Box Score

FOREST GROVE – Erica Schultz (Sr., Medford, Ore.) put on a scoring clinic to lead Pacific to their fourth straight victory to start the 2011-12 season Saturday, pouring in 29 points in a near-perfect performance as the Boxers beat Evergreen State 76-63 in women's basketball action at the Stoller Center.
 
Schultz connected on 8 of 10 from the field, including 2 of 2 from three-point range, and 11 of 13 from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals.  She went a perfect 4 of 4 from both the field and the stripe in the first half, successfully cutting through the Geoducks' stifling pressure defense.
 
The effort led Pacific to a perfect 4-0 record, which is the team's best start since the 2003-04 season.  The Geoducks, members of the NAIA Division II Cascade Conference, fell to 1-4.
 
Paige Jensen (Jr., Bemidji, Minn.) added 12 points and a team-high four rebounds as the Boxers shot 49 percent from the field (24-49), including five three-pointers, and 85 percent from the free throw line (23-27).  Pacific was out-rebounded by the Geoducks 36-20, but coaxed the visitors into 25 turnovers.
 
Jessica Edge paced three Evergreen State players in double figures with 26 points, connecting on 8 of 15 from the field.  Sami Clark scored 15 points to go along with six assists while playing all 40 minutes of the contest. Danielle Swain notched a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Pacific pulled away from a tight start to the first half five minutes in, with Nani Ostrom's (Fr., Juneau, Alaska) three-pointer sparking a 9-0 run that put the Boxers ahead 18-9.  The Geoducks brought the deficit back to within five on two occasions before back-to-back jumpers by Heather Hitch (Jr., Enumclaw, Wash.) and Olivia Cook (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) gave Pacific their biggest lead at 26-17 with 7:45 to go.
 
The Boxers' advantage was 28-19 at the 6:21 mark when the Geoducks climbed back into the game with a 14-2 run over the next five minutes.  Edge hit two sets of free throws to give Evergreen State a 33-30 lead.  That held until Kandice McArthur (Sr., Post Falls, Idaho) nailed a trey with 20 seconds left to tie the game at 35-35 going into the break.
 
The two teams traded points over the opening minutes of the second half, but a jumper by Schultz at the 16:15 mark sparked a 9-0 Pacific run to build a 47-39 lead and take the lead for good.  The Geoducks came right back to cut the lead to four on back-to-back buckets by Clark and Edge, but Schultz and McArthur retuned the favor with back-to-back treys that put Pacific back up 52-43 with 10:34 to go.
 
Evergreeen State used their tough swarming defense to pull back within five points twice, the last on an Edge basket with 6:45 to go.  The Boxers replied with another 8-0 run, capped by two Erica Colter (Jr., Kennewick, Wash.) free throws that built the largest lead of the game, 64-51, with 5:05 left.  The Geoducks came no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
 
Pacific will now put their undefeated record on the line in league play. The Boxers open the Northwest Conference schedule on Tuesday when they host Linfield.  Evergreen State returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Northwest Indian College.