SALEM, Ore. – Fueled by a 14-1 run to open the second half, the Northwest Christian University women’s basketball team cruised to victory on Saturday night, defeating Willamette University, 72-43. The Beacons held the Bearcats to just 26.9% shooting from the field while forcing 27.
Head Coach Liz Turner-Bolton said, “It was a great team effort tonight, and it was good to get a lot of bodies into the game. We have been working on trapping and rotating, getting our opponents to cough up the ball, and we did that effectively tonight.”
The Beacons (3-3) were led by Hope Williams, posting a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Aly Bruns scored ten points, hitting a pair of three-pointers, and Katie Collins added a game-high five assists. Katey Monteith added eleven points off the bench as the Beacon reserves outscored their Willamette counterparts, 31-15. The Beacons held a slim 49-44 rebounding edge and NCU shot 38% on the night.
Willamette (0-2) was led by Alex Zennan, scoring eleven points. Erin Barclay added six points and four other players had five points apiece, including Alex Brunt-Pluta, who added a team-high eight rebounds. NCU was lights-out on defense, but the Bearcats didn’t do themselves any favors, shooting just 14-31 at the free-throw line for 45%.
Northwest Christian will be back in action December 3rd as they return home to face Corban University in their Cascade Collegiate Conference opener.