By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- In a closely contested Northwest Conference women's basketball game between teams competing for NWC Tournament berths, Pacific University edged Willamette University, 63-61, at the Stoller Center on Friday, Feb. 10. The game was a battle throughout the evening, with the teams positioned within two or three points for most of the game.

As the end of the fourth quarter neared, Willamette owned a 59-58 lead on a layup by Megan River (Jr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) with 2:09 to play. The Boxers moved in front 61-59 on a layup and free throw by Sydney Gray with 0:49 left.

Brilie Kovaloff hit 1 of 2 free throws for Pacific with 26 seconds to go, giving the Boxers a 62-59 advantage, but Kaitlin Imai (Fy., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS) pulled WU within a single point when she made a driving layup with 17 seconds on the clock. After Gray added one free throw on two attempts with 16 seconds left, Pacific was in front 63-61.

Carolyn Ho (Jr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) missed a contested 3-point shot with one second left and Danica Schmidt secured the rebound for Pacific. Schmidt missed two free throws with 0.5 remaining. WU grabbed the rebound, called timeout, and advanced the ball with 0.2 left, but didn't have time to get a final shot.

Pacific improved to 16-6 overall and to 9-4 in the NWC. Willamette moved to 12-10 on the season, 7-6 in the NWC. In the NWC standings, the Boxers are third and the Bearcats are fourth. WU holds a one-game lead on George Fox University, which is fifth in the standings at 6-7. When the regular season ends later this month, the top four teams in the nine-team conference will advance to the NWC Tournament.

Sami Riggs (Sr., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) led Willamette during the game by scoring 16 points and hitting 7 of 9 field goal attempts. Ho scored 10 points and led Willamette with four assists. Imai provided the Bearcats with eight points, while Ashlyn Ascuena-Mercil (Sr., F, Boise, ID/Timberline HS) earned six points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Ascuena-Mercil leads Willamette with 156 rebounds and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Four players reached double figures for the Boxers. Gray finished with 17 points and was 3 for 3 from behind the 3-point line. She also grabbed five rebounds. Rilee Price recorded 15 points and four assists, while Shaade Williams contributed 14 points and five boards. Kovaloff ended the night with 13 points and Schmidt led Pacific with seven rebounds.

In the first quarter, Willamette led 5-2 after Riggs scored on a jump shot with 6:23 left. Pacific later held a 9-7 advantage on a 3-pointer by Gray, but Willamette led 11-9 at the 1:47 mark following a layup by Danielle Morgan (Sr., F, Lompoc, CA/Allan Hancock HS/California Lutheran Univ.). The teams were tied at 11-11 when the quarter ended.

The Boxers were in front by three points on four occasions in the second quarter. Even so, Willamette scored next all four times, including a pair of game-tying 3-pointers by Ho. With 26 seconds left in the half, WU took a 26-25 lead on a 3-pointer by River. Price scored for Pacific on a layup with two seconds on the clock to give the Boxers a 27-26 halftime edge.

A 12-6 run at the start of the second half allowed the Boxers to take a seven-point lead at 39-32. Pacific also led 42-35 before Willamette went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 42-42 on two free throws by River with 4:20 to play in the third quarter. Riggs earned the first five points in the run on a traditional three-point play and a jump shot. Riggs contributed another old-fashioned 3-point play wiht 1:01 left, as the Bearcats seized a 45-44 lead. Price regained the lead for the Boxers by making a layup with 33 seconds to go.

The final quarter was close, with each team leading by three points twice. Pacific was in front 48-45 at the 9:42 mark, but WU took a 55-52 lead on a layup by Ascuena-Mercil with 6:48 to go. The Bearcats owned a 57-54 edge after Ho made a layup with 4:55 to play. The last three-point lead went to the Boxers at 62-59 on Kovaloff's free throw with 26 seconds left.

Willamette was 26 of 54 for 48.1% on field goals and Pacific was 26 of 56 for 56.4%. Pacific attained a 31-30 margin. The Boxers gained an edge behind the arc, with Pacific hitting 6 of 13 attempts (46.2%), while the Bearcats were 4 of 14 (28.6%). WU gained a 15-2 lead in bench scoring and outscored the Boxers 40-38 in the paint.

The Bearcats will take on Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday, Feb. 11. Game time at Cone Field House is scheduled for 4 p.m. (PST). It will be Senior Day for Willamette, as the Bearcats will honor the seniors on the women's basketball, men's basketball, and cheerleading teams.