By Sara Brooks, Assistant Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6219

SALEM, ORE. -- The Bearcats of Willamette University will take on Northwest Conference rival Lewis & Clark College in a women's basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. (PST) in Portland, Ore. The game will follow the Willamette men's basketball game at L&C, which starts at 6 p.m.

Willamette is 3-18 overall and 1-11 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark begins the week with a 14-7 overall record, including 8-4 in the conference.

Previous Games

Willamette vs. Puget Sound

Claire Ely from the University of Puget Sound continued her campaign for Northwest Conference Player of the Year against the Bearcats. Willamette could not find a way to stop the senior point guard. Ely scored 27 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four steals.

Willamette scored the first field goal of the game but trailed the rest of the way. The Loggers defeated WU, 76-33. Willamette struggled on the offensive end to find opportunities to score. The Bearcats did not attempt a free throw the entire game.

Zennan, who tallied ten points, was the leading scorer for Willamette. Kaileigh Westermann (P, So., Belfair, WA/South Kitsap HS) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Willamette at Linfield

The Bearcats broke the 50-point mark for the first time in five games but were unable to defeat the Wildcats in McMinnville, Ore. Gretchen Owens scored 35 points and hit 15 of 16 free throws to lead Linfield College to a 93-69 victory.

Willamette was led by junior point guard Erin Barclay (Snohomish, WA/Bothell HS). Barclay scored a career-high 22 points. She made 6 of 11 field goals and went 8 for 10 at the charity stripe. Alex Zennan (G, Jr., Sammamish, WA/Eastlake HS) added 17 points. Post Keilyn Fujioka (Jr., Kailua, HI/Iolani School) finished the game with 14 points.

The Wildcats opened the second half of the game with a 26-16 surge to claim a 67-40 lead. Willamette got back into the game with a 16-0 run, ultimately cutting the margin to 67-56 on a 3-pointer by Zennan at the 7:46 mark. The Bearcats were unable to get closer.

Tonight's Opponent

Lewis & Clark College
Nickname: Pioneers
Location: Portland, Ore.
Affiliations: NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference
2008-09 Record: 11-14, 5-11 NWC (7th place)
2009-10 Record: 14-7, 8-4 NWC (3rd place)
Last Meeting: L&C won, 61-40, on Jan. 12, 2010 in Salem, Ore.

Willamette lost a defensive battle to the Pioneers, 61-40, earlier this season. At the time, L&C was undefeated in the Northwest Conference and receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. Since then, the Pioneers have dropped four out of their last seven games.

The Pioneers are currently in third place in the NWC. L&C has a one-game lead over Whitworth University (7-5) and a three-game lead over Whitman College (5-7) and Pacific Lutheran University (5-7). The top four teams will qualify for the NWC Tournament. The Bearcats have an opportunity to play spoiler in the NWC playoff race.

In their first meeting, WU and L&C combined to shoot 31.7% from the field, had 50 turnovers and shot just 60% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats need to be prepared for the physical style of basketball that Lewis & Clark is known for playing. WU must attack the basket and find an early offensive rhythm.

Bearcat Fast Breaks

* Alex Zennan ranks 4th in the Northwest Conference in scoring with 14.8 points per game.

* Keilyn Fujioka ranks 3rd in the conference with 8.3 rebounds per game.

* As a team, Willamette ranks 2nd in the NWC in blocked shots per game (4.33).

* Zennan has made 54 3-point shots this season, good for a third place tie in 3-point shots made in a single season in Willamette history. Zennan is now tied with former Bearcat Kelly (Sorenson) Ioane. Ioane is the wife of current men's basketball Head Coach Kip Ioane. Zennan would have to make nine more 3-point shots to tie for second place (63).

* The Northwest Conference has two teams in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. George Fox University is ranked 5th and is currently 19-2 overall and 12-0 in the NWC. Puget Sound is ranked 18th. The Loggers are 18-3 overall and 10-2 in the NWC.