FOREST GROVE, ORE. – The Pacific women's basketball team will ring in 2012 on a winning note as they closed out one of their strongest Decembers in years with a win at home.

Erica Schultz (Sr., Medford, Ore.) led three players in double figures with 20 points and Paige Jensen (Jr., Bemidji, Minn.) produced a third straight double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds as the Boxers defeated the La Sierra University 65-54 at the Stoller Center Friday afternoon.

The win wraps up the non-conference portion of Pacific's schedule. The Boxers will carry an 8-2 record into the new year and return to Northwest Conference play on Friday with a 1-1 mark.

Schultz was a tough matchup all afternoon with her ability to pop the three, put the ball on the deck or score in the post. The 5-10 forward hit 8 of 17 from the field including three threes in seven attempts. Schultz also had four steals, four assists and two blocks to go with five rebounds.

Down 30-27 at the half, the Boxers took their first lead of the second half when Jensen followed up her own missed shot with 15:38 remaining. After a three-point play by La Sierra's Brittani Walker put the Golden Eagles back on top, Erica Colter (Jr., Kennewick, Wash.) drained her second three-pointer of the game to initiate a 10-0 run that put Pacific in front for good.

After the Golden Eagles (3-21) pulled within seven on a Natalia Hawthorne trey with 7:56 to go, Pacific went on a 9-0 run, capped by a Schultz basket, that gave the Boxers their largest lead at 60-44 with 4:44 to play.

The pesky Eagles hung around, rattling off nine straight points to pull within 60-53 with 2:28 left, but Pacific hit five out of six at the free throw line in the final 1:11 to seal the deal.

It was another cold shooting start for the Boxers, who missed 12 of the next 14 attempts after Colter hit a three-pointer to put them up 3-2.

Down 21-11 with 8:46 to go in the first half, the Boxers turned to Schultz, who almost single-handedly pulled them back in the game. The 5-10 forward scored on three straight possessions, starting with a fast break layup and three-point play. After knocking down a jumper, Schultz buried a three-pointer to pull the Boxers within two, After Ashley Baumgaertel hit one out of two free throws for La Sierra, Schultz knocked down another three-pointer to tie the game at 24-24 with 5:24 left in the half.

Schultz capped off a 13-point first half by blowing past Baumgaertel on a drive to the hole and layup to tie the game at 27-27 with :36 seconds before halftime. Joirdan Jones hit a left-corner three with three seconds left to put the Golden Eagles ahead by three at the break.

Pacific shot just 37 percent from the field (25-68) for the game, but outrebounded La Sierra 30-19 in the second half, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 12-3 advantage in second chance points over the final 20 minutes and an 18-5 edge for the game.

Heather Hitch (Jr., Enumclaw, Wash.) came off the bench to score 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting, making it 10 straight games in which she has hit at least half of her shot attempts. The Boxers also improved to 8-0 on the season when forcing over 20 turnovers as La Sierra turned the ball over 24 times to Pacific's 18.

After being held under 10 rebounds for the first seven games, Jensen has now recorded three straight games with 14 rebounds. Jensen also added four assists, while Annette Highley (So., Juneau, Alaska) pulled down six rebounds and had four steals, all in the first half.

Pacific will travel to Salem on Friday, Jan. 6 to take on struggling Willamette. The Boxers will be looking to avenge their toughest loss of the 2010-11 season, after they saw a late lead evaporate and lost 58-57 after the Bearcats' Sophie Wilson hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer. Pacific returns home to face unbeaten and number three-ranked George Fox on Saturday, Jan. 7. Both games tip off at 6:00 p.m.