NEWBERG, Ore. – Hannah Munger scored 24 points and moved into 15th place on the NCAA Division III all-time list for blocked shots, lifting the George Fox University Bruins past the Concordia University-Portland Cavaliers 70-66 in a non-conference women's basketball game Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

Munger hit 9-of-11 from the field and 6-of-9 from the line, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked seven shots, boosting the 6-5 All-American center's total to 340 stuffs.  She also passed former NAIA All-American Nancy Rissmiller for fourth on the all-time George Fox career points list with 1,407 - and the Bruins needed every bit of it to hold off a spirited comeback try by the Cavaliers, who erased all but one point of a 20-point second-half deficit before running out of steam.

George Fox began the game with a three-pointer by Haley Cusick and baskets by Munger and Megan Hays while holding Concordia scoreless for four-and-a-half minutes.  Malori Dixon finally put the Cavs on the board with a three, the first of her 20 points in the period, Kelly Huey hit a three, and Dixon capped a 9-0 run with a conventional three-point play to make it 9-7 Concordia at the 14:24 mark. 

A free throw by McKenzie Wolfe and a jumper by Megan Arnoldy put the Bruins back in front 10-9 with 12:45 to play in the half, and they never trailed again.  Sam McCloud's three gave the Bruins their first double-digit lead of 26-16 with 9:03 showing, and the lead eventually reached 14 when Justine Benner hit two free throws to make it 49-35 a second before the half ended.

The Bruins extended their lead to 20 by scoring the first six points of the second half on two Munger layups and one by Jami Roos for a 55-35 advantage.  George Fox hit four of its first five shots in the final frame - but only four of its last 20 attempts in the game as the Cavaliers fought back. 

Shortly after Arnoldy hit a three at the 16:46 mark for a 58-39 Bruin lead, the Cavs reeled off 11 points in a row to get within eight at 58-50, Lexi Amundsen's layup making it 58-50.  Roos scored inside on a throw-in under the basket to halt the run at the 11:07 mark, but the Cavs continued their comeback by out-scoring the Bruins 15-6 over the next eight-and-a-half minutes, Amundsen sinking 5-of-6 free throws in that span.  Consecutive goals by Huey capped the run and made it 66-65 Bruins with 2:36 left.  Munger finally gave the Bruins some breathing room when she made a steal, then scored at the other end for a 68-65 lead with 1:18 left.  She added two free tosses with 30 ticks to play, effectively sealing the win.

Joining Munger in the double-digit department for the Bruins was Arnoldy with 15 points, and she just missed her second double-double of the season with nine rebounds, along with a game-high five assists.  Cusick, Roos, and Dacia Heckendorf made four steals apiece, the Bruins making 21 steals in all while forcing 27 Concordia turnovers. 

Dixon finished with a game-high 26 points and Huey added 15 for the Cavaliers.  Huey also had three steals and nine rebounds as the Cavs out-rebounded the Bruins 42-32.  Amundsen added nine points and eight boards, and Randi McReynolds passed out four assists. 

In climbing to 5-2 on the season, the Bruins, ranked 23rd in the WBCA poll and 24th by D3hoops.com, extended their home-court winning streak to 38 games.  It was their 20th win in the last 21 meetings with Concordia, which slipped to 5-4 on the year.

NEXT: After a week off for final exams, George Fox will hit the hardwood again Dec. 18-19 in the Azusa Pacific University Classic in Azusa, Calif., against a pair of NCAA Division II teams.  The Bruins will take on host Azusa Pacific Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., and Point Loma Nazarene University Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ... Concordia plays Saturday at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Wash., at 6:00 p.m.