SPOKANE, Wash. – A career-high 33 points by Hannah Munger and Keisha Gordon's 26 points turned out to be absolutely essential for the George Fox University Bruins, who escaped an upset bid by the Whitworth University Pirates 78-71 in overtime in Northwest Conference women's basketball Saturday evening here at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.
With the win, George Fox maintained its hold on a share of first place with Lewis & Clark College, an 81-55 winner at home over Pacific Lutheran University. The Bruins' seventh straight win and 10th in the last 11 games gives them an 18-5 overall record and a 12-2 conference mark, the same as L&C. Whitworth slipped to 11-12 overall and 7-7 in the league. The Pirates are now tied for the fourth and final NWC Tournament spot with Whitman College and Linfield College.
The Bruins used outstanding shooting from the field, hitting 27-49 shots for a .551 percentage, and superior size that out-rebounded the smaller Pirates 49-27 to secure the win, but nearly cost themselves by committing 22 turnovers to 10 by Whitworth and shooting a meager .488 (20-41) from the free throw line.
George Fox shot .529 (9-17) in the first half and out-boarded Whitworth 20-11, but led only once at 9-7 due to 13 first-half turnovers that resulted the Pirates getting 16 more shot attempts than the Bruins. The Pirates were 12-33 in the period (.364) and built their largest lead of eight points with a minute left at 29-21 following a layup by Lexi Belcher. A three-pointer by Arianna Mohsenian trimmed the Bruins' deficit to 29-24 at the break.
The Bruins opened the second half with a 19-6 run, fueled by 12 points from Gordon and culminating in a Gordon three that made it 43-35 George Fox with 14:11 left in the game. The Pirates responded with a hot streak of their own, hitting seven of their next nine shots in a 16-6 run the ended with a conventional three-point play by Hannah Ostic and a 51-49 Whitworth lead with 8:55 to go.
From there, it was simply a swap meet to the end of regulation featuring six ties, seven lead changes, and neither team ahead by more than three points. Munger scored 11 points during that span, giving George Fox a 65-64 lead with 50 seconds left. A Carly Towne free throw with 17 ticks remaining made it 66-64, but Belcher knotted it with a driving layup with nine seconds left. The Bruins turned the ball over with 2.4 seconds to go, but the Pirates could not get a shot off in time and the game went into overtime.
Belcher hit a three to start the extra session for Whitworth, but the Pirates would not score again until 14 seconds remained, missing five shots in a row and getting nary a rebound. The Bruins, meanwhile, scored 11 straight points, six of them by Munger, to build a 77-69 lead with 26 seconds left and avoid the upset.
Munger sank 13-21 from the floor and 7-14 from the line to top her previous high of 25 points, and posted her 10th double-double of the season and 21st of her career with 12 rebounds. Gordon also had a double-double, her fifth this year and sixth overall, by hitting 7-10 field goals and 10-17 free throws while grabbing 11 boards. She also handed out five assists.
Belcher led the Pirates with 18 points, Taylor (LaMoreaux) Taylor had 16, and Emily Guthrie added 14. Belcher had a team-high seven rebounds, Guthrie made four assists, and Lauren Picha picked up four steals. The Pirates hit .500 (15-30) from the field in the second half but only .250 (2-8) in the overtime and finished with a .408 percentage (29-71). Whitworth got 22 more field goal tries than George Fox, but 30 fewer free throw attempts, going only 6-11 from the stripe.
NEXT: Whitworth goes to Whitman Tuesday and George Fox visits Linfield Friday, both at 6:00 p.m., in games that are crucial for each team's berth and positioning for the NWC Tournament ... NWC men's games will follow at 8:00 p.m.