NCC Posts 56-44 Win Over William Jessup
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Northwest Christian College women’s basketball team held the William Jessup Warriors scoreless for the opening ten and a half minutes to begin the second-half, and the Beacons came away with a 55-44 victory over the Warriors, Saturday night at the Morse Event Center. Juniors Emily Gray and McKenzie Gambee each recorded a double-double in the win.
“We came out tonight and played total team basketball”, said center Emily Gray. “The key for us was we needed to motivate one another to raise our level of play after a sluggish opening half.”
The Beacons were able to capitalize off the Warriors only shooting 24% from the field, including 0-15 from the field to open up the second half. Center Emily Gray led the Beacons with 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, three of her blocks came in four consecutive offensive possessions for the Warriors. Forward McKenzie Gambee fueled the NCC frontcourt by adding 12 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and a block. Guard Lori Renner sparked the bench play by scoring 10 points, and guard Amy Croll contributed eight points and five assists.
“Our coaches really laid out a challenge at the half”, said forward McKenzie Gambee, “and to our team’s credit we rose to the occasion and played team basketball tonight and earned the win. I think our interior play was able to force the Warriors into some unfavorable offensive situations to start the second half, and our transition play capitalized on their miscues”.
The win improves Northwest Christian’s record to 4-3 on the year, while the Warriors drop to 0-6 on the season. The Beacons return to the road this Tuesday, to play the Pacific Boxers in Forest Grove.