ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Northwest Christian University women's basketball team split their games at the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic this weekend, falling to Fresno Pacific 79-71 before knocking off host William Jessup on Saturday, 57-48.
The Northwest Christian University women’s basketball team dropped their opening game in the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic on Friday afternoon, falling to Fresno Pacific, 79-71. A deep bench for the Sunbirds helped them outpace NCU in the second half as they had six players in double-figures for scoring.
The Beacons held an early 4-2 lead but FPU went on to establish a nine point lead, 17-8 at the midway point of the first half. Trailing 26-17 with 7:33 to play, something sparked for NCU as the Beacons went on a 16-0 tear, claiming their own 33-26 advantage in just a 4 ½ minute span. All-told, the Sunbirds were held scoreless for a six minute span. They finally scored again with 1:45 remaining and hit three buckets in their final three possessions to claw back within one point at the intermission, 33-32.
Fresno Pacific got the first basket of the second half to take the lead for good as they stretched their advantage throughout the final 20 minutes. The Sunbirds led by as many as 12 points, 71-59 with just 2:37 to play, but the Beacons made one more burst to climb within four points, 73-69 with 33 seconds to play. NCU, however, was forced to foul down the stretch and FPU made six straight free throws to seal the win.
Head Coach Liz Turner-Bolton said, “We definitely had some uncharacteristic turnovers today and we just weren’t on the same page in the second half. It was good to see the girls fight back a few times. Fresno Pacific is a tough opponent, but they were definitely beatable today.”
The Beacons (2-2) were once again led by junior Point Guard Aly Bruns, scoring 18 points. Bruns was 4-for-8 from the field, hitting a pair of three-pointers. She also went 8-for-12 at the charity stripe. Lindsey Shearer had a strong day as well, scoring ten points to go with 14 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Jess Anderson scored 13 points and Katie Collins came off the bench to add eleven points, going 4-for-6 from the field. The Beacons shot 39% for the game and out-rebounded FPU, 41-37.
Fresno Pacific (2-0) had six in double figures, led by a double-double from Keri Stephanoff with 16 points and ten rebounds. Keairra White and Jenay Herring scored 13 each. Stephanie Larson and Sienna Gonzales added 12 apiece and Brandi Blackwell added ten. In all, the Sunbird bench outscored the NCU reserves, 38-18. FPU shot 46% from the field on the night.
NCU is now 1-4 all-time against the Sunbirds.
The Northwest Christian University women’s basketball team closed out the Bill Holtz Warrior Classic on Saturday night with a 57-48 win over the hosts. NCU held William Jessup to 23% shooting in the game and forced 21 turnovers.
The Beacons got things rolling with a three-pointer from Aly Bruns on their first possession. By the 13-minute mark, they were ahead 19-5. NCU continued to stretch the lead and were ahead by as many as 18, but a 10-3 run by Jessup to close out the half made it 34-23 in favor of the Beacons as the teams went to the intermission.
“We started off really well tonight,” said head coach Liz Turner-Bolton. “We executed our offense and we put a lot of defensive pressure on them.”
The second half was more of the same as the Beacons again led by 16 points, 44-28 off a jumper by Lindsey Shearer with 15:05 remaining. The Warriors pulled within six points with two and a half minutes to go as the Beacons went deep into the bench in the half.
Turner-Bolton said, “We worked hard to get everybody into the game tonight. It didn’t help with our rhythm, but it was good to get everybody some action.”
The Beacons (3-2) were led by Martha Taylor as the only player in double-figures for NCU with eleven points and eight rebounds. She went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line and added four steals. Shearer had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Bruns, who was named to the All-Tournament team, scored seven points and had three steals. NCU scored 24 points off the bench, led by eight from Shannon Harte who went 3-for-6 from the field and added six rebounds.
William Jessup (0-2) was led by Alyssa Wright and Brittany Smith, scoring 12 points each. Jessup out-rebounded the Beacons 44-40 in the game.
The Northwest Christian University women will be back in action on Friday when they travel to face Linfield College at 7:30 pm.