Second-Half Surge Lifts NCC to 7th Straight Victory
EUGENE, Ore. -- he Northwest Christian College women’s basketball team used a strong second half defensive effort, and a 20-2 five-minute stretch to earn a 68-49 victory over the Holy Names Hawks. The win moves the Beacons to 8-4 on the year, and preserves their four game win streak.
Junior center Emily Gray scored a game-high 22 points (10-of-19 from the field) and recorded nine rebounds and two blocked shots, which moved her to 502 career rebounds as a Beacon. Guard Amy Croll scored seven points and dished out 10 assists, while forward Elise Gray came off the bench to score 11of the team’s 17 points. Forward McKenzie Gambee pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and added five points, as the Beacons outrebounded Holy Names 48-41 on the night.
“We need to play a full 40 minutes to win our next two conference games,” said junior center Emily Gray. “The encouraging thing we can take away from this game is the fact that nobody can stop us right now, and we need to continue to support one another and communicate effectively on the court.”
The Hawks pressured NCC early in the first half and used a 6-0 inside of two minutes to play in the opening half, to take a 28-23 lead headed into the intermission. The Beacons came out for the second half of play reenergized and used a 13-6 run in the opening five minutes, to recapture the lead at 36-34 on an Emily Gray bucket from Croll. The Hawks (4-8) rallied to tie the game at 39, off two consecutive field goals from forward Junai Dawson.
The Beacons answered with the night’s decisive stand, holding the Hawks to one field goal over a 5:23 stretch and the NCC offense ran off with ten straight points (during the 20-2 run). The win extends a four game streak, and marks the sixth win in seven games for the Beacons.
Northwest Christian College returns to action this Tuesday, on the road at Concordia and follows up with a Wednesday night game against Cascade Collegiate Conference rival Corban College. Both games are scheduled for 5:30 pm start times.