By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) scored a game-high 22 points and moved into second place on Willamette University's all-time scoring list, as the Bearcats rallied past Pacific University, 70-65, at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Bearcats, who trailed 31-22 at halftime, broke a 63-63 tie by outscoring the Boxers 7-2 in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Willamette won its fifth consecutive game and improved to 9-6 on the season, 5-1 in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats are tied for second in the NWC with George Fox University. Whitman College leads the NWC with a 6-0 record. Pacific fell to 3-11 overall, 2-4 in the NWC, as the Boxers' two-game winning streak ended.
Towry increased her career scoring total to 1,210 points. She moved past Kelly (Sorenson) Ioane, who scored 1,208 points from 1997-98 through 2000-01. The Willamette career scoring leader is Jenny Joseph with 1,309 points from 1993-94 through 1996-97.
On Saturday, Towry also upped her Willamette record for career 3-pointers to 263 baskets. She put through a trio of 3-pointers against Pacific. Towry was 7 of 10 from the field overall. She also grabbed five rebounds.
Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) provided WU with 12 points and six rebounds. Mary Eckenrode (Sr., G, Higley, AZ/Highland HS) added seven points and five boards. Elizabeth Logsdon (So., F, McMinnville, OR/McMinnville HS) also scored seven points, while Celine Gregoire (Sr./Jr., P, Woodburn, OR/ Woodburn Academy) finished a team-high eight rebounds.
Pacific's top scorer was Liana Tanaka with 12 points to go with three assists and two steals. Alexa Hinkley achieved 10 points. Tanaka and Hinkley each hit a pair of 3-point shots. Courtney Carolan tallied nine points, and also recorded five assists. Charlie Elliott led all players with nine rebounds for the Boxers.
Willamette shot a blistering 62.5% on field goals in the second half to fuel the Bearcats' rally. WU connected on 15 of 24 shots during the final two quarters, including 5 of 7 on 3-point attempts.
The Bearcats scored the first five points of the second half on a 3-pointer by Ashley Evans (Sr., PG, Canby, OR/Canby HS) and a layup by Logsdon to pull within 31-25. After the Boxers gained a 35-28 advantage, Willamette countered with an 8-2 run, cutting the margin to a single point at 37-36.
A 3-pointer by Jenee Brown and a layup by Elliott gave Pacific the next five points for a six-point lead. Willamette reduced the margin to 42-40 with 3:29 on the clock, but the Boxers ended the quarter with a 48-44 lead.
Willamette opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 offensive surge to take a 51-50 lead on a 3-point shot by Eckenrode with 7:43 left. The next two baskets -- by Tanaka for Pacific and Amanda Carpenter (Fr., G, Beaverton, OR/Sunset HS) of Willamette -- also were from 3-point range.
During the five minutes between the 7-minute and 2-minute marks, the teams battled through four ties and four lead changes. A jumper by Carolan of Pacific with 2:01 remaining created a 63-63 tie.
Kochenderfer hit a layup and a foul shot with 1:41 left to put Willamette in front at 66-63. Neither team scored again until Gregoire sank two free throws for WU with 26 seconds left. Carolan put through a layup for Pacific with 18 seconds left to cut the margin to 68-65, but Towry made two free throws with eight seconds on the clock to clinch the win.
Willamette shot 48.0% overall (24 of 50) and made 8 of 20 three-pointers (40.0%). The Bearcats were 14 for 19 at the free throw line. Pacific shot 39.1% during the game (25 of 64), including 7 of 19 from beyond the arc (36.8%). The Boxers sank 8 of 12 free throws. WU ended the game with a 35-34 rebounding edge.
The score remained close throughout the first quarter. Willamette led by as many as four points, and held a 13-11 lead at the end of the period. Pacific gained a 20-9 scoring edge in the second quarter, including an 11-2 run to take a 27-18 advantage on a 3-pointer by Carolan with 3:25 on the clock. WU cut the lead to 28-22 on a layup by Gregoire, but Tanaka scored the final points of the half on a 3-point basket with 18 seconds to go.
The Bearcats will remain at home for two games next weekend. Willamette will take on Whitworth University on Friday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. (PST) before hosting Whitman at Cone Field House on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. (PST). Whitman is ranked #6 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
