NEWBERG – If the Pacific women's basketball team was hoping that unbeaten George Fox might overlook them after a key win earlier in the week over nationally-ranked Lewis & Clark, they have only themselves to blame. After giving George Fox a scare back at the Stoller Center in early January, there was no way they were going to sneak up on the five-time reigning Northwest Conference champions.
An upset was not in the cards as the Bruins limited the Boxers to a season low 21 percent shooting from the field on the way to their 21st victory without a loss, winning 62-35 Friday at the Wheeler Sports Center. With the win, the Bruins solidified their hold on first place in the NWC with a 12-0 record, two games up on second place Lewis & Clark with four games left to play. The Boxers lost for the seventh time in eight games to fall to 3-8 in conference and 10-9 overall.
George Fox led wire-to-wire, cruising to a 30-11 halftime advantage by holding Pacific to 5 of 22 shooting in the first half, while forcing 12 turnovers. The Boxers forced 11 turnovers from the Bruins, but could not slow their halfcourt offense, which featured quick inside-outside ball movement and very little dribbling against Pacific's switching man defense.
The Bruins scored the first five points of the second half to go up 35-11 and held the Boxers without a field goal for nearly ten minutes, roaring to a 47-16 lead until Olivia Cook (Fr., Beaverton, Ore.) buried a 3-pointer at the 10:10 mark. The Boxers would get no closer than 26 points the rest of the way as George Fox assumed its largest lead when Munger scored on a layup to make it 56-24 with 6:23 to play.
Hannah Munger, a 6-5 junior center among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage and blocks, was not the dominant shot-blocking presence the Boxers saw back on Jan. 7 when she rejected seven shots in the first half alone. But her imposing presence forced Pacific to stay outside the key, where the Boxers misfired on seven straight shots to start the game, six from outside the 3-point line. Pacific would go 0 for 9 from downtown in the first half, while George Fox connected on 3 of 11 threes, while converting on 50 percent (13 of 26) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Munger and fellow All-NWC senior teammate Keisha Gordon each finished with 15 points to lead all scorers. Gordon, who quietly waited until the final two minutes to bury the Boxers with a pair of late threes a month ago, was aggressive early, scoring on a pair of dribble drives and a 3-pointer as the Bruins raced out to a 14-3 lead, scoring the first nine points of the game before Erica Schultz (Sr., Medford, Ore.) hit a short baseline jumper at the 13:19 mark put the Boxers on the scoreboard.
Schultz suffered through her second consecutive tough night, as she missed her final seven shots, finishing with seven points after hitting five of seven free throws. Pacific's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, Schultz is 3 for 17 from the field with 12 points in the last two games combined.
Annette Highley (So., Juneau, Alaska) came off the bench to add seven points for the Boxers, who have shot 35 percent or below in six of their last seven games, all losses. Brittney Anderson (Sr., Missoula, Mont.), who was held without a point or rebound in the first meeting, came off the bench for the first time this season, going 2 for 2 from the field with five points and four rebounds.
Munger had her tenth double-double of the season with 14 rebounds and added two of George Fox's seven blocked shots. Both Munger and Gordon went 6 for 10 from the field as Gordon contributed four assists and four rebounds for the No.3 ranked Bruins, who shot 48 percent for the game (26 of 54) and outrebounded Pacific 43-29. George Fox has won 48 consecutive NWC home games.
After playing six of their last seven games on the road, the Boxers return to the Stoller Center Saturday night to face Willamette. The doubleheader will be aired live on www.goboxers.com with pregame airtime beginning at 5:45 p.m.