Calhoun Breaks Assist Record, Knights Defeat NCU
PORTLAND, Ore. – Warner Pacific kept pace in the Cascade Conference title race with a 69-51 win over Northwest Christian tonight in women’s basketball action at Bart Valentine Court.
With the result, the host Knights (18-8, 12-3 CCC) won their seventh game in a row and sit one game behind league leader Corban, who visit Warner Pacific tomorrow night. NCU falls to 10-18 and 2-13 in CCC counters.
WP sprinted out to a 15-2 lead over the first nine minutes of play, holding the Beacons to 1 of 6 shooting and six turnovers. After playing even for the next seven minutes, the Knights used a 10-2 run to close the half with a 41-21 lead.
The run of play continued to favor Warner Pacific after halftime, and the Knights stretched their advantage to as much as 29 (55-26) with 11:05 to play. NCU kept fighting hard and attempted to rally, cutting the margin to 60-44 at the 3:27 mark but could draw no closer.
Cameryn Calhoun’s pass on Kelsey Mattsen’s bucket midway through the first half broke the Warner Pacific record for career assists. The senior from Portland has 345 in her three seasons as a Knight.
Mattsen and Chelsey Christensen led WP with 17 points each. Calhoun added 11 points, while Nichole Jackson contributed six assists.
Northwest Christian was led by Lindsey Shearer, who dropped in 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Beacons struggled from the field, finishing at 30 percent shooting while WPC connected at a 49 percent clip.