By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's basketball team put up a strong battle against the undefeated leaders in the Northwest Conferences standings at Pacific University on Friday, Jan. 24, before the Boxers held off the Bearcats for a 62-58 win at the Stoller Center. Pacific, now 7-0 in the NWC, improved to 13-3 on the season. Willamette fell to 10-6 overall, 4-3 in the NWC. 

Pacific led by nine points, 57-48, with 6:02 remaining in the game after a 3-pointer by Brilie Kovaloff, but Willamette rallied to get as close as 57-55 on a jumper by Ava Kitchin (Fy., F, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS) with 3:40 to play. Willamette was within three points twice in the final two minutes, first at 59-56 on a free throw by Sami Riggs (Fy., G, La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) with 1:39 on the clock. Neither team scored for more than a minute, but Kovaloff added two free throws for the Boxers with 19 seconds left. The Bearcats pulled within 61-58 at the 14-second mark on a layup by Drew Farmer (Sr., PG, Brookings, OR/Brookings-Harbor HS).

Kovaloff, who led all players with 24 points, sank 1 of 2 free throws with 12 seconds on the clock to clinch the win for the Boxers. Willamette missed on two 3-point attempts in the final six seconds.

Kassin Hopkins (Sr., Connell, WA/Connell HS/Bellevue College) topped Willamette with 14 points. Farmer finished the game with 13 points and was 5 of 9 from the floor. In addition, Farmer contributed two assists and three steals. Kitchin scored nine points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds for the Bearcats.

The Boxers relied on Kovaloff's scoring, but also received a strong night from Camy Aguinaldo, who scored 14 points and was 6 of 8 from the field. Kovaloff and Aguinaldo each hit two 3-point shots for Pacific. Aguinaldo led all players with seven rebounds and also provided three assists. Rilee Price earned eight points, while Courtney Carolan registered six points and six boards.

Kitchin gave Willamette the game's first points on a layup just 21 points after the opening tip. Pacific countered with a 9-0 run that ended with a traditional 3-point play by Kovaloff at the 6:12 mark. After WU battled back within 9-7 on a basket and foul shot by Hopkins with 3:59 left in the quarter, the Boxers went on a 5-2 run for a 14-9 lead. A 3-pointer from Farmer reduced Willamette's deficit to 14-12 with 1:40 on the clock, but Alexis Intong scored the final basket of the quarter on a layup with 49 seconds to go.

Nine of the first 10 points in the second quarter went to the Boxers, as they increased their advantage to 23-13 with 7:51 left in the half. Aguinaldo completed the run with a 3-point basket. The teams exchanged successful scoring chances over the next two minutes, before Willamette scored six unanswered points on a layup by Amanda Carpenter (Jr., G, Beaverton, OR/Sunset HS), a jumper by Lucy Morrill (Sr./Jr., G, Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), and another layup by Carpenter to pull within 27-24 with 3:39 to play.

Pacific eventually gained a nine-point lead at 37-28 following a jumper by Kovaloff with 19 seconds remaining. Hopkins responded with a layup for Willamette seven seconds later, leaving the Boxers with a 37-30 halftime edge.

The Boxers opened the second half with a 6-0 run to claim a 43-30 lead. The Bearcats scored the next four points on a jumper by Riggs and two free throws from Hopkins to move within 43-34 at the 7:02 mark of the third quarter. Later, Willamette cut the margin to 43-39 on a layup by Kitchin as the clock reached 4:13. Kovaloff scored on a 3-pointer and a layup over the next 1:15 of playing time to increase the lead to 48-39. The Boxers were in front 52-44 at the start of the final quarter.

For the game, Pacific shot 56.5% on field goals (26 of 46), while hitting 4 of 13 attempts from 3-point range (30.8%). The Boxers went just 6 of 12 at the free throw line, but held a 31-25 rebounding margin. The Bearcats were successful on 39.0% of their shots from the field (23 of 59), and finished 5 of 20 on 3-pointers. Willamette sank 7 of 9 free throws. The Bearcats forced Pacific into 17 turnovers, while WU lost the ball 12 times.

Willamette will take on the University of Puget Sound on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Cone Field House in Salem, Oregon. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PST).