Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. – Shooting over 50 percent in the first quarter, the Multnomah University Lions roared out to a six-point lead over the visiting University of Puget Sound, but were unable to sustain their hot start and dropped a 69-49 non-conference women's basketball game to the visiting Loggers Friday night here at Lytle Gym.
Cassidy Daugherty's three-pointer gave Puget Sound an early 8-5 lead, but
Valerie Wakefield hit a pair of threes to spark a 16-7 run, capped by a
Bethany George three, that put Multnomah ahead 21-15 with 2:11 left in the quarter. The Lions finished with .533 shooting percentage in the period and led 21-17 heading into the second 10 minutes.
The Lions cooled off considerably in the next quarter, however, connecting on only 2-of-12 from the field for a .167 mark. The Loggers, meanwhile, who are ranked 17
th in the NCAA Division III pre-season poll by D3hoops.com, had their best shooting quarter of the night, making 8-of-17 for a .471 percentage and building a halftime lead of 35-27.
Multnomah was still within hailing distance after another Wakefield three made it 42-34 midway through the third quarter. Puget Sound then went on a 12-0 tear, hitting seven straight free throws at one stretch, to extend its margin to 54-34 with a minute-and-a-half left in the period, and the Lions got no closer than 18 the rest of the way.
--- By the Numbers: Wakefield finished with 15 points for the Lions,
Faith Kraatz added 12 on 6-of-8 from the floor, and
Rachelle Tau tacked on 10. George had a team-high six rebounds, Wakefield made three assists, and
Tiara Chinn picked up three steals.
Claire Fitzgerald paced Puget Sound with 17 points and Mara Henderson contributed 11. Meghan Hamel had a game-high eight rebounds as the Loggers held a dominating 48-28 advantage on the boards, including 17 offensive rebounds. RaeAnn Allen had six assists and Courtney Knecht made three steals.
Multnomah is now 0-8 on the season, while Puget Sound improved to 2-1.
--- Quoting coach Tim Bieri: "Tonight was an overall solid effort. Coach Kushiyama has a strong team and I thought we gave them all they could handle for at least two quarters of the game. We had a fairly balanced attack, and we will need that nearly every night once the conference season starts next week. Val (Wakefield) and Beth (George) played very well, and Faith (Kraatz) and Rae (Tau) really gave us a spark in the post. Playing all of these good teams will help us in the long run – and that's what this is, a long run."
--- Next: Multnomah takes on NCAA Division I opponent Portland State University in an exhibition game for the Lions Saturday at 1:00 p.m., which is a change from the previously-announced 2:00 start. The game is being held at Lewis & Clark College due to construction at PSU's Stott Center … Puget Sound will be at Warner Pacific College Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
