-rebounded the Bearcats 39-36.
Alex Zennan led Willamette (1-9, 0-3 NWC) with 26 points, connecting on 9 of 19 from the field and 6 of 8 from three-point range. Kaleigh Westermann added a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Bearcats shot 40.6 percent from the field (26-64) and an outstanding 7 of 10 from long range.
Willamette had early control in the first half, jumping out to a 12-6 lead on Zennan's second three-pointer of the night six minutes into the game, but went icy cold from there as they hit just one field goal over the next eight minutes. That allowed Annette Highley (Fr., Seattle, Wash.) to start a 16-3 Pacific run, which closed out on a Schultz free throw at the 7:12 mark that put the Boxers ahead 24-15.
Willamette pulled to within six twice over the final seven minutes, but the Boxers built up to a 10-point lead on an Ashley Jacobs (So., Waimanalo, Hawaii) free throw in the final minute and went into halftime with a 33-24 advantage.
Pacific opened the second half by building their biggest lead of 15 points on a Jacobs three-pointer two minutes in. The Bearcats pulled to within 11 by midway point of the stanza before Westermann hit a lay-in to spark a 10-0 run that brought Willamette within one, 49-48, with 6:42 left.
The Bearcats tied the game three minutes later when Sophie Wilson's lay-in made it 55-55 and took a one-point lead when Zennan's sixth trey of the night made it a 62-21 game with 1:56 remaining. Westermann then made it a three-point game with just under a minute to go when Westermann hit another lay-up to make it 66-63.
Tough defense and solid shooting put Pacific back ahead for the win. The defense forced the Bearcats into three misses in the final minute. Nergaard put the Boxers on top for good when her lay-in with 39 seconds left made it 66-65, while Schultz connected on her 6 of 6 from the free throw line to ice the game.
The Boxers take back to the road on Saturday for their toughest test of the season, facing nationally ranked George Fox in Newberg at 6 p.m. The Bruins will be coming off a 58-56 upset loss at Lewis & Clark, snapping a 37-game NWC regular season winning streak.