Box Score KIRKLAND, Wash. – Breaking open a close contest with a 10-0 run over the final five minutes of the second quarter, the Northwest University Eagles pulled away from the Multnomah University Lions for a 61-45 win in the final Cascade Collegiate Conference women's basketball game of the year for both teams Saturday evening here at the NU Pavilion.
Northwest opened the game with an 8-0 run featuring a pair of goals by Miranda Langenhorst before Multnomah got going with a layup by
Erin Estabrook with 2:50 left in the opening period. The Lions twice trimmed the deficit to three at 8-5 and 11-7 on three-pointers by
Tiara Chinn and
Bethany George before the Eagles took a 14-8 lead into the second period. NU stretched its lead to 11 at 21-10 on a three-point play by Jessalyn Henry at the 7:27 mark, but the Lions climbed back within six at 23-17 on a trey by George with 5:03 left. However, the Lions went scoreless the rest of the half as the Eagles moved out to a 33-17 halftime lead.
Valerie Wakefield twice hit a pair of free throws early in the third quarter to draw the Lions within 14 at 33-19 and 35-21, but a 13-4 run, capped by an Emily Henderson tip-in of her own missed shot, stretched the margin to 23 at 48-25 with 4:07 to go in the period. Multnomah used a 13-2 streak of its own over the next eight minutes to get within 12 at 50-38 with 6:13 left following a
Paris Sanders layup, but the teams essentially traded baskets over the remainder of the contest.
--- By the Numbers: Wakefield was the only Lion in double figures with 13 points, including 5-for-5 from the free throw line. The Lions were held to a .281 shooting percentage (16-57) and only .238 (5-21) from beyond the arc. Sanders, who set an MU record with 18 rebounds at Evergreen State College the night before, again had a team high with nine boards, and Wakefield contributed four assists.
Kalee Fowler scored 13 points and Langenhorst 12 for the Eagles, who shot only .329 (26-79) from the field and .227 (5-22) on threes but held a whopping 58-39 advantage on the boards, including 29 offensive rebounds. Hayden Craig led the way with 10 caroms, while Mariah Stacona handed out six assists and made four steals.
Multnomah finished its fourth season and third in the Cascade Conference and the NAIA with a 1-29 overall record and 1-19 in the conference, tied for 10
th place with Walla Walla University. Northwest ended the regular season 11-18 overall and 8-12 in the CCC, tied for sixth with Warner Pacific College and Evergreen State, but lost out on tiebreakers for the seventh and eighth spots in the upcoming CCC Tournament.
--- Quoting MU coach Tim Bieri: "I deeply appreciate our team for never giving up and always playing beyond the score. I am forever grateful to Val (Wakefield) and Anissa (Behymer-Smith) for investing so much into this program."
