FOREST GROVE – Despite a halftime lead and double-digit scoring from Nani Ostrom and Abby Jones, the Pacific women's basketball team was unable to hold off the visiting Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Friday evening as the Pioneers escaped the Stoller Center with a 57-55 overtime victory.
 
The Boxers started the game strong with an early 8-0 run, which was started off by a quick 3-pointer from Ostrom (Sr., Juneau, Alaska).
 
Jones (Sr., Haines, Alaska) followed Ostrom's make with a pair of free throws, before a 3-pointer from Kaila Johnson (Sr., McKinleyville, Calif.) put the Boxers up 8-0 three minutes into the meeting.
 
Lewis & Clark broke its drought at the 16:28 mark when Izzy Campbell hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Sarah Anderson.
 
The two sides exchanged points over following three minutes, before an eight-point run for the Pioneers pushed Lewis & Clark to a 13-11 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the period.
 
The Boxers knotted the game up twice in a two-minute stretch, before the Pioneers maintained first half momentum and carried a lead into the final five minutes as Olivia Cook (Sr., Beaverton) hit a pair from the free throw line to pull the Boxers within one with 4:45 left in the period.
 
Following Cook's pair from the line, the Boxers forced a Pioneers turnover with 3:38 remaining in the opening period. The Boxers were unable to take advantage of the new possession, before a missed Pioneer 3-pointer returned the ball to the Boxers with under three minutes on the clock.
 
Jones put the Boxers back on top of the Pioneers with a jumper in the paint, giving Pacific a one-point advantage that quickly grew to three after a jumper from Ostrom.
 
Anderson tied the game for Lewis & Clark at 26-26 with 26 seconds remaining in half. The Boxers finished the half with an advantage as Sarah Curl hit a 3-pointer of her own off an assist from Johnson, giving Pacific a 29-26 lead at the break.
 
After giving up the first two points of the second period, Pacific responded with a four-point run to extend its lead to 33-28. Again the Pioneers were ready to respond as the sides exchanged makes and misses until the Pioneers put a run together of seven-straight points to take a six-point lead with 9:05 remaining and 45-39 on the scoreboard.
 
The Lewis & Clark lead reached seven points, before Ostrom hit a 3-pointer and a couple free throws to pull Pacific within two points of the Pioneers.
 
With 2:47 left in regulation, a layup from Cook tied the game at 48-48. The fifth tie of the ballgame was short lived as Lewis & Clark regained the lead less than a minute later.
 
The Pioneers held the lead into the final 30 seconds of the second period, before Cianna Ochoco missed a free throw and gave the Boxers another opportunity to tie the game.
 
Jones corralled the rebound off of Ochoco's miss and after the Boxers ran 15 seconds off the clock, Curl hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 51-51. A late steal by Cook ensured overtime for the first time on the season for Pacific.
 
Overtime opened with a 3-point make by Ostrom, before Ayisat Afolabi scored on a layup to pull the Pioneers back within a point. A free throw with 1:40 on the clock by Cook pushed the Boxers to a 55-53 advantage in the overtime period.
 
After Cook missed the second of her two opportunities from the line, a Pioneers 3-pointer gave the Boxers the ball with less than a minute remaining and a one-point deficit on the scoreboard.
 
The two-sides traded missed opportunities until a Pacific turnover with less than 15 seconds remaining forced the Boxers to put the Pioneers on the free throw line. Ochoco hit the second of her two free throws to give Lewis & Clark a two-point lead with 13 seconds left. A missed layup and a turnover did the Boxers in as Lewis & Clark snuck out of the Stoller Center with a victory.
 
Ostrom led the Boxers with 14 points, while Jones added 12. Cook finished the evening with nine points, three assists, three steals and 12 rebounds.
 
The Boxers head to Tacoma, Wash., on a quick turnaround to meet No. 23 Puget Sound at 4 p.m. on Saturday.